It's October

It is more than a little hard to believe that it is October. I mean, I am still referring to events that happened back in March like they were yesterday. Because, like, that totally just happened last month. YOU know, in March. Last month!

I have such mixed feelings about the speed at which time is passing. On the one hand, I am so incredibly excited for March 21st, I can barely stand it. I want it here NOW. But on the other, I love October and Fall and Thanksgiving. And, holy crap, October ends in 7 days. And now I'm just depressed.

But, back to March 21st.

THAT is the date that decides our future. THAT is the date when we find out where W has matched for residency. THAT is the date that our entire our apartment will be packed up and I will be hightailing it out of here for our future home. It might not end up being our forever home, but 5-6 years in one place will feel like forever after all of the hop, skip and jumping around we've been doing over the last five years. Because in the last five years, I have lived FIVE different places.

Let's recap:

May 2009 - I graduated from the College of Charleston.

June 2009 - I left my beloved Charleston, SC to move back home (Florence, SC) until our wedding.

July 2009 - Married W.

August 2009 - Moved into W's mom's basement in Columbia, SC. Lived there for two weeks before moving into the tiniest little place--still in Columbia, SC.

June 2010 - Moved to Lewisburg, WV so that W could attend medical school.

June 2012 - Moved to Charleston, WV so that W could continue his third and fourth years of medical school (they have a statewide campus for rotations).

April - June 2014 - MOVING SOMEWHERE I DON'T KNOW WHERE!

So, that's Charleston, SC; Florence, SC; Columbia, SC; Lewisburg, WV; Charleston, WV. I like to think I have come full circle ending back up in a Charleston. I am kind of hoping that the universe notices this symmetry and balance that I have achieved in my life and cuts a girl some slack in our next great adventure.

The next 3 months will see W and I traveling all over the eastern half of the United States for his residency interviews. I am thrilled at the prospect of getting to see places in the US I may never have occasion to visit. But, you better believe, I will be in hardcore scope-out mode. Any one of those places could be our home in less than 6 months. Mind blown.

W has suddenly turned all superstitious and won't let me peep a word to the general public about his residency interviews, but I just can't help myself. Here they are in the vaguest terms ever.

He has one interview in the Midwest. My feelings are pretty bleh about the prospect of living in this particular Midwest city, because its not anything major or special, EXCEPT for the residency program. Its kind of insane that W got it. But, its freaking cold there. I'm so over snow.

He has one interview in New England. This one kind of makes me squeal every time I think about it!

He has one interview in the Northeast. This one also kind of makes me squeal in equal parts delight and fright.

He has one interview in Dixie. I actually wouldn't mind this one at all. It would be a new time zone!

He has several interviews in the mountains. I am indifferent to these. I would prefer coast, obviously!

He has a couple in SC, which thrill me to no end at the thought of being closer to family.

So there you have it. He is still getting emails daily. And, of course, not all of them are interviews. There have been rejections. At this point, the interview invitations far outweigh the rejects! Thank all that is holy for that.

Here is what you've missed (through no fault of your own--I am the delinquent blogger here):

Went apple picking with this nut and W's whole family.

Cap and I made a mistake, but we looked cute doing it!

W TURNED 30!

Can you believe I am married to a 30 year old? Me either.

Coming up on this here blog:

I've been so incredibly bored lately. So, I've taken to over-designing the apartment. And since interior design is really one of my great joys in life, I have decided to start sharing more about it! Tomorrow's post will feature a $12 upgrade to my cheap ass curtains.

See you then!

-b

D.C. is for Lovers

Before I begin my gush over D.C. I just want to vent...

Why? WHY? WHYYYYYYY are board exams so dang expensive?  Is it not enough that we are deprived of our sanity for an education?  Must you also deprive us of our sorry excuse of an income for a COMPUTERIZED TEST?

Let this be a warning for all you Med School hopefuls and sweet wives of student doctors:
Start a savings account now, or be prepared to sell your soul.

