One Down, Four To Go!

In amazement I am writing this entry to say Matt has finished his first year of residency. I can't even believe how quickly it passed! Last Saturday evening we attended the annual ortho picnic, which is an event that welcomes the new incoming residents and allows us all to hang out in a casual environment to eat, drink and get to know one another. It was bittersweet to not be one of the newbies because we also had to say goodbye to the wonderful residents and their families that "graduate" to either jobs or fellowships.

So, our first year was wonderful to say the least. We absolutely love Greenville and all that this part of the country has to offer. Aside from the headaches of home ownership (in the particular house we purchased) the transition was smooth, and especially for me since I had a circle of friends immediately that made starting anew that much easier. We enjoyed get togethers around town, apple picking in the mountains, Thanksgiving with friends, welcomed family for the Christmas holiday and for Dane's birthday. Blake transitioned to the public school district - with flying colors, I might add! - and Dane to a Mother's Morning Out program. I enjoyed many, many playdates with friends, and walks, lunches, dinners and coffees when the time would allow. We were blessed with a family vacation to Hilton Head Island with my parents and Matt's parents, and boy did we need it! To be truthful, I do not have one complaint about matching here in Greenville (aside from being away from family). Matt seems to enjoy the program, although he works so hard and is gone so much that I don't hear very much about it! Lucky..Blessed, whatever it may be. We are thankful for our experiences this first year in residency! Here are just a few "Greenville things" that stand out for me that make me appreciate where life has taken us...

~Hearing the monkeys from the zoo "talk" during our walks or playtime in Cleveland Park

~Seeing the mountains as I top I-385 at Pleasantburg Drive on our drive into downtown - I smile every single time!

~Any walk or time spent at Falls Park on the Reedy River

~The Christmas Parade downtown...and all the other festivals, the market, the bands, etc. that happens on Main Street

~The Children's Garden

~Hughes Library and all the wonderful things it has to offer for my children..for free!

~The Greenville School District and Kidnetics for all they have done from Blake

~The "small town" feel in a town that is big enough for everything you need

~Being close to friends I met years ago when I lived in Florence, SC

~A short drive to the mountains...4 hours to the beach

~The shops at the West End and Downtown, especially Invitations on Main and Kudzu...yes, I still love to shop!

~The Southern culture

~And, of course, sweet tea :)

I know I am forgetting a lot, but those are a few things that stand out. Lucky for Matt he begins the last 4 years tomorrow morning doing ONLY orthopaedics, which for that he is grateful. However, he is also beginning a very tough year of being on call A LOT and a dreadful Emergency Room rotation coming next Spring. So, it is going to be a very long year for all of us, but with all the aforementioned things you can see we will make it through with a lot of support and encouragement! Still, a little prayer our way never hurts! Here we go with year #2. You know we'll keep you updated and informed of all the good, the bad and the ugly!

Thanks to all our friends and family from afar who have been so supportive this past year. We couldn't have made it through without all of your encouragement and love!

Just Another Saturday in Greenville...

Boy, we have it rough here in Greenville (wink, wink)! Saturdays from Spring to Fall are extra special because of the downtown market. They have everything from produce to fresh flowers to fresh seafood brought up from Charleston! And you can't forget the yummy iced lattes...the REAL reason I get up and out the door early to get downtown! Matt had the entire weekend off, so we enjoyed a family run at Falls Park, then took our time milling through the market until the heat got unbearable. Luckily, down the street is the interactive fountain! Another fun experience within Falls Park and downtown! The boys had a BLAST running from fountain to fountain, which they have enjoyed several times this summer hence their wardrobe being swim trunks from the moment we walked out the door. Words can't describe how unique and enjoyable Greenville's downtown is!

Roast: Round One

The ladies of the program

including the resident wives and 2 residents

Drs. Barden & Hollenbeck - both
1st years, soon to be starting their 2nd year

Me, Catie & Liz

Me & Lauren

These lovely ladies are my family away from family!

Last Saturday night we had the privilege to attend the Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Roast. As we said good-bye to the 5th year residents, we also had an opportunity to meet the new residents who will start their journey very soon. We had a wonderful night out and a babysitter :) All of the attending physicians and residents were roasted, so we all enjoyed a lot of laughs! We had a lovely dinner and an even lovelier time being with our friends without our kiddos! Following dinner, we even had time to meet everyone out at a very chic jazz bar in Greenville. What to do with ourselves!!

