A Red Letter Day!

Our family had several reasons to celebrate last Thursday, March 19th. It was Abigail's second birthday and "Match Day" for Erik, the long-awaited event that would tell us where we were going to be the next three years during Erik's residency. I had also completed my finance class the day before, so I was able to relax and enjoy the day!

Here we are with bedhead and PJs on, opening Abigail's birthday box from Great-grandma Heiss. The suspense had been building for several days, but she was pretty sure she knew what was inside: cake.

Showcasing what was actually inside the box--a cute little picnic basket equipped with a tea set. No cake, unfortunately. Abigail was enchanted nonetheless.

Great-grandma also sent an animal counting book with removeable pieces. It was quite the page-turner.

Looks like a big hit, Grandma!

But nothing is as cool as bubblewrap.
This was another birthday present, which Erik's mom and dad delivered the week before Abigail's birthday, right before they left on an anniversary cruise. Another big hit!
And a little something to climb on too! We now officially have the coolest back porch on the block. Now Grandma just needs to help me screen it in before the mosquitos come! Otherwise mommy's watching from inside....

The best part of the morning for me was just having Erik home with us. Mornings when we're all together and not in a hurry aren't too common these days, but when they do come, I usually experience a surge of domestic energy and out come the apron and the pancake griddle! I must've been feeling a little too care-free and happy, though, because I dumped 3 tsp. of baking soda into the batter instead of baking powder. So we bit into some very bitter pancakes. I was the first to make a face. Erik took a bite and said they were fine, until the aftertaste kicked in. Then he did something for the first time ever in our marriage: he emptied his plate into the trash can. I followed suite. Abigail, on the other hand, finished hers and asked for more!

After breakfast (yes, I did make another batch of pancakes, by the way), we all drove to Emory for the big Match Day event. There was a little down time before the actual letter-opening, during which Abigail discovered the heavy construction work going on across the street. So she dragged Daddy over, and they walked along the fence with Abigail on his shoulders. She's carrying her doctor doll, which she thought fitting to bring along for the occasion.

There's just something endearing about a little girl who's got her daddy wrapped around her finger.

Ok, not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. The families and friends were all in the back, and the medical students were up front waiting for the dean to stop talking. At ten seconds till noon, we started the countdown. (Abigail got a little confused.) When the clock struck noon, there was a mad rush up to the table in the front to get your letter. Erik managed to find us in the crowd, and then he opened his envelope.

Our reaction to finding out that we'd matched at.....EMORY!! (Abigail was beginning to zone out at this point. Did I mention this event was during naptime?) Ok, to be honest, it was a little anti-climatic, with all the yelling and screaming and jumping up and down that was going on around us. That's not to say we were disappointed. Emory was our top pick, so we were very pleased....but we kinda already knew it was coming. And since nothing's really going to change, there wasn't much to start jumping up and down about. That said, we are VERY happy to be staying here. We think it was the best decision for our family, despite the attractions of some of the other programs where Erik interviewed. Our choice to rank Emory first wasn't as easy as we thought it was going to be. Erik was very impressed by and excited about some of the other schools where he interviewed, like Vanderbilt and D.C. and UAB, and he didn't think he would be as happy at Emory as he would in another program. But we both felt that living close to our families right now has been and will continue to be a great blessing. It's kind of a "golden age" right now with both our families. All of Erik's family members and all but two of my ten siblings are in GA, almost all of them within half an hour's drive. That probably won't last forever, but while it does, we want to be a part of it. Well, at least for the next three years.

Congratulations, Erik! We're so proud of you!