Weekend Recap

Garrett had a weekend off, and it just so happened that Rob did too, so... we made a mini-vacation out of it!

We were originally planning to meet up in Savannah, but plans changed at the last minute and the Egberts ended up coming all the way down to Florida.  We certainly packed in the fun!

Friday night we grilled out with them, plus we had the Greers over since they were with all of us in Newport News during intern year, so they know the Egberts too.  It was fun and we stayed up way too late hanging out.

Saturday morning, the kids were up early and we headed to the annual "Touch-a-Truck" here in town.  There were over 50 trucks for the kids to climb on, and lots of fun demonstrations and some neat information about each truck.

It was really hot outside but Olivia just chilled in her stroller:

After Touch-a-Truck, we came home, cooled off in the air conditioning, and had some lunch.  Then we headed out again - this time to the blueberry farm.

Garrett found some really big ones at the tops of the bushes:
                                               

I'm not really sure what this blueberry farm is for, or who owns it (it's not a u-pick farm).  But, once per year, there is a "neighbor picking" weekend.  Basically the main gate is just left open and people can have at it!  And, it's not really advertised except by word of mouth, so it wasn't too crazy. We drove around, stopping a few times to pick here and there, until we finally found a jackpot spot that people hadn't been to yet.  This blueberry farm is probably 50 acres of bushes, so there was plenty for everyone.

Still hot out....

Sooo good.... Sometimes I really love living in Florida!  We also went strawberry picking earlier in the week, so we've been eating berries like crazy lately.

After blueberry picking we headed over to our neighborhood pool to cool off for a bit.  Even Olivia went in the water (her first time).

Ended the day with pizza, always a favorite:

After Church on Sunday, the girls took a little nap.... :)

.... and then we headed out to one of our favorite spots to bring friends.  It's a large prairie (about 21,000 acres) that has alligators, bison, and other wild animals.

Unfortunately, it was so hot that most of the gators were in the water.  We did see an handful of baby ones, though, but nothing up on the trail or anything (we came here last October and saw a huge one right on the open trail, about 10 feet away from where we were walking).

Hmm.... maybe this should be my excuse, too.  I'm basking.

Looking for gators...

Came home, grilled out for dinner again, and then put the kids to bed and enjoyed some fresh blueberry cream cheese pie and played a board game.  Fun time!

Thanks again, Egberts, for coming down to Florida to see us!

The next step

Garrett has reached another "decision time" in his career: this time it's for his fellowship.

The people in charge of radiology residencies in the U.S. (I don't really know WHO these people are) recently decided that residents should wait 14 months after completing their residency to take their final boards.  This means that you don't become a board-certified for a whole year (assuming you pass the boards, of course).  And who wants to hire a radiologist who isn't board certified?  No one.  So what are you supposed to do with this random year of your life?  A fellowship.  Basically it's like another year of residency, but you focus on something more specific within the field.  Salary is essentially the same as residency.  Garrett is 90% sure he wants to do MSK (musculoskeletal).  Something to do with.... bones, I guess. (Seriously guys, I know nothing about what he does.  All I know is, now he can scroll through Netflix (and other websites) so fast that it makes my head spin.  I don't know how he reads that stuff... but apparently that's what he does all day so he's good at seeing things really quickly?

Anyway.  So it's time for some big decisions.  Even though he has two more years of residency left, radiology does their fellowship interviews early (like, starting this summer).  We'll probably know by September-ish where we will be going.  So now, we are trying to figure out where he wants to go.  It's kind of exciting, but really scary too!

We could maybe stay here.  That would be easy, we already have a house here.  No moving for just a year.  But, fellowship is also an opportunity to "get your foot in the door" and make connections for a future job.  Do we want to stay in Florida long term?  Not really... not at this point, anyway.  Maybe we'll change our minds. But hey... the job market for radiology is actually pretty sad right now so who knows if we will even have a choice when the time comes?  We really can't be picky.