Okay.  That is all.

Now for the fun stuff:

Though I'm still two years and a scary board exam away from thinking about residency locations... I can't seem to stop dreaming of J and me moving to D.C. for his years as a resident.  I've loved Washington from the very first time I laid eyes on it 2 years ago, and the more I visit the deeper in love I fall.  It reminds me of New Orleans... only cleaner, larger, more cultured, and not has humid.

Bri invited me to tag along on some really fun museum work (which made me realize I may love history more than I thought), and we turned it into a mini girl's vacay. Why not, right?

The city streets, daily Starbucks, Greek food, fro yo, and majestic flea markets were nearly a fun overload.  Nearly.

I'm not sure if it was to counteract with our margs and sugar intake or just an excuse to look like a local, but Bri and I walked EVERYWHERE!  We also grabbed a glass of wine at the hotel bar (classy style), and were in bed by 10 ever night.  We travel well together.  :)

After our amazing weekend I am now not only positive that I could live in a big city, but I am drooling at the thought of one day actually moving into a 700 sq. ft. studio apartment. 

Here's a little peek at some of the fun we had.



Margarita for two in Capital Hill



The Mall on National Kite Day.

More Kite Day fun.

How adorable is this?!  This is why I want to live in Capital Hill.... I'm pretty sure it's a great start to having cool cultured kids.



Faking a daily run.  We wanted an excuse to wear workout clothes and tennis shoes all day.



The Capital

-Cap

Third Year Update

Wow. Nine months--nearly ten--into third year, and I can't believe how time has flown.

Of course, looking back to last summer, I thought we'd never make it. Things were so crazy and new and stressful. Neither W nor I were able to make it to the SC coast for either of our families' annual beach trips.

This summer will mark two, 2, TWO, dos, t-w-o years since we have been to the beach--laid eyes on a dune--smelled that pungent pluff--tasted that delicious salty goodness.

That makes me so incredibly sad.

I grew up just over an hour from the Myrtle Beach area. My family has owned the most adorable beach bungalow at Surfside Beach (about 30 mins. south of Myrtle) since the 40s. I grew up at the beach. That is not an exaggeration. When I was in the 8th grade, my parents, brother and I started staying for a week at a condo at Garden City Beach (10 mins. south of Surfside) because my grandfather was renting out the beach house at that time. We met and made lifelong friends there, the Stephens, who have a son my brother's age and a daughter my age (Rachel). Its been 13 years since that first condo stay and we are still vacationing with the Stephens every year for the week of the 4th. Missing last summer was so, so, so hard. I have decided that I will not miss this year for anything. I plan to book my super cheap flight as soon as they go on sale for like $30/one way. Thanks, Spirit!

Also, my poor parents would have to go by themselves this year since my brother is in the Army and is now stationed at Ft. Drum.

I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving them all alone on the 4th. Daughterly duty calls. :)

A glimpse into our DC trip this past weekend.

Anyways, the inspiration behind this post was the discussion that W and I had the other morning over lattes. W is in the process of mapping out his fourth year, which consists of audition rotations and interviews. We have decided that I will accompany him on as many interviews as possible. We also discussed the cities that we will be focusing on.

Those cities are below and in order of appeal (to me). Also, the fact that I was even able to have a coherent discussion about our future without hyperventilating, fainting or running away shows great achievements in my ability to control my Type A anxieties and freak outs. I'm quite proud.

The LIST.

1. Charleston, SC
2. Washington, DC
3. Baltimore, MD
4. Richmond, VA
5. Birmingham, AB
6. Philadelphia, PA
7. NYC
8. Charlotte, NC or Charlottesville, VA
9. Greenville, SC
10. Louisville, KY
11. Boston, MA
12. Lexington, KY

I think that fourth year might be the diet/weight loss plan I've been looking for. Nothing gets my adrenaline going like looking into the great unknown. The whole matching process might actually do me in.

