Quarter 1
To say that the first quarter of 2016 was spent in angst would be an understatement. January was filled with more residency interviews and also ranking our match list. Then came February...Match Day. The day med students never think will actually arrive. It did arrive with the great news that we would be moving to New Jersey for Chris to practice Emergency Medicine at Kennedy!
After finding out that we would be moving to New Jersey in May, the rush to find a home began. We were beyond over living in a cookie-cutter apartment complex. Thanks to a snowy day in Blacksburg and my fascination with browsing on Zillow, I came across a brand new 3-level townhouse centrally located to the hospitals Chris would be working at. It was one of those places that wouldn't stay on the market long...I knew we had to jump on it immediately! After calling the real estate agent and getting more details and pictures, we signed the lease that week (without seeing it in person). Some may call us crazy...I probably would have called us crazy at the time! It ended up being the perfect place for us. A place that finally feels like a home rather than an apartment waiting to move to the next place.
After finding out that we would be moving to New Jersey in May, the rush to find a home began. We were beyond over living in a cookie-cutter apartment complex. Thanks to a snowy day in Blacksburg and my fascination with browsing on Zillow, I came across a brand new 3-level townhouse centrally located to the hospitals Chris would be working at. It was one of those places that wouldn't stay on the market long...I knew we had to jump on it immediately! After calling the real estate agent and getting more details and pictures, we signed the lease that week (without seeing it in person). Some may call us crazy...I probably would have called us crazy at the time! It ended up being the perfect place for us. A place that finally feels like a home rather than an apartment waiting to move to the next place.
Quarter 2
Rather than bringing showers, April brought us an amazing vacation to St. Martin with Ali and Chris' parents. An actual vacation to escape, shut off the electronic devices, and relax with a drink on the beach was exactly was the doctor prescribed after four years of hard work and dedication that med school requires, both for Chris and myself.
May 7, 2016 brought two life changing moments for Chris and I! First up in the day came the moment he walked across the stage and became Dr. Christopher Lundberg, shortly followed by the moment I became the future Mrs. Lundberg! This day was by far the best day of 2016 for each of us individually and the two of us together! While he got the traditional graduation gifts of cards, money, and pocket-squares (all doctors need them!), I ended the day with a new piece of jewelry adorning my finger. Ladies...when your boyfriend's mother says she has to find the perfect pink pendant for a necklace then proceeds pull you over to browse in the diamond ring section of every jewelry store, just go with it and enjoy the day, because you never know, you may just be picking out your dream ring! Graduation day also brought a lot of reflection. Thinking back to the previous three years when we would watch the new VCOM graduates taking pictures in front of the building, thinking if only that day would come. For all of you in that situation...I promise it will! It's not easy, by any means, no one said being trained to save lives would be a simple journey. There were nights that Chris barely slept an hour before waking up again to study as much as he could before an exam. There were nights I called him in for dinner, enjoyed a quick 15 minute conversation as he devoured the meal, then retreated back to the office to study more. In the end, seeing him walk across the stage brought tears to my eyes and all of our guests seated with me. It was all worth it!
The second quarter wrapped up with our move to New Jersey. With the much appreciated help from my parents (thank you again!), we managed to pack up our apartment, caravan from Blacksburg, VA to Somerdale, NJ, and unpack in a week! Mom and dad even stayed a couple extra days and explored nearby Philadelphia and our little area of southern NJ. I quickly found out that Haddonfield is my favorite town to browse around, while my dad particularly enjoyed Reading Terminal!
After spending a couple weeks in our new town, we zipped over to Philadelphia for Nick and Jamie's wedding weekend. Their wedding was beautiful and gave us the opportunity to see family twice in one month. It was a nice little getaway with great food and friends!
May 7, 2016 brought two life changing moments for Chris and I! First up in the day came the moment he walked across the stage and became Dr. Christopher Lundberg, shortly followed by the moment I became the future Mrs. Lundberg! This day was by far the best day of 2016 for each of us individually and the two of us together! While he got the traditional graduation gifts of cards, money, and pocket-squares (all doctors need them!), I ended the day with a new piece of jewelry adorning my finger. Ladies...when your boyfriend's mother says she has to find the perfect pink pendant for a necklace then proceeds pull you over to browse in the diamond ring section of every jewelry store, just go with it and enjoy the day, because you never know, you may just be picking out your dream ring! Graduation day also brought a lot of reflection. Thinking back to the previous three years when we would watch the new VCOM graduates taking pictures in front of the building, thinking if only that day would come. For all of you in that situation...I promise it will! It's not easy, by any means, no one said being trained to save lives would be a simple journey. There were nights that Chris barely slept an hour before waking up again to study as much as he could before an exam. There were nights I called him in for dinner, enjoyed a quick 15 minute conversation as he devoured the meal, then retreated back to the office to study more. In the end, seeing him walk across the stage brought tears to my eyes and all of our guests seated with me. It was all worth it!