We love the South, and I think I would be happy staying in this area of the country. I also love the idea of living in the Carolinas or even back in Virginia again, maybe. I also don't mind the thought of the midwest, but none of our family lives there and we really want to live near some family, on either side. Of course, I'm sure he'll apply to some of the "top" programs too... it's just too bad that most of them seem to be in places that we don't necessarily want to live.  Too cold, or too far, or just not interested.  A lot of them are in California, but Garrett said you can't pay him enough to live there (ironically, many of the fellowships there are unpaid, since you are getting the privilege of training there. "You're welcome for the job.")  So, California's out I guess, which is fine. And really.... it's not a huge deal to move somewhere that is not perfect.  It's only a year, and you don't have to stay and get a job in that area.

So, where do we want to end up for good?  In the South?  Texas? Arizona? The Carolinas? New England? Pennsylvania?  Of course, fellowship doesn't lock you into a certain place forever, and nothing is permanent. But it's crazy to think that we are finally starting to talk about "the end" of this whole thing.  Fellowship is the last step!  Residency is almost halfway done, just three years left including the fellowship.  Crazy.  It's really exciting, but scary too.  Big decisions ahead!

Soccer

I think I might have mentioned this before, but Abby and Ellie did soccer earlier this spring.  Abby loved it and was pretty good!  Ellie, on the other hand, was pretty wishy-washy and it was hard to keep her on the field participating.  Should would much rather be in the sand volleyball pit, making "snow angels". (It's unbelievable how much sand can cover a scalp... our bathtub could have been a sandbox after each practice.)

Cooling off... it got pretty hot by the end of the "season".

Ellie and her friend Will... side note: they are so cute together. They play together frequently and their favorite game is to play "Eric and Ariel".  One time when we met them at the park, Will ran up to Ellie and said, "Ellie!!  First, we dance. Then, we get married.  Then.... we EAT CAKE!!"  It was adorable.

So grateful to Abby and Ellie's soccer coach!  She played for the UF womens soccer team for 4 years and is a fantastic athlete.  It was fun to see Abby learn some new skills and play a team sport with her friends.

Just hanging out

Food

Olivia turned 6 months old in April, and we finally started her on solids.

With Abby and Ellie, we started on rice cereal and oatmeal and all those other "baby cereals" that people normally do (I think most people do?).  Anyway, with Olivia we are just going straight to "real" food and I'm going to make most of it myself (which is so easy with a blender or, especially, my Magic Bullet!).  First up: roasted butternut squash.  I think she liked it!

I've also been giving her small pieces of table food like bananas, rice, and avocados (which, I must say, is a huge sacrifice.  I don't share my avocados with just anyone.).

She seems to like everything so far.  Still no teeth, but she's "chewing" everything I give her, which is so cute with those chunky little cheeks.  Love this girl!

Lately - Some Instagrams

Ellie spent some time pouring water from one cup to another. "This is my science", she said.

Just her everyday outfit...

Out for an evening walk... love the warm spring evenings.

On our way to the pool. "I'm a cowboy girl!", she said.

Afternoon at the pool.

Outdoor movie and fire with friends.

Lately I've been taking evening walks after the kids go to bed, and I listen to podcasts.  I usually take Olivia - she's my walking buddy.  She loves it - in fact, she usually cries when we get home.

Spent an afternoon at the splash pad.

Picking wildflowers while we wait for Abby's bus.  "I'm picking flowers for the wedding!  For me, when I grow up!"

Olivia watching radiology lectures with daddy.

Abby's kindergarten play was last week.  It. was. DARLING.  My face hurt from smiling so big!  It was called "How Does Your Garden Grow?" and she was a rose.  Seriously, I was so proud of her and it was definitely a highlight of her school career so far.

The dental school is doing a research study for kids age 2-7.  Basically they just scrape off some plaque - takes about 10 minutes and I got paid $50 for just Ellie!  Not bad.  It's an ongoing study so she will have to go back 2-3 more times over the next year or two, and it pays each visit.  Finally, my kids are starting to earn their keep! haha.

Realizing that my Instagrams are pretty Ellie-heavy lately... I need to be sure I get more pictures of Abby and Olivia! (and me & Garrett, too)

Need a laugh?  Watch this youtube video.  Fake mission call. Hilarious. (but don't read the comments, it will give it away!  It's funnier if you just watch it.)