And we're off!!!!!!!

Well this week sure had it's share of ups and downs. Putting Blitzer down at the beginning of the week was extremely hard. The mood was pretty gloomy around the house. When Friday rolled around, we were all looking forward to date night and finding a way to lift our spirits a bit. The phone started ringing early Friday morning from Dave's Cinnamon Toast Studios clients (his creative productions and web design business), and the day started off to it's usual routine . Dave put four medical school applications in about two weeks ago, and we've been anxiously awaiting...well the unknown really. Neither of us have been through this process before, and we didn't know how long everything would end up taking. Dave had two interviews (one for St. Matthew's University on The Grand Cayman Islands, and one for The Medical University of the Americas (MUA) on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean). He felt great about both interviews, however the Dean of Admissions from MUA informed Dave on the spot that he was granting him admission for the May '09 start date immediately. That's right... DAVE GOT INTO MED SCHOOL!!!!! I am so stinkin' proud of him, I can't express it adequately. What I am proud of is that he is chasing a goal and dream that he's had for years, and he's doing and is willing to do the hard work it is going to take to achieve it.
His first day of classes start May 4, 2009, so we only have a few short months to get everything in order. Good thing we already have all of our passports! We also need to insure financing in order to go, so that is one of our top priorities in the next week or two. We will be on the island for 20 months (until January of '11) for coursework, and then come back to the U.S. for 2 years of clinical rotations probably in the Northeastern states. We are thrilled, humbled, grateful, and excited for this new adventure that awaits us. So get ready to come and visit us on St. Kitts and Nevis...the island of rainforests, reefs, and ruins!

So long ole' boy

Yesterday was a sad day. Dave had to put his family's dog Blitzer down. He had a good run, though. He was a "German Shepard" (or so they were told, but he really didn't look like a German Shepard), and he was almost 11 years old. I'd say that was pretty good. We miss him terribly. He was the most gentle dog I have ever seen. He was so good with the grand kids, and I always trusted him around Mia, and that's a good feeling for a mother to have. Dave's nephew Steele would even ride him like a horse around his parent's house and poke is eye almost out and Blitzer wouldn't do a thing about it.
Some of my favorite memories are:
-When Dave and I were dating, we'd take Blitzer on Sunday walks down to Mesa High School and let him run free in the baseball fields. He loved running and feeling the wind in his fur.
-We took Blitzer hiking with us around Arizona. He did an awesome job climbing the rocks and getting around the mountain. He left tons of hair in my car from that day and I kept finding Blitzer hair on my clothing at work for weeks after that. It brought a smile to my face every time.
-He was a good listener. He would just stay right there and listen to whatever you wanted to say. He never offered advice, gave his opinion, or interrupted you with an experience he could relate to. He just listened and sat by you.
-He loved food. Just like me. You could get him to do anything by saying, "Blitzer!!! Hot Dog!!!"
-He was a good swimmer and he and Mia got to have swimming days together last summer.
-He just wanted to sit and be with you wherever you were. He would quietly sit in the room you were in and just be. It was nice to feel like someone wanted to be around you just because.
-He was a good camping buddy. One time when we took him camping with us, it started raining in the middle of the night. He was sleeping outside our tent protecting us (ha) and started jumping on the tent...on my side!!! I was 4 months pregnant and it was an unpleasant way to wake up in the middle of the night. He was just scared of the weather, I can't blame him. We let him in and he slept great.
-Even though he got some flack for his common sense from some members in the family, we think he is the one having the last laugh. He knew how to get what he wanted, and he wasn't easily deceived. When he'd stand by the door to go out, you could say "Macaroni. Monkey. Pool." and he wouldn't move. But you'd say "Out!" and he was out the door. Same with "load!" to get in the car, or "go to the bathroom!" and he'd do it. We think he was pretty smart after all.
-Our last favorite memory was his sleeping patterns. He spent his days going from room to room around the house trying to experiment with different sleeping positions. It was comical to walk in a room and see his legs up in the air and be totally out.
We sure will miss him, but we know he's in a better place now having all the hot dogs he can handle.

There's still some cowboys out there

Last weekend my sister Heather got engaged to her sweetheart Shaman. He is a sweet, kind, fun guy that will fit in beautifully with our family. Our family actually met his family in 1991 while stationed in Hawaii!
Anyway...my favorite part about their engagement story is actually from the night before they were engaged. Shaman drove over to my parent's house to talk to them and ask permission to marry Heather. He was so dazed (as MOST men are when they are going through this weighty process of proposing) that he didn't pay attention to his speed as he left my parents and headed to Heather's house. While driving through a little town that pulls you over for literally going 1 or 2 miles over the 30 mph speed limit, there was no hope for Shaman as he raced to Heather's going 50 mph. The cop did his cop thing and finally came back to Shaman's car to hand him his ticket. As he did so, Shaman profusely apologized and said, "I'm really sorry officer. I just got done talking to my girlfriend's parents about us getting married and I'm proposing tomorrow." With that, the cop said, "Well in that case..." and tore up the ticket. That's good stuff.

My name is Mia, but you can call me Ms. Filhart

Mia has begun copying a lot of what Dave and I do. I guess you can tell that we are on the computer in the Family Room quite often. She was all over the computer when I had left it for a second, and this is what I came back to when I returned. She happened to wear a little blazer and skirt that day, and she looked like she was prepping for a business meeting or something. She already started dusting (stay tuned for footage on that!!!!), and I'm working on her learning to mop. Hey-she's almost a year old, and she initiated earning her keep. I'm just facilitating it.

MCAT Tackled

Dave is a stud!!! He finally took the MCAT for medical school this morning. This has been years in the making, and he finally did it!! Yeeeooowww!!!! I am so proud of him for overcoming his anxiety and taking the test. I got up extra early to make him a big breakfast and pack lots of snacks, and while we were sitting there at the table I asked him what time it was. He said "quarter to 7." For a split second I panicked because he needed to be on the road by 6:30 to be safe. I quickly looked for a clock and saw that it was 6:15, not 6:45. I looked at Dave and he says "Crap. I'm gonna fail this thing." Good thing telling time isn't on the MCAT.