The second quarter wrapped up with our move to New Jersey. With the much appreciated help from my parents (thank you again!), we managed to pack up our apartment, caravan from Blacksburg, VA to Somerdale, NJ, and unpack in a week! Mom and dad even stayed a couple extra days and explored nearby Philadelphia and our little area of southern NJ. I quickly found out that Haddonfield is my favorite town to browse around, while my dad particularly enjoyed Reading Terminal!
After spending a couple weeks in our new town, we zipped over to Philadelphia for Nick and Jamie's wedding weekend. Their wedding was beautiful and gave us the opportunity to see family twice in one month. It was a nice little getaway with great food and friends!
Quarter 3
The first week of quarter three hits hard when Chris starts residency. Just so happens he has the hardest rotation his first month...ICU. Early mornings, long days, late nights, and inconsistent meals. After the month was over, we both agreed that we were happy to have it out of the way first. I will say that first day when he pulled on his long white coat with Christopher Lundberg, DO embroidered on it, I got chills and teared up.
Summer in New Jersey is much different than that in southwest Virginia. Being 45 minutes from the beach and ocean took a while to get used to. We took a trip to Atlantic City for a weekend and spent a few hours at the roulette table. After only putting $50 down, we walked away with $500! Beginner's luck? Being 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia is also really nice for date nights. Everything is at our fingertips, from eclectic restaurants to outdoor beer gardens, there are endless date night ideas.
After saving my money for nearly 10 years and driving little Roxy around the eastern half of the US, I said goodbye and bought my first car! I will be honest, it wasn't an easy process by any means. It took 6 hours worth of test driving and negotiating before we drove her home and called her ours. Meet my new 2016 Honda CR-V Touring, Rhonda!
After both of our birthdays had passed, I started wedding planning. To kick off the process, Danielle and I went to a bridal show in Philadelphia. I got so many ideas that I can't wait to implement! After buying a wedding planner binder from Barnes & Noble along with many bridal magazines, I began scheduling venue tours and creating an idea board. We were able to squeeze three venue tours in with Chris' busy schedule and already have a few more lined up in January. We are hoping to set a date and choose a venue this spring and get married in fall of 2018.
Summer in New Jersey is much different than that in southwest Virginia. Being 45 minutes from the beach and ocean took a while to get used to. We took a trip to Atlantic City for a weekend and spent a few hours at the roulette table. After only putting $50 down, we walked away with $500! Beginner's luck? Being 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia is also really nice for date nights. Everything is at our fingertips, from eclectic restaurants to outdoor beer gardens, there are endless date night ideas.
After saving my money for nearly 10 years and driving little Roxy around the eastern half of the US, I said goodbye and bought my first car! I will be honest, it wasn't an easy process by any means. It took 6 hours worth of test driving and negotiating before we drove her home and called her ours. Meet my new 2016 Honda CR-V Touring, Rhonda!
After both of our birthdays had passed, I started wedding planning. To kick off the process, Danielle and I went to a bridal show in Philadelphia. I got so many ideas that I can't wait to implement! After buying a wedding planner binder from Barnes & Noble along with many bridal magazines, I began scheduling venue tours and creating an idea board. We were able to squeeze three venue tours in with Chris' busy schedule and already have a few more lined up in January. We are hoping to set a date and choose a venue this spring and get married in fall of 2018.
Quarter 4
Fourth quarter rolls around and its time for the holidays! From Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it really is my favorite time of the year! We also managed to squeeze a vacation in to Boston and Cape Cod for much needed R&R. While in Boston, we got to see our friends Tim and Becca and catch up over a few great meals. After spending a couple days in Boston, we zipped south to Cape Cod and spent a week in an oceanfront condo, courtesy of Anne and Charlie's RCI points.