On a personal note, I don't what I would do without all of the ladies pictured above (I don't know what the guys would do either!). We do a great job supporting one another and keeping each other sane and happy. And nothing could be more fun than creating a new circle of friends, and these for sure will be life-long. We continue to feel blessed to have matched here in Greenville for residency and look forward to our next fun outing with everyone this coming weekend at the annual picnic!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to such a great Daddy! He got to spend most of the day at home enjoying family time...only a few hours at the hospital, which was so nice. Wishing all the Dad's in our lives a wonderful day! Thanks for all you do!

p.s. the boys are shirtless because it was pasta night :)

Hollenbeck Playground!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Check it out! I finally got my act together and made a little slideshow of our (or should I say Matt's) big accomplishment. He is quite the carpenter and was able to get this swing set together quickly without any help even with his chaotic schedule. The boys absolutely love it and so do I since I don't have to pack them up every time we want to go to the park. Plus, in this hot weather they can play for awhile then cool off at the water table. Works out great! The dog loves it, too...especially the water. Blake has done amazingly well navigating the entire swing set. He can easily climb the rock wall and go down the slide by himself, and is learning to swing on his own! I am so glad we didn't get one of the "mack daddy" swing sets and chose this smaller one. It wouldn't have been appropriate for their ages and besides, why would I buy it for someone to move in and use it in 4 years?!?! This one is perfect for the boys and allows me to relax and let them play and explore without worrying that we will be seeing Daddy in the trauma bay at the hospital. Enjoy the photos and come over and play!

You Know Your Daddy is a Surgeon When...

your parents get a kick out of you wearing surgical hats given by some random pharm rep (and take a picture!). It was too cute not to post.

Back to Reality. Thank Goodness.

It is amazing what you discover as a Mom when you have a vacation all by yourself. It is also amazing what you discover when you participate in "activities" you did when you were in college and prior to having children.

I am more grateful than ever for my husband, my two boys, my dog, my home, and the life we have built thus far in Greenville. I know I have always been blessed, but you just don't truly realize how much until you spend several days away from it all. In addition, I am also thankful for where I was raised and that I was able to spend time with wonderful friends from my high school. It sure is crazy how it seems like you can just pick up from where you left off. They are all such wonderful people. I also thoroughly enjoyed time with extended family, my parents, graduate school friends and those few friends I randomly bumped into in various places around Kansas City. But, all of that does make the decision-making process that more difficult for us when it comes time for job hunting and relocation following residency and fellowship. Moving somewhere besides the Midwest is exciting and adventurous, but there is nothing like being near family and friends. That would probably be the ONLY reason I am thankful for a long 5-year residency plus 1-year fellowship...time to make that decision.

On another note, I am not exactly cut out for nights out on the town anymore. The main event was Saturday night, but I still feel like I am not quite myself right now on Tuesday. Whew! As I recover and relish in the little things like reading books and playing with my boys, I will continue to be grateful for a great vacation away from mommy-hood and for all the fun times I had while I was away...

The Time Has Arrived...

For this Mama to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family. It is time for me to simply see Kansas City once again after not doing so for an entire year. I am looking forward to doing all things slower and finishing things, like sentences and a book. I have the opportunity to be on my own for five days thanks to the generosity of my husband who will be caring for our boys. I can't even explain how excited I am to see a huge variety of friends...ones I grew up with, ones from graduate school, friends I met at old jobs, and so on. I get to spend time with my parents and extended family, many who I have not seen in one year! I know as I board my plane bright and early tomorrow morning I will already be missing my boys and my husband. However, I know I will return refreshed and ready to begin the journey into the second year of residency! Kansas City, Kansas City here I come...

Carnival!

The Center for Developmental Services here in Greenville holds a carnival every year to benefit the organizations housed in their building. We had the opportunity to go as a family and it was so much fun! And it benefits a wonderful place that Blake goes to for private therapy! Blake and Daddy rode a very fun, "big boy" carnival ride and we all got to ride the train! There were several activities for younger children and even some games like bean bag toss and knock over the cans that both boys enjoying playing. We even purchased Chick-Fil-A dinners and ate in the cafeteria of St. Mary's Catholic school where the carnival was held. It was a fun family event!

Water Table Fun!

Well, I did my part and put together the water table. Now there is no excuse for Matt not to have the swingset together! Other than the water table had a few plastic parts that popped together versus a wooden swingset that has a million parts that require skill and construction equipment to assemble.

The boys had a great time playing in the water and yard this morning, and I realize how wonderful it is going to be to have several fun things for them to do right in our backyard! The water table is such a great way to beat the heat without soaking my yard with a sprinkler. More pictures to come when the remainder of the "Hollenbeck Playground" is complete!