Internship

Now that I can say we are in recovery mode I'd like to talk about last year and David's internship. In one of my posts last year I mentioned that we did nothing for the 4th of July and that David did not get to join us in Idaho for Christmas.... at all. Well to be honest internship year was pretty tough, not as tough as some (ie- surgery), but David was still gone plenty.

 His first rotation in the ICU was 4 weeks of 6-6pm, 6-8pm, 6-10pm, a day off, 8pm- midnight, repeat. That one was tough but I think I hated night float more (that is when he works all day and basically only comes home to sleep) because I didn't get to sleep with him and we had to be quiet while he slept at home during the day (that always stinks). Thankfully night float is only 2 weeks. HOWEVER, one of the second year internal medicine residents randomly decided to drop out of the program so David got to do a second ICU and night float rotation in November/December, along with surgery and renal. Basically he was never home so our plan to cope was to run away to Idaho for about 2 months.

His first day as Dr. Warden. So young, so naive.

Did I mention that David came home late almost all the time while on the ICU shift, especially on the 6- 8pm days. He reported his hour overages a couple of times and was then told to stop doing that. Interns and residents have new and better rules so that hospitals can't run their workers into the ground like they did in the past, but they still only do so much. These hours are even worse for those in surgery. Here are just a couple of different reasons why not reporting his overage hours sucks-
A) then David and other interns still get overworked
B) interns and residents are salaried so no bonuses and
C) they can get "talked to" like David did for reporting it.
What's interesting to me is that I'm sure there is some kind of fine that the hospital pays when they have employees who go over on their hours so I'd like to know where that money goes. Just a thought.

night float.

When we got home from Idaho David was essentially working 6 days a week 12-14 hours each day. It stunk. We have been filling out tax forms and David and I both guestimated (for one of the forms) that he works about 75 hours a week. Which like I will repeatedly say IS way better than the 80-100 hours a week that his dad used to work or the 100+ some odd hours some of our friends in surgery work, but comparing bad and horrible aren't going to make me feel better about barely ever having him around. Also he kind of got tricked out of one of his weeks of vacation last year. I won't go into detail but it was super frustrating.

Last year he even took naps. David NEVER takes naps.
The farther into this doctor stuff the more irritated I get at people being irritated at doctors (in general) or how much they make, or the tax laws that will eventually be taking a third of our money or the fact that we owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in school debt (some of those loans are at 8% and we won't get to write off ANY of the interest on our taxes). It's not all because we, or I, want to be rich because I would gladly donate a third of our money if it meant that the government didn't get it. I'm all for giving back but the government is not a charity. I guess the other thing that I get frustrated about pretty quickly is watching David and the other great men (a couple of women too :) work so hard and then to have people poo-poo that.

Sleeping at church. Poor guy. I'm sure if we were to look at his attendance last year he could have qualified as inactive. He had to work SOO many Sundays :(
I don't know how to not feel personally slighted by some of the rude comments that people make about doctors and how "rich" they are. Hello! My husband is never home and we haven't even had a couch for the last year and a half because we have been trying to save! Don't talk to me about being selfish. Or use doctors as an all-encompassing way to complain about people who are wealthy. I absolutely believe that there are doctors out there who are total jerks, but that is not unique to medicine. Everyone has choices in life. We chose a life of patience when we chose medical school. We have put in 4 more years of school and NO pay and we are about to put in 6 years of lower pay. It was our choice and I am happy with it, but I don't like being told we are selfish or "rich" with such a negative connotation.

He is super exhausted in this picture. He's about to leave for night float. Did I mention that he also kind of got roped into doing 2 extra weeks of night float last year? Yea last year just stunk.

I just really dislike people making me feel bad about our career choices. I wish people would stop complaining. Lets all complain about people who are actually worth being irritated over like worthless celebrities who make millions for being naked and holding bottles of perfume (haha I saw a perfume add the other day and WOW). I guess what I'm trying to say is I love David and I think he really is one of THE MOST altruistic people I know and have ever known. So when I see his career choice being demonized I can't help but be frustrated really fast. I'm sure it goes with the territory though because one of our friends who was in law school is struggling with similar stereotypes. Can't we all just get along? That's all rant over.

Basically last year was awful and the farther away from it we get the more I realize how stressed out, sad and lonely we all really were. This is a good moment to mention before I end this post that this year so far has been 100 times better. We (David especially) are getting some much needed rest and togetherness. Doing "hard" things is tough, but the blessing that are starting to come to us through David's sacrifices are so wonderful. We truly are so blessed. 

Columbus Picture Update

While we were in Columbus I didn't blog much and it was tricky to know what we were up to. So here is just a fun short little post of a bunch of random pictures from our last couple of months in Columbo (this is not a spelling error).

Shopping

Their relationship.

Using our fancy blender to make smoothies

One of the only ways we got fresh air during the winter. 

And yes it was just as dreary as it looks. Bleh!

Macy entertaining herself on a chair in the Amish panorama art room.

Seriously she played on that chair for like 45 min.

