Ann Arbor, MI

David is finishing up his fellowship interviews.  His last one is at the end of this week.  So from here, David will make his rank list of all the programs and submit it in early November.  We have done lots of talking about the pros and cons of each program and location. So far, we have a better idea of the bottom of the list instead of the top.  It is hard to say where we will be next year, as David has so many excellent choices in so many different places.  December 4th is Match Day, so we will find out then where David will do his fellowship!  Please keep us in your prayers that we will find the best place for our family and where God wants us to be for the next three to four years.
Earlier this month, David had an interview at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  This is where our friend Sean is doing his fellowship, so our whole family went to Ann Arbor to visit Sean, Angela, Theo, and Cora.  It was a bit of a crazy time.  Theo slept on his parents’ bedroom floor while we squeezed our whole family into Theo’s room.  Eliana had a great time torturing her brother while she was supposed to be sleeping by throwing blankets, toys, and diapers on him in his crib.  Once things finally got settled down for the night, we were able to get some sleep.  While David was at his interview and Sean was at work, Angela and I took the kids to a petting zoo not too far from their house.  We all had a great time!  The animals were definitely used to the system because they all came right up to the fence to grab some carrots as we walked around.  Cora did not like getting her hand slobbered by the goats, but the rest of the kids all enjoyed feeding carrots and petting the animals.  William’s favorite part was sitting on the tractor (which apparently he knows the word for – I didn’t even know he could say “tractor” until we got there!). He cried when I finally pulled him down, but was better once we went to visit the chickens. 
It was great to see Eliana and Theo play together again.  They were so good!  Playing mostly independently together, they came up with all sorts of silly games when we went to the playground after the petting zoo.  They collected a huge pile of twigs which they put under some playground equipment and called their “nest.” This game went on for a long time, until it was time to go.  We were sad to leave, but hopefully we will have the chance to visit again next month.  

Feeding carrots to the sheep.

William and Cora with the chickens.

Friends reunited!