And they start rollin' in

We had a nice surprise this week when we learned that there were several invitations for residency interviews waiting in our inbox!  I don't think we had expected them to come in this quickly only a week after we submitted the application, but we definitely will not complain.  With the competition high and particularly tough in the area that B is applying for, I have set my expectations very low and would be happy with even a few interviews. But God is good, He knows just how to build B's confidence and we are thrilled!!! Now we just have to figure out how to schedule them all and start buying flights. 

This is a quick update and I apologize about the lack of pictures, but it is a beautiful Saturday folks and I have the pool and a Texas football game calling my name!

Tennessee Rotation

B has been in Tennessee for almost 3 weeks now and it has been a better experience than we could have asked for.  

Thanks to our friend Julie, he found a place to stay with a really wonderful guy.   B's life in Tennessee sounds anything but boring so far, he is out playing soccer with friends, meeting with a Bible study group, and going to birthday parties and even a goat roast.  I have never heard of a goat roast before, but it definitely sounds like an interesting experience. He is also really enjoying working with the residents and attendings and they seem to like him as well.  

This experience has been such a blessing that we couldn’t have planned or achieved on our own.  The Lord’s hand has been so apparent in the whole process from leading us to doing a rotation in Memphis to providing housing, friends, activities and a positive team to work with. We have been given so many good things that we have not expected or deserved and could probably get along alright without them, but for now God has chosen to place them in our lives and we will praise Him for it fully.  It is moments like these that remind me to be thankful for answered prayers and not take opportunities for granted when they work out smoothly.  Of course the past three weeks haven’t been all smiles and daisies. It has been tough with us being a part, Brad is fighting a bad cold, and there have been some sad days, but looking at the big picture it is amazing to realize what God has provided.

We are taking in these moments now and enjoying them fully because the next rotation may not be so easy.  But even then, we will continue to be joyful and look for God’s hand still at work.

On a happy note, I am really looking forward to going to Tennessee to see B in person next week!!! This will be our first time to be together in a month and we couldn’t be happier. One more week of Tennessee then he's on to Philadelphia.

And so it begins - residency applications

Well today was a very big day for our household, we submitted the most important application of our lives (at least until this point).  

Just a few years ago, this handsome man received a white coat during his first year of medical school.

All of his efforts of spending thousands of hours studying, working on research projects, nights in the hospital, shadowing doctors and days in surgery have led us up to this point.  Today, we sent applications to residency programs all over the country. 

For those who may not realize, this is a big deal folks.

We have been working for years to build an outstanding resume that includes board scores, grades, research projects, activities, personal statements and letters of recommendation.  Yes, this application may not be that special, but the competition is unreal.  For the specialty that we are  applying for, each program may select anywhere from 1 - 5 people out of 500 applicants.  So this competition is tougher than tough. 

The application is only the beginning and now we get to look forward to the interview season, but whew what a burden off of our shoulders to have this thing done!

Now that I don't have to rush home to work on writing personal statements, research case reports, or searching through programs, I finally get to start a blog, and enjoy things like this!

It has not been the easiest road up until now, but the Lord has been completely faithful in providing every step and detail.  My hubby has been so wonderful to include me in this process and treat me like a teammate, so that we get to work towards this goal together.  It has been an incredible learning process for us. God's timing is always perfect and we strive to place our entire trust in Him during these next months as we wait to hear back for interviews. We thank you for your prayers on this!