Now, back to third year.

-b

Stay tuned for a post on our wonderful DC trip this weekend! 

Things that Float Around in My Head

First of all, you should listen to this song. Its my new favorite.

W worked his first all-nighter Monday evening, 8:30pm - 8:30am. He wasn't home last night until 9pm. All of this quiet time allows my mind ample time to wander as I iron the tablecloths for the museum's fundraiser next week. (I'm so effing domestic.)

I am a champ at weaving the most fantastical and never-gonna-happen day dreams. I mean, I am the queen of wishful thinking. Its a kind of sick addiction.

My latest day dream is that an interior designer will be so impressed with me (because I am that awesome...) and my "work" (aka: my crappy apartment) that they will hire me on the spot before someone else can scoop me up. The details of what exactly I was doing and where I was doing it when this moment of "impression" took place are very hazy. You see, in day dreams, you don't actually have to do anything, be good at anything, or contribute in anyway to solving the world's problems. In day dreams, you are automatically awesome at everything. You are a catch. YOU are the next BIG thing.

Pretty soon (in my day dream), I am living the jet-setter life in DC, styling for an interior's firm based in NY with a satellite office in DC for all those bored politicians' wives. I also wear all black all the time, am wafer thin, and can often be found with a blonde, curly-headed toddler--we're talking J. Crew-catalog-worthy toddler--on my hip. W is making a name for himself in the surgery world. We live in a townhouse near Dupont Circle. Champagne is a daily ritual. We eat lots and lots of fresh seafood. I throw dinner parties weekly and always have the best playlists. People are always saying, "That Bri."

At this point in the day dream, I am shocked back to reality to find myself perched on the arm of the couch, staring wistfully at the cracked plaster ceiling in my moo-moo, and see that the tablecloth has fallen to the floor, become a comfy bed for a black cat and white kitten, and that I have been ironing the ironing board cover for the last ten minutes. I am also bra-less with chipped toenail polish and my hair is mounded on my head and secured with a CLAW, circa-1998.

MY IDOL.

(source)

Yet, I am so cool in my day dreams--Rachel-Zoe cool, obvi.

Now that I have penned that very frequent day dream on the internet, you will most likely find me, eight years from now, fat, wearing (God forbid) capri pants, living in a phony colonial in like Ohio, or somewhere terrible like that, with three dirt-stained 8 year olds, avoiding reflective surfaces and hating W for his maturing good looks and his maintenance of 1.6% body fat. I have officially SCREWED jinxed myself with that one.

Whew. GLAD to get that off my chest!

Lately, and more realistically though, my thoughts have been revolving around the possibilities of residency and the excitement of moving somewhere brand new. Just because I complain about medical school most of the time doesn't mean that I hate it in its entirety. There is .5% of it that I do like and that is the chance to move somewhere completely random (hello, West Virginia) every couple of years.

Was I excited to move to West Virginia? Not really. But, I was excited to set off on our own far away from SC. The final destination took a while to warm up to.

I do believe that WV is one of the most beautiful states I've visited (SC is most beautiful in my book) and have enjoyed exploring its wild and wonderfulness.

Proof:

Photos courtesy of W.

Because W did so well on his board exams, our future home-bases are looking pretty exciting, and well, populated!! People! I love people! Lots and lots of different people.

These are the current options we've discussed. We shall see.

Washington, DC. My #1 choice.

(source)

Baltimore, MD. Don't hate, think SEAFOOD.

(source)

Richmond, VA. One hour from Williamsburg. OMG.

(source)

Philadelphia, PA. BEN FRANKLIN. CHEESESTEAK.

(source)

Boston, MA. Paul Revere, duh.

(source)

Charlotte, NC. Family within 2 hour drive.

(source)

Heaven. Home, sweet home. Charleston, SC

(source)

NY. I would love, love, love to.

(source)

EAST COAST, BABY!

Anyone have any comments on these cities?

-b