20 days. Less than three weeks. That’s it. Less than three weeks till graduation. Less than three weeks till we move. Ack.

People keep asking me if I’m ready. Ready to move back home. The answer is ‘yes and no – it’s complicated’. Washington was/is always going to be home and I am blessed we get to return home. We’re lucky that we have a network of family and friends to help make the transition easier. But if I’m being honest? That’s not why we’re going home. We’re going home because Geoff has the opportunity to continue his training towards becoming an Anesthesiologist at a top program. That is first and foremost. Everything else? Cherry on top.

One reason I’m half yes and half no about going home is making new friends. Yes, I’m excited (and nervous) to meet the other residents and their spouses. But making friends all over again can be hard. It’s going to be similar to when we first started medical school and trying to find your tribe, your support group. Never ever will I forget the AMAZING friendship that I have built with Nicole and Naomi. These girls have gone through the trenches of medical school with me. They have built me up when I needed bolstering and we’ve celebrated in each other’s milestones. These are women I will be friends with for life. We’ve already got a girls trip in the works. Residency will be very different without them. I’m hoping I’ll find friends like Nicole and Naomi in the group of resident spouses.

Financially speaking I am nervous for residency and not looking forward to moving. We’ve been blessed to be able to afford our mortgage, bills, groceries, and extras on just my income (and some savings). Because we didn’t need to take all of our loan disbursements, it means that the amount of student loans we’ll need to pay back is a little less. (Praise the Lord for that!) Having lived in Nevada for the last 4 years, we also have a good understanding of what our monthly spending is. Now that we’re going up to Washington, I have no freaking clue what that looks like. The one thing I can count on is that it will likely be at least double our current monthly spending. It’s stressful knowing that Washington is expensive, and that it will definitely take two incomes to make sure that our cost of living there is accounted for as well as the mortgage down here. All I do know is that I will need to be more strict with myself on the luxuries I allow myself (I.e. less money spent on workout clothes from Alphalete, BuffBunny, and Lululemon).

The weather is also different. Don’t get me wrong, Washington is G O R G E O U S in the summertime. There is no place in the world that compares. However….it’s going to be an adjustment dealing with the gloom and clouds from October through April. But I sorta am excited for the rain because it means I can jump in puddles in my rain boots. (Yes, I am two…yes my husband knows this and takes me to said puddles).

You’re probably reading this and it sounds to you like I’m bitching/complaining. And in a way, I am. I shouldn’t be though. I need to remind myself and go back to my own post titled ‘I Get To’. This journey, medical school headed towards residency, is a blessing. There will always be hardships. You can either let them take over your life or you can conquer them and use them as building blocks to bigger and better things. So, as Becca from the Bachelorette said so accurately…”let’s do the damn thing!”

Xoxo

That’s all we have left till graduation. Insert shocked face and low key panic here. Where the H E double hockey sticks did the time go?! It seems as though it was just the other day we found out we matched. To think that in one month, my husband will be a Doctor and we will soon be moving up to Washington. Craziness.

Something that is helping is that two out of our three major things to get done have been secured. One – we found a complex AND secured an apartment (the floor plan we wanted). Two – we have a management company AND tenant for our current home in Nevada. Three – not done yet…..but it’s finding me a job. Doing some preliminary research on companies in Seattle and types of jobs I’m interested in. Having been in customer service almost my entire professional career, I would like to try a different sector of business.

I probably should start packing up the parts of my house that I am not using and the things that won’t be needed for the next few months. However, I spent a month packing and moving out of my childhood home….I’m not all that thrilled about having to do it again. But I guess that this would make me a packing pro, so that’s a plus. Hahaha

Here is to the final stretch of medical school and the beginning of residency. Hopefully you’ll join me and my husband on this journey with us!

Xoxo

Slow down, don’t go through all your gas at once. Pace yourself, as there is still so much further to go. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I’m finding myself that I have to constantly remind myself to slow down. Everything has always been go go go for me. I feel like I am always going from one thing to the next, without much regard for enjoying the moment. When I’m older I don’t want to think about my life and wish I had slowed down or taken the time to ‘just be’ where I was at that given moment.

