It's been a while

I have been on a blogging hiatus for a while, and I think it is finally time I come back. We have had a very busy year with a lot going on.  Some things just had to be let go for the moment. I hope in the coming year, I will have time to go back and post some pictures from the months I took off. Birthdays, holidays, time spent with family and friends. And most importantly writing about our son Samuel David whom we lost to miscarriage this past January. It's been a very difficult time, and not something I felt up for writing about. Maybe in the future.

But for now, I am starting fresh with exciting news. David has officially signed a contract with Ohio State University to start as an attending and associate professor in July! That means we will be staying here in Columbus for at least the next several years. David will be finishing up his fellowship in hematology/oncology in June. It's been a long journey, and I know he is excited to finally finish and be able to practice medicine on his own. Staying at OSU was a difficult decision. David interviewed at some really great hospitals and universities. Every place David interviewed, he was offered an excellent job. I know this is a good problem to have, but it did make the decision process more difficult. He had lots of options and possibilities to consider. What is best for David's career? Which place offered him the best clinical opportunities? Which place would offer the most support for his research? In what part of the country would we like to live? Which place would be the best for raising our children? We very seriously considered a job located in west LA, near Pasadena. The weather and beauty of the area were really enticing. David was also excited about the different clinical aspects of the job there.  However, we ultimately decided OSU would be the best for supporting David's research. He has several projects that he is working on in fellowship and would be able to continue with once he became an attending. Also, our family is well established here with many friends and with family not too far away. The kids would be able to stay in the same schools, and I could continue to work part time (even more part time - I have cut back my hours to one day a week) at my current job. We are really happy to finally have settled on this decision. It reduces the stress in our house significantly!  OSU recruited David with all they could offer him. Everyone that David works with is excited to have him stay, and is looking forward to continue working with him. I am so proud of all of David's hard work. He has really dedicated himself to providing excellent clinical care to his patients while also focusing on research to improve clinical outcomes for his patients in the future. You can tell how highly his coworkers think of him by how enthusiastic they were to have him stay. David is a very passionate doctor and researcher, and I knew no matter where we ended up, he will be doing great things in the future.
Now if I can only just prepare myself for sharing him with OSU... David has already warned me that the start of his new career will be a very busy time for him. He will have a lot more responsibilities and will need to jump right into applying for grants. He needs to show to OSU that their investment in him as faculty will be worth it. As his requirements have lessened a bit with the end of fellowship, I have gotten spoiled with this extra time he has been able to spend with the family. But I must remember that his job truly is a calling, and part of my vocation is to support him in that. We are going to party it up in June, and then it's back to the grind in July. Praise God for David and his new job in July!

The most recent picture I have of all the kids. We will get to spend many more days ahead going on walks to this rock.