Visiting Amish country with David's parents. 

David was working as usual.

Macy and her bag from Amish country.

Free ice cream at Dairy Queen in Columbus 

Sitting by the side of the road getting cars to honk and eating his ice cream with some cute girls he just met.

Lots of dinners with the Sister Missionaries. I think we had the elders over like twice in the last year because David was rarely home when they would have come over.

Green pasta for St. Patrick's

Wearing some green.

Fun with friends.

Our friends from Toledo (who lived in Dayton) visited us! Davie and Clara are a little over a year apart so they never really played with each other, BUT this time they did. It was so fun!

He is so smart and also obsessed with my glasses. 

Lots of cereal. About twice a year I go all out and buy a bunch of sweet cereal. 

New bike she got for Christmas. 

Davie loves this jacket. So does everyone who sees him in public. 

He always wants to ride under the cart. 

April General conference. Wearing the little outfit Grandma got her.

Grandma is always sending him stuff that doesn't fit yet :)

Touching the stereo and video equipment. 

ALWAYS touching the stereo equipment. ALWAYS. I finally freaked out one day I ripped out all the chords and set the receiver and playstation on top of our TV stand.

I have to carry my cup around the kitchen. My milk is better that way.

Stairs can pose a risk to a child's life. So of course kids love them.

Bored at church so she feels perfectly comfortable taking Daddy's phone without asking.

Hangin' with buddies at church.

Napping

Cute matching church outfits.

Cute bow tie.

We went to church at the building right next to the Columbus temple and we passed the temple almost daily. I loved it and I loved it even more when Davie would announce it every time we passed the temple.

Using mailing address stickers the way they were meant to be.

Sticker mustache. 

One cool chick.

Here & There & Everywhere

Hello all. We are in fact alive and well. LOTS of changes over here. First, since the last time I wrote we managed to FINALLY pack up all our crap and move.

After about a week after we moved to Florida we moved into our extended stay hotel. A week after that I realized I was not going to be able to handle living in a hotel very well and I immediately looked up plane tickets. Found some great prices for all of us and ALL with our points, which was great because we weren't exactly flush with cash at the moment. A week after I bought tickets we flew home to Idaho. The kids and I went about 3 days early and then David got to come and stay for a week, which was great. 

Davie sleeping at Red Robin after a busy day of "helping" us move. This NEVER EVER happens (like EVER).

Then 2 weeks later while the kids and I were still in Idaho we were given the end of the month as the closing date for our house! We all cheered and got excited until I realized that my math no longer added up to me going back to be in our hotel for 2 weeks. The closing date they set was a week later than I had planned on which meant we were going to have to live in our hotel for another 3 weeks! Maybe I'm just a BIG enormous boob,

bedtime.... almost every night in a hotel-- but I immediately freaked out. Macy is a crazy climber, afraid of nothing, and basically listens to no one. The most I felt I could handle her in a single room was 2 weeks. 

 Fashion.

 Hotel time. A little too close for comfort.

 Progress

 Her hair is getting long!

 Spending wayyyy too much time at McDonald's. Two words Cheap and Indoor A/C people

Darn she is so cute.

Driving around a LOT trying to find things, lots of U turns and back tracking.

Chilling on Nana's back porch and enjoying a cold beverage

 Idahome

 Idaho is the gun state :)

So the day before we were scheduled to return to Florida I looked up tickets on Southwest's website. Small and definitely NOT reimbursed moment to praise them, we love southwest. Ticket changes with them are a breeze, 2 bags included with every ticket AND the nicest staff ever.

Happy 4th!
Anyways I switched our flight to leave exactly one week later than we had initially planned for the same price and no fees. The extra time with our families was so nice for the kids and I. I was sad that David only got a week, but it was the first time he had been back to Idaho since Christmas 2013. It was also a bit of a good bye for my brother who is preparing to go on a mission.

 Mustache milk cousins

Now about our trip home, I have never had a snarky Southwest attendant or other employee. AND this is the perfect place to mention that They earned just that much more of my devotion after this last flight.

Davie was a gem the whole day and literally like an hour (or less) before we landed he peed his pants! Uh! I was so embarrassed and frustrated and it was like 1 in the morning. Not only did the flight attendants offer to help and then help, but another random flight helper person (pretty sure that is his exact title) offered to carry my groggy wet little boy.... then he actually did it! ALLLL the way to David who was waiting at our car, no where near the gate we landed at. It took a airport train/tram and a LONG walk to get to the baggage claim. I was so happy, embarrassed and unsure how to thank him that I still feel like I should have done something more, besides thank him profusely, to show my gratitude. 

Davie's haircut before and afters.

A new refrigerator

Isn't moving fun???

We came back lived the last two weeks in our hotel and have now lived in our house for almost a month now... which seems really crazy. We have been to our ward several times and it is GREAT! Thus far we really love the people and the fact that the ward has a full primary and Young Men AND Young Women.

It's a big change from both of the wards we have been in since we were married. It has been CRAZY, its been busy, its great.