And then we moved to Wisconsin...

 [I'll let you use your imagination here in this opening sentence where I would typically apologize for not doing a better job of updating our blog.  Nothing crazy or obscene.  Have fun with it.] 

So much has happened since our happy graduation weekend.  Here is a quick overview:

Why Jenn Began Eating Like a Lumberjack and then Entered into a Season of Hibernation

Immediately following graduation, the reality of our upcoming move and transition into residency began to sink in; slowly but surely.  We were beginning to feel the weight of what it would mean to leave our friends and community that we grew to love so deeply over the last four years.  So we went away for a weekend to Mississippi with our friends and had a great time.  Since I had been feeling a little fatigued and had been out-eating Jon at meals, I decided to pack some extra supplies.  I'm so glad I did because while we were there we discovered that there was a very tiny and exciting reason for the changes in sleep habits and appetite:

Two lines on a test strip translated: the newest baby Pagan!  This image was taken after we moved to WI, when the baby looked less like a poppy seed and more like a baby.  He/she is set to make his/her debut at the end of January!

[Aside: I should give props where props are due: our sister-in-law Kelly called it a week or two before-hand.  We had all been out to dinner and *most of us* were uncomfortably full.  She caught me at home less than ten minutes after we left the restaurant, eating a post-dinner snack...  Our exchange sounded something like this:

Kelly: "Are you eating a bowl of cereal?!"

Jenn (with full-mouth guilt expression): "Yefs..."

Kelly: "How can you still be hungry?"

Jenn (still with mouth full): "I felp like I needed a snack...  I don't know, I've just been really hungry lately."

Kelly:  "...You're totally pregnant."]

When we returned home, it wasn't long before I downshifted into first trimester Jenn; a Jenn who subsists mainly on carbohydrates and ginger ale and takes naps on her lunch break at work.  As he did with our last move, Jon was a champ and took on the lion's share of packing up our home and getting things ready for our big move.  He may or may not have accused me of planning my pregnancies around major life events (like moving) so that I can avoid heavy lifting, guilt-free.  You may recall our last move.

We've been looking forward to this baby--more to come in January.  

Pack It Up, Pack It In...

No moving story would be complete without a House of Pain reference.

Do you know what happens when you attempt to pack up the lives of three people over four years into a Rav 4 and a U-Haul trailer?  You have to wedge your toddler into his carseat that is wedged between the fluffy down comforter and a laundry basket full of stuffed animals.  Like sardines, I tell you, but we made it work!

Even though Jon (and Keith and Tim!  Thank you all!) did the loading, I think he'd agree that saying goodbye to our friends and family was the harder task, by far.

We did our best to say proper goodbyes to everyone.  We had one last dinner at the Hill's house, where the kids played, we took pictures and I ended up doing the classic Jenn cry-in-front-of-your-friends-while-trying-to-explain-your-emotions-in-a-comically-high-pitched-voice thing.

And the next morning, we did our special family goodbye to the house like we do whenever we leave a home that we've made memories in.  We took more pictures, took one last look at our home and then we climbed into the car and drove away.

It was a very emotional trip.

Goodbye, Arkansas.  Hello, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin: where the badgers are discontent because their only clothing options are stripy muscle sweaters. 

Our trip to our new home took us 14 hours over two days.  The drive was beautiful and David traveled like a champ (thank you, iPad).  

It's taken time, but we're getting settled in.  Since we live in resident housing just minutes (walking distance) from the hospital, we've been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful community of resident families that live nearby--not to mention Jon's super quick 'commute' time to work.  The city also has lots of fun (inexpensive!) things to do with children and families, so David and I have been doing some serious playing and exploring.  

I may dedicate another post to explaining the adjustment process/adaptation to residency life in a completely new part of the country, but for now, please know that we feel like we will have a good year here.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers:)

Graduation Week--Act Three: Closing Ceremonies

This post is long overdue, but here is the final installment of graduation weekend in pictures:

Looking at the weekend's pictures with family.

UAMS graduation

This was a day filled with a lot of love.

Charlotte, Jer, Jon, Ryder and Kel

Uncle Mike

Aunt Brenda and Uncle Ken

Dave and Debb

My favorite graduate:)

Uncle Mike and Aunt Maureen

Candid group shot...

It was a beautiful, beautiful end to our med school experience in Little Rock.

Graduation Week--Act Two: A Lovely Party

In the Pagan household, the morning after convocation is best spent running amok at the park:

David being a spider.

Charlotte: Professional Climber.

Ryder spent much of the morning on his mom’s back, happily watching the big kids run around and play.

I can’t think of more representative pictures that captured the dynamic between David and Charlotte than these two:

That would be my son roaring like a dinosaur and chasing Charlotte through the grass as her dad yells, “Run for your life, Charlotte!”

We took a break from photographing kids to catch Maureen and Mike in a siblings picture.

The men spent the morning playing frisbee and climbing a mountain.

Charlotte demonstrating her photography skills.

Ryder has one speed, and that speed is happy.

After the park, the ladies and I went home to put the kids down for their naps.  Once everyone was asleep, Debb and I got ready and then left for the restaurant to prepare for Jon’s graduation dinner.  It’s both impressive and fun to watch Debbie prepare for events like this—one minute she’s cutting flowers and arranging them in mason jars, and the next minute she’s climbing up on chairs to hang banners while ordering tea and making jokes.  Queen of multitasking.  In less than an hour, we decorated the banquet room and had time to spare before everyone arrived.    

And then everyone arrived!

What a beautiful evening.  I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed it.  It’s an overwhelming experience to be surrounded by people you love, celebrating someone you love.  Good food and cake were a nice bonus.

Family picture!  Lest you think our child is an orphan.  Ask me how long the cake was left untouched with seven hungry children in the room...  Because it was a special occasion, and to avoid any major melt-downs, we let the kids have cake as an appetizer before dinner.  Everybody won.

Beautiful Charlotte with pretty dress and pretty braids.

And then, oh and then, the toasting began:)  Dave began by giving a touching speech about how proud he was of Jon and our family for our accomplishments throughout med school.  

Then I followed, with the help of David—print out and all. 

Then Uncle Mike stood up and shared a sweet story about Jon when he was a child; about specific characteristics that he still has as an adult and how proud he is to be his uncle.

As we say, ‘good loves.’

Then Jon’s brother Jeremy (and Charlotte) talked about Jon’s path to med school and how proud they are of his determination and performance.

[Listening to Jeremy]

And although I tear up even looking at this picture, Kelly made some lovely closing remarks about how she loves Jon like her own brother and how happy they were to watch him graduate in person. 

Jon was the last to speak.  He was visibly affected by all of the kind and loving things everyone had to say, and by all of the generous gifts they had given him.  The fact that everyone had gotten together on his behalf was extremely touching.

So, thank you, Dave and Debb for hosting such a wonderful dinner.  Thank you Rhonda and friends that helped tidy afterward.  Thank you, Maureen, for taking pictures.  Thank you Ken and Brenda for driving up from Texas to be a part of it. Thank you everyone for your love and encouragement.  

And thank you, Jon, for working so hard and giving us another reason to celebrate you.