Doctor Doctor

In about 3 hours, Doc and his fellow classmates will again join together and take the Hipocratic Oath, only this time they will be attired in traditional academic regalia and be hooded as they receive their diplomas.

It seems like just a couple months have passed since their white coat ceremony when they first made that same oath and began this journey. Doc has some of the finest people I know as classmates, and it has been an honor to get to know them as they've studied their brains out these past four years.

So naturally I can't sleep. The only other time in my life that I have felt this crazy combination of excited/happy was the night before our wedding...random, huh?! I'm just so proud of Doc, and all that he has accomplished! It's been a zany, difficult, happy, painful, exciting and successful road this past four years. And it's going to be more of the same for the next six or seven. But I'm so glad we've come this far as a family.

Doc is going to be a neuroradiologist. The path from here to there begins with today's graduation ceremony, followed by a transitional year at a local hospital, followed by four years of radiology residency at a different local hospital, and then a year or two of fellowship in neuroradiology. So for the foreseeable future, he will be training and working crazy hours just like the last four. But he'll be helping people and learning vast amounts of information that will bless countless lives. And he loves this stuff! I've never met anyone who was as passionate about learning as Doc is (well, except for maybe my sister. Maybe.)

Some people have asked why I call him "Doc" when he isn't actually a doctor yet and it's because I'M A COMPLETE NARCISIST. But as my sister always reminds me, he already is a doctor. He earned a Ph.D. in biology and anatomy years ago, and then taught medical school in New England before deciding to become a physician.

For some reason we didn't really celebrate that accomplishment-which is too bad because it was a lot of work. He didn't even attend his graduation ceremony. I think we might have already moved by the time it took place. But not this time! We're doing it up in fine fashion. Partly because this whole week has been a series of award ceremonies and banquets, but also because yesterday was Doc's birthday!

He had an award banquet last night, and when I found out about it, I coordinated with the people in charge to present him with his birthday cake when they gave him his award. It worked out perfectly because alphabetically, he was the last recipient of the evening, so when the dean called him up, he announced that it was also his birthday as the cake I'd made was brought out and everybody sang to him.

Doc and the dean after the ceremony.

It was awesome. And a total surprise for Doc. We were delighted that his parents, our kids, and my sister and brother could join us for the event. It was a fun night.

Close-up of his cake

When we returned home, the MOTHER OF ALL CANDY CARDS was waiting for Doc. I made a little video of him reading it which I'll post when I get a chance, but here's a photo of it.

Candy Card

Well, I best get ready for this day. The butterflies in my stomach don't really make sense to me; I'm not the one walking across the stage! But never again will we have a day like today. I'm so happy for Doc, and so proud of him. And Doc, when you read this (yes, he actually does read my blog and all your comments even though he's never left a comment himself)...WAY TO GO! You're simply amazing and I love you!

Grateful for:

1) The Enormous Village who have helped us get this far.

2) Generous friends who let me commandeer their home for 2 days while working on the cake and card. Wouldn't have happened without everything you did!
3) People everywhere who work hard to be the best at what they do. Don't you love how they make the world so much better?!

Enjoying The DR

This past week, thanks to the support of one of my angel friends who watched the kids for us, Doc and I were able to get away for a little "honeymoon". This summer we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, but Doc will be knee-deep in rotations, without so much as 40 straight hours off work by then.

So since he had a break between his last class and graduation this coming Saturday (!), we took advantage of the super-awesome deals I get through my job, and, using money Doc won for a paper he wrote, spent 5 days at an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. It Was Heaven!

I've already documented the trip in my journal, but since ya'll won't be reading that, there were a few things I thought I'd share here.

First off, I believe marriages would start off better if all newlyweds could have a get-away like the one we just had. I wish we'd had something like it 20 years ago...what a way to begin your life together! We're of the (increasingly rare, old-fashioned) mindset that you wait till you're married to live like you're married, if you follow my meaning, so it really was a big change for both of us. Knowing what I know now, I'm going to strongly encourage my kids to make sure they plan a real honeymoon when they marry...I'm a believer!

Anyway, with no domestic responsibilities to worry about, we spent hours together, just hanging out at the pool, in the ocean, taking moonlight walks along sand so soft it was almost like talcum powder. We ate when we felt like it, slept when we wanted to, went boogie boarding, snorkeling, or sailing on the catamaran, stayed up late, star-gazed, read books, enjoyed afternoon "siesta's", and had lots and lots of good talks. It was a great re-connect and re-discover each other week, and I'm so grateful for the chance to experience that with Doc.

The resort we stayed at had a few surprises. First, it really was ALL inclusive! You could literally eat and drink 24-hours a day, as much as you liked. Having food available whenever you wanted...with no dishes or prep or cleaning up? Wow! And no worrying about carrying cash around for tips...they were already included. Nice.

We were also surprised at how very international the resort was. For the first time in my life, I felt like a minority as a U.S. tourist. People were speaking every language under the sun. Lots of guests from Russia, Europe, South America, Africa. Neither of us anticipated that we would be the only Americans we'd cross paths with there. Even after they found out we spoke English, they didn't necessarily guess "USA" for our country. It was crazy. And Awesome!

Being such an international destination, there were different standards of...ahem...swimwear. Suffice to say, my kids would have been somewhat horrified by a number of them, and I confess I never did quite get used to that part. But everyone was friendly, and it was a perfect week. The weather, the water temp, the landscaping and The Beach (beyond amazing!!!)...simply couldn't have been improved upon.

One weird thing: there was almost NO critter life there! Save for fish in the sea, I think I saw 4 birds and one frog in terms of wildlife. No bugs, geckos, lizards, roaches, etc. It was strange to be on an island not teeming with crawlies and creepers. Not that I minded, mind you (though I did wonder if they've just poisoned the jeepers out of the area. Ewww!)

When our time in paradise was over, we weren't too sad because we had an overnight stay in Manhattan. We met my aunt and uncle whom I adore for a lovely dinner and too-quick visit, after which they left for their home in the country while we stayed in their amazing apartment in the city. It really has to be seen to be believed. (Neighbors include Paul Simon and Lorne Michaels. Yeah.)

We arrived home to happy kids who were glad to see us, but not homesick or pining away at all...which I'm SO thankful for! How lucky to have a friend watch them that they feel completely at ease with.

Grateful for:
1) Shelah
2) D&K
3) The chance to enjoy the DR (pun intended)
4) The fact that this is my last week eVAH as the wife of a full-time, unemployed student.