It has been a while since I've been on blogger.
So let's start fresh and pretend this is my first post. I would love to tell you all about what we have been up to the past few months.
Here it goes!
February 11th- Match Day!
This day is BIG! Anyone who has ever gone to medical school or is close with someone who has, you know how big this day can be. It is the day all med students look forward to during their 4 years in med school {well, except for graduation day, I think that is even more exciting}. It is the day they find out where they are matched {hired} for their residency. For Wesley, it was finding out if we are moving out of state, or staying in state. It was also the day we found out what our lives are going to look like for the next 5 years, yes, 5 years!!!!
We had decided we would find out together, since they send you the results in an email. Wes was scheduled to work, so I planned on meeting him at work and sitting down to find out at 10am that morning, the exact time they said the results are available. As he left for work that morning we were both very anxious. Would we be moving to Las Vegas, California, Ohio, Oregon, or staying here in Arizona??? Such a fun/exciting/nervous/scared mix of emotions. As I was getting ready that morning, Wesley called me around 6:45. He said: "Babe, I have the results. The email came early, its open on my phone, but I haven't looked yet. Do you want me to wait for you to come here, or should I look now?" Obviously, my anxiousness took over and I was freaking out and said "Look now, ahhhhhh!" He did, and it said...You have been matched in Mesa, AZ for a 5 year residency in general surgery!!!!!!!!!! We were sooooo excited. I started crying, he was fist pumping {I mean, I am guessing he was, I wasn't with him to know for sure}, and together and just couldn't believe after all this time of assuming we were moving away from family and home, we were now staying. Our prayers were answered and we were so excited to share our news with everyone! Wes was excited because this program was his first choice, and after meeting all the other resident directors and checking out all the other programs, this one stood out as his favorite, and happened to be in the place we wanted. God's plan and timing in all of this was amazing, and we are so thankful for His provision!
After Match day, we knew our next big thing was to find a place for us to move. The hospital he will be at for the next 5 year was a 45 minute drive from our home. Not a fun drive for a resident working long hours and being on call multiple times a month. So our decision was to rent out the home we own in north Phoenix, and move into a rental much closer to his job. We have lived in our home for almost 6 years, and when I started house hunting for a place to rent, I had no idea the task it would be. I would hunt online, on 5 different sites, all day!! I was exhausting myself. Looking for a place to live online, in an area you have never been too, and having to keep within a 12 miles radius, is tough. We spent a few Saturdays out looking at homes, all of which didn't meet certain criteria we were looking for. When we finally did find a home we loved, it fit all of our needs, was in the right location, but was lacking one necessity...our dog. They had a firm no pets rule, and even when we tried to talk them in to the idea of our little stuffed animal {shih tzu} they wouldn't budge. We felt defeated. After all of our efforts, the home seemed perfect, but was just out of reach. Through this house hunt, we prayed that God would send us to a home we could feel comfortable staying for 5 years {since we hate moving}, a place close enough to work, a place we felt safe, and something very family oriented since we love to be outside with others and enjoy community.
I decided it would be best to take a small break and pour my efforts into getting our own home rented out. Thankfully we rented our home very quickly. And we were left with about a month to now find a place to live, since our renter need to move in to our place in exactly 4 weeks. This meant the house hunt was on, and I was prepared to finally find the place. I spent a few days again just searching online in a new area I hadn't previously been looking, and I found 3 homes I wanted to see. Wesley's Mom came with me, and we found a neighborhood we loved, but non of the rentals were the right size/price. So that night I went online and searched the neighborhood extensively. We found a beautiful home, the price was a little higher than we could afford, but the owner had a "special" on their listing that was misprinted. It made the price right in our range, so I emailed them asking to verify if that special was correct. It was in fact a mistake, but after emailing back a forth a little bit, the owners decided they liked us, and wanted to rent to us, so they lowered the rent to what we could afford. After 2 years of renting from them they will raise the rent a little bit, but it will be in our price range for all 5 years! Seriously amazing, and something God had in store for us this entire time, even when I was stressed and tired of looking for a home.
We found the house on Wednesday, moved in on Sunday {in one day, since I hadn't packed a thing} and have now been here for 3 weeks and we couldn't be more excited about this home. It is big, spacious, in the cutest neighborhood, 8 minutes from Wesley's job, a few steps away from the community park, pool, and splash pad coming soon. We have already met some great neighbors and we feel totally at home. We recently visited a new church in the area and we are pretty sure it is the place we want to call our new church home.
Through the entire process we have learned so much. We know that even when life is hard, and we are stressed and nervous about the big decisions we have to make, we need to trust in God, have faith that His plan is greater than our own, and let Him do his work in our lives. We are so excited about the next 5 years. Wesley graduates next month, then begins residency at the end of June. We will have a little bit of time off to do family things, learn more about the new city we live in, and maybe squeeze in some date nights.
This new chapter is an exciting one, and we are excited to see how the Lord uses us in this new community we are a part of.
