Wisconsin

Wow!  I can't believe it has been about 4 years since we moved to beautiful Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  This has quickly become our home here and now it is time to move on to a new state and a new adventure.  Before we move I wanted to give a quick thank you to Wisconsin.  Being out here has been such a blessing for me personally, for Chris and I, and for our little family.  We have grown so much being out here on our own.

Chris and I have learned to lean on each other in a way that we didn't realize we needed to before we moved out here.  We have seen in many cases that medical school can either tear your marriage apart or bring you closer together.  Luckily for us our relationship has strengthened through this experience.  I can't believe what an amazing guy Chris is.  He has been so successful in his schooling, has had time for my craziness and neediness, and spends a lot of time with our amazing kids. I really don't know how he has done it and I appreciate every ounce of energy and time that he has put into us.


Moving out here away from family wasn't the easiest thing for me.  I have always been a sort of home body.  I was shy and really just wanted to stay in my comfort zone.  I either lived at home or was married during college and really didn't venture out much.  I am sad to say that I didn't really make any friends in college.  Honestly I would drive to school, walk to class, study with my head down in the library and drive home.  I was just so scared to venture outside of my comfort zone and put myself out there.  Gratefully, God had a plan for Chris and I.  It just took me awhile to see it.  Moving out here, away from family, friends, and any familiarity was terrifying.  But I had Drake!  Being a stay at home mom of a toddler truly saved me when we moved out here.  I couldn't stay home all day every day with just Drake.  If I wanted to stay sane, I needed to get out of the house once in awhile.  So I forced myself to go to parks.  And Drake being the friendly kid he is, wouldn't let us just sit by ourselves and play.  So I started to break out of my shell and talk to other moms. Then I started a book club and joined a bible study group.  I slowly began to make friends and got to know all that Milwaukee has to offer.  Now I know that I am not so much of a home-body after all. I do love to sit in the quiet of my home and just veg, but I actually really enjoy getting out of the house.  The kids and I try to get out of the house for a little while almost every day.  Whether it is the park, walking the mall, the gym, zoo, or going to friends houses.  I have also came to understand the value of friendships.  I have met some amazing friends out here and don't know what I would have done without them.  Also, about 2 years ago we started going to a church out here which we have absolutely loved.  It has done wonders for us and we are so grateful for all the adventures, blessings and trials that we have experienced and are about to experience.  Seeing Drake soak up everything he learns at church is just an amazing feeling.  And now Sonja is starting to get to the age where she gets excited about going to church to.  It is so much fun!

  So Wisconsin, thank you!  Thank you for helping me grow.  I know that I have a lot more growing to do, but I am really starting to get a sense of the person I am and the person I want to be.  Thank you Wisconsin for being such a wonderful place for my little family.  We have enjoyed all that you have had to offer (even the winters).  We have done a ton of camping, enjoyed Lake Michigan, love the Milwaukee zoo, have journeyed around the state, gone to a bunch of Brewers (baseball) games, and even went to a Green Bay Packers game (so much fun!).  And thank you Medical College of Wisconsin for giving Chris such a great education and setting him up for a promising future.  We are sad to be leaving Wisconsin but excited to see what Indiana has to offer us.  We so wish we were heading back closer to family but have heard great things about Indianapolis. Obviously God doesn't think I have ventured out of my comfort zone enough, haha. Hopefully one day we will get closer to our family back in Utah.  We miss them so much but right now I look forward to meeting new, amazing people.  So one adventure is coming to a close, but another one is about to start.  I hope we will be able to embrace this next part of our lives just as we have with that last four years.