There's something about enjoying a glass of vino and a chilled beer by the fireplace with the ocean breeze blowing in the patio door that makes you just forget about the outside world. We will be going back to Cape Cod one day, we both loved it!
We made it back from Cape Cod just in time for Danielle's wedding. Her wedding was beautiful! I particularly loved how she added "The Future" to the place cards for those of us who are engaged!
In preparation for the holiday season, Melissa and I went to a local studio called Board & Brush and created these rustic signs for our homes. I think it adds the perfect touch and is completely customizable, from colors to design. Thanksgiving time means traditions with family! My parents drove up to NJ and spent the holiday weekend with us. Dad helped Chris with the turkey, mom helped me with the sides and dessert, and we all went to the Christmas tree farm the next day to get our perfect tree. Mom and I were even able to squeeze in the new episodes of Gilmore Girls on Black Friday, dad even watched a bit too!
Chris tells me I am one of the most observant people he knows...which I don't think is a bad thing. One morning in December I walked downstairs and saw a new present under the Christmas tree. I had a gift from Santa that specifically stated I could not open it until Thursday, December 8 at 6pm. After going on the holiday home tour in Haddonfield with Melissa, I rushed home to open my present. Chris surprised me with a weekend in NYC, complete with Rockettes tickets and a hotel room! I had been hinting that I had never been to NYC at Christmas and also had never seen the Rockettes. Someone was listening! We enjoyed the whole day exploring NYC and had a great dinner at a pub. After seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, we went to our hotel across the river in NJ and found out we had been upgraded to a Manhattan skyline view room - can we say the cherry on top?! It was an amazing weekend and one of the best presents I have ever received!
For Christmas this year, we went to Nick and Jamie's in PA for Christmas Eve and enjoyed plenty of fish and family! Unfortunately, Chris was on call and had to work 24 hours on Christmas Day. Melissa's husband also had to work on Christmas Day so she came over that morning and we enjoyed cinnamon rolls and mimosas together! After relaxing at home for most of the day, I took dinner to the hospital and enjoyed some time with Chris at work. After all, Christmas is best spent with the ones you love, even if for only a few hours in a call room at the hospital.
Hope everyone had a great 2016 and here's to an even better 2017!
There's something about enjoying a glass of vino and a chilled beer by the fireplace with the ocean breeze blowing in the patio door that makes you just forget about the outside world. We will be going back to Cape Cod one day, we both loved it!
We made it back from Cape Cod just in time for Danielle's wedding. Her wedding was beautiful! I particularly loved how she added "The Future" to the place cards for those of us who are engaged!
In preparation for the holiday season, Melissa and I went to a local studio called Board & Brush and created these rustic signs for our homes. I think it adds the perfect touch and is completely customizable, from colors to design. Thanksgiving time means traditions with family! My parents drove up to NJ and spent the holiday weekend with us. Dad helped Chris with the turkey, mom helped me with the sides and dessert, and we all went to the Christmas tree farm the next day to get our perfect tree. Mom and I were even able to squeeze in the new episodes of Gilmore Girls on Black Friday, dad even watched a bit too!
Chris tells me I am one of the most observant people he knows...which I don't think is a bad thing. One morning in December I walked downstairs and saw a new present under the Christmas tree. I had a gift from Santa that specifically stated I could not open it until Thursday, December 8 at 6pm. After going on the holiday home tour in Haddonfield with Melissa, I rushed home to open my present. Chris surprised me with a weekend in NYC, complete with Rockettes tickets and a hotel room! I had been hinting that I had never been to NYC at Christmas and also had never seen the Rockettes. Someone was listening! We enjoyed the whole day exploring NYC and had a great dinner at a pub. After seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, we went to our hotel across the river in NJ and found out we had been upgraded to a Manhattan skyline view room - can we say the cherry on top?! It was an amazing weekend and one of the best presents I have ever received!
For Christmas this year, we went to Nick and Jamie's in PA for Christmas Eve and enjoyed plenty of fish and family! Unfortunately, Chris was on call and had to work 24 hours on Christmas Day. Melissa's husband also had to work on Christmas Day so she came over that morning and we enjoyed cinnamon rolls and mimosas together! After relaxing at home for most of the day, I took dinner to the hospital and enjoyed some time with Chris at work. After all, Christmas is best spent with the ones you love, even if for only a few hours in a call room at the hospital.
Hope everyone had a great 2016 and here's to an even better 2017!
