Trust.

Earlier this year I wrote the first post about my word of the year.

Read Be Brave. Work Hard. Don’t Give Up.

This year… that word is TRUST.

I have always struggled with this idea of “the unknown.” And the fact that I have been on pins and needles for the last year or so not knowing where we will end up has intensified my anxiety. But that’s part of the physician’s journey and every doctor must go through it… yet it doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

Being a doctor’s wife is not as cool as it sounds. During his 5-year residency program, he works 80+ hours EACH WEEK, leaving him emotionally and physically drained… and not much energy left for his family often times. This means missing holidays, birthdays, and lots of events with family and friends. Next year when he starts his fellowship, it will demand even more on-call days and a lot more responsibility.

I support him through and through and I know it will pay off eventually, but honestly, it has really been a great test for our relationship and makes us stronger each and every day. It’s so easy for us to just breeze through life on a daily basis, but we have to be super intentional about making sure we spend time together, date one another, and have those hard conversations. If it wasn’t for our faith in God, I honestly don’t know where we would be right now. We pray every day for his protection and guidance that he will lead us where we should be. We TRUST that he has a plan for us!

I was really proud of him for getting 25+ interview invites for his fellowship and ended up going to 10 of them. Kinsley and I got to travel the country with him to 5 of them, visiting places we have never been before. But they were A LOT of work and a lot of money… leaving one morning on the red-eye flight and coming back the next day after a long day of interviews, only to have to go back to work the next day as he has to use his “day off” to go to them. He is well loved by his colleagues and had excellent feedback from his interviews. Here are our possibilities: Tucson, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Portland, Indianapolis, Houston, Denver, and St. Louis.

As a small business owner, it is terrifying for me to think about having to move ALL OVER AGAIN. We moved to Tucson from Kansas City four years ago and it was the best thing that could have happened for us. We learned to lean on each other and work hard. As much as I’m up for an adventure, it’s also scary to think about having to start over.

I’m literally shaking as I type this. Cody left for a 6-week rotation earlier this week in Flagstaff, Arizona and so I HAD TO WAIT for HIM TO CALL ME. This morning at 9 a.m. we found out where he will be going for his Vascular Surgery Fellowship after graduating from his General Surgery Residency at the University of Arizona Medical Center next June… a TWO year program! Our top 3 locations were Tucson, Salt Lake City, and Nashville. Each of these locations only had ONE SPOT available with numerous candidates applying for the same position! Talk about pressure!! I broke down in tears out of excitement, nervousness, and I wanted to throw up. But alas…. we have a verdict. Finally, I feel like a thousand pounds is off of my shoulders now that we know!

So without further adieu…. here is our video to announce where we will be going!!!

Can’t see the video? WATCH IT HERE!

Thank you to some of my photography friends for some of the photos featured in this video, you have truly helped document our lives and I cherish each and every one of them so much. Photo credit to Hawes Photography, Jana Marie Photography, Lilie Photography, Amber Lea Photography, West End Photography, and The Zimmers.