So here is to being more in the moment. To being PRESENT with those I love.

Xoxo

This week is Match Week. Today we found out IF Geoff matched & on Friday we will find out WHERE he matched.

In case you’re wondering, yes, Geoff matched. I am so incredibly proud of him and all the hard work that he has put in. The hard path that is medical school is full of sacrifices and isn’t for the faint of heart. If you’re the significant other in this situation, it takes a great deal of sacrifice from you too. It’s dinners alone, missed date nights, irritability, absent minded presence, feeling lonely/single when you’re not, and doing all the chores. But with communication and effort from both sides, it is 100% worth it. Your relationship definitely is challenged in more than one ways than you would like, but will be stronger than before.

We feel extremely lucky to know this and that we won’t have to scramble. I know that there are some that didn’t get the email with as good of news. Those that didn’t get such a positive email, I know that they will find something. I know that they too will have an envelope to open at the Match celebration.

Stay tuned for the big news on Friday of where!

Something that I have learned over the last month is that a home is not just a roof and four walls. It’s so much M O R E than that. It’s exactly where you make it. Home is a person and/or a feeling. Home for me? Being with family, no matter where we are. Home is being with my husband Geoff and knowing that no matter what happens, I have someone who will be right next to me each step of the way. Home is feeling safe and loved by those who surround you. Home is anywhere I want it to be. 💕

My childhood home will be going on the market in a week. It’s a tough pill to swallow because it’s the only ‘home’ I’ve known for the last 20+ years. (If you’re new here, I currently live in Las Vegas and my family is from Washington State.) To think that when I come back…I won’t be going to my childhood home anymore. It will be occupied by hopefully some new family. Granted yes, my in-laws still live in Washington and we (my husband and I) have their home to go too. But I’m just talking about MY childhood home.

Here is something I would like to share with the new family:

Dear New Homeowners,

Congratulations on the purchase of this beautiful home! I am very happy for you. It was occupied by my family for the last 20+ years and our family hopes it will serve yours for just as long, if not longer. This home has been amazing to grow up in. It has seen love, heartbreak, celebrations, retirement, death, fits of laughter till we cried, and sorrows. Some of my most favorite memories are in this home and I wish nothing but the same for you. Remember, that while you may be leaving behind a home you also love, I know that if you let it, this home too will capture your heart.

The cherry tree in front blooms every late April/early May. It is gorgeous and was always a constant reminder that a) my birthday was around the corner and b) that there is beauty amongst the grey. The street/culdasac is perfect to learn how to ride a bike and go just a little too fast down the hill. The roses in back were a love of my mothers and grandmothers. They too are gorgeous and smell delightful. My favorite thing was to smell them when my mom cut the blooms and put them in a vase. The hill in backyard makes for great sledding when it snows and this year we had quite a bit. Over by the stone patio section there is a bush of lavender. The honey bees love it and towards the end of the season, you can cut and dry the lavender which make for great sachets (bags of lavender that you put in your intimates drawer).

We have a few hummingbirds that love to stay around as well. Get a humming bird feeder and fill it with a mixture of 4c water and 1c sugar (boil the water and sugar mixture and then let it come to room temp before pouring into the feeder). It’s fun to watch the hummingbirds come feed in the morning while drinking coffee at the table in the breakfast nook.

From the vent in the bedrooms the top of the stairs and to the left (it used to be mine), if you put your ear down close, you can hear what’s going on in the family room below. The same goes for the vent in the other bedroom, but you can hear what’s going on in the kitchen. The vent in the dinning room right by the door that leads to the kitchen is great to sit on in the winter and warm your butt/back. My mom and I did it all the time. The living room is perfect for a Christmas tree, one that stands 7-8 feet tall, and sits proudly over by the fireplace. I would lay on the couch in the dark, with only the lights from the tree illuminating the room and be in complete peace. Don’t forget to open the blinds when it’s sunny as the house gets a lot of natural light and brings warmth into every room.

I hope you’re excited for the new memories you and your family are going to make. I hope you love living there as much as I did. Don’t forget to ‘just be’ in the house from time to time. For it is a blessing I am thrilled to now pass along to you.

Love, Michaella