Movers arrive

The movers arrived & the house quickly went from empty to full of boxes.



Ismael had lots of fun watching & "helping" the movers. He was even more excited to see his toys again as they were unloaded. He wasted no time in putting them to use!!



It was a long day & we had lots of work ahead of us. Ismael was happy to have his crib (thanks to Esteban & Lissette!!), & I was thrilled to get to sleep in my bed for the first time in 5 months!! (For those who don't know, we've 1 month at my sister's & 4 months at my mom's.)

Arrive in Oceanside, CA

May 30th we finally arrived in Oceanside & got to see the inside of the house. I had only seen the outside when house hunting in early May & a fellow church member had checked out the inside after I had left. While it's not huge or modern by any means, I was pleased. There are things I would change or fix if it were mine, but hey, I'm just thankful not to be living in an apartment anymore. Our household goods were scheduled for delivery the next day, which meant sleeping on the floor for a night. I was so tired I didn't care, but it was chilly (60 degrees outside) and I had only brought Ismael's blankets in the car with us.

Scottsdale, AZ

We made it to Travis' in Scottsdale, AZ by 7am and it was already 80 degrees. While I was ready for a nap, a bit of coffee and Ismael's pleading led us to the park. However, by 9am it was about 90 degrees and climbing & Ismael didn't care to burn his behind on the play equipment. So, we spent most of the day at Travis' non-childproofed apartment. We did get a tour through Scottsdale & Tempe, which were rather nice. Ismael decided to thank Travis for his hospitality by puking on his bed. We managed not to break anything while there, which I considered an accomplishment. The next morning we left at 2am & headed to Oceanside...

Albuquerque, NM

May 27th we left Topeka on our 3 day trek to California. We stopped in Wichita for the afternoon then headed out at 9pm for Albuquerque. Ismael woke up at midnight in the middle of Nowhere, KS. It was 2 hours before we reached Liberal, KS & an open gas station to heat up his milk. It was smooth sailing again & we arrived in Albuquerque at 7:30am. Thankfully, the hotel let us check in early, so we didn't have to wander the streets until the afternoon. Ismael enjoyed cleaning the hotel room mirrors (see pictures)...his way of saying thanks, I guess. We left at 1am the next morning & headed for Scottsdale, AZ to visit Travis. I was definitely wishing to stay in bed, but a few caffeinated beverages kept me going...

Graduation Day

Sunday was the big day- graduation from medical school...finally!! It was a gruelling 3 1/2 hour ceremony, which allowed all 230+ graduates their time on stage to be hooded individually. Then us 27 students in the military were commissioned on stage, which meant I had to wear my white (poliester) Navy uniform. We were all glad when it was over. In the afternoon, friends & family visited at an open house at my mom's. It was a great time for catching up before moving on to California....

Baccalaureate

Saturday was Baccalaureate, an opportunity to give thanks to God for all he has done for us, especially over the past 4 stressful years. The photographer found Ismael more interesting than us graduates (can you blame him?) & snapped several shots of him with Grandma.

Graduation Weekend

Graduation from KCUMB started with a banquet & dance on Friday evening. It was a time to relax & reunite with fellow classmates, since all of my friends have been doing their rotations in other parts of the country for the past 2 years. Above are Stacey, me & Vanessa- I'm in very smart company!!

Mother's Day '07

After driving home from Wichita, Ismael helped Grandma open her Mother's Day gifts & cards. Then he cooled off by running through the sprinkler. He was a bit scared at first, so Grandma gave him a ball to play with. He was soon braving the cold water to try to drink from the fountain of water and play with the fish.

Mother's Day weekend '07

Ismael & I spent the weekend in Wichita, KS with cousins Quinn & Drew. Quinn beat me at Memory Game repeatedly, while Drew & Ismael shot hoops and tried to get their hands into everything. We were also able to catch up with some friends, Edgar & Tiffany. It was Tiffany's dad's 45th (? :) ?) birthday & Edgar graduated from Friends University on Sunday- congrats! We all had a great time!