Doctor Holmes

Remember when I said Brendon had practically graduated from medical school? Well, he has officially graduated from medical school. He is now Dr. Holmes, although he will remain "Dad" and "Brendon" around here.

Congratulations, Brendon! You made it! Twelve years of school plus four years of college plus four years of graduate school. That is a lot to take on, but you made it through with a dream and with a lot of patience, perseverance, hard work, and dedication and, all the while, you put your family as your number one priority. We love you! Thank you for making us top priority; we admire you for accomplishing your goal.

Graduation allowed us to take our longest road trip yet. It was fun being together and we enjoyed our time with family and friends for a week and a half. We took advantage of the trip to spend some time in Colorado with Heidi's (Brendon's sister) family. We played with cousins all day, every day and had a blast. We went on walks, played in the kiddie swimming pool, watched movies, ran through the sprinklers, played games, hung out, played the Wii, and got reacquainted with each other, with Porter & Maggie meeting for the first time. It's a shame families don't all live in one area together--pretty sure these kids would be great friends.

 

After a few days, we left for Kansas City. We stayed in our cheap, cramped hotel room in true Holmes' style and quite honestly, I didn't realize what a crappy hotel it was until we got to our hotel in Kirksville (courtesy of my parents) with a room that allowed us to have walking space amidst our pack n' plays. While in Kansas City, we enjoyed some real barbecue. It was delicious! The cashier told me "you (white) folk like pork," so that's what I got. She gave Henry a free 24 ounce drink of soda/pop filled with sugar. Henry devoured it and was a little crazy afterwards. We also went to see Liberty Jail. Even though I was busy trying to keep Henry entertained, I felt the spirit of that neat place. We bumped into our medical school friends, the Ewells, while at Liberty Jail, who were also traveling to Kirksville.

While in Kirksville we spent a lot of time with our grandmas and grandpas. Brendon and I were so grateful to have our parents with us for this celebration.

Henry was in heaven with both sets of grandparents at his beckon' call. And I'm sure Maggie was thrilled with how much she was held in everyone's arms. See how happy they are? 

 

 

Brendon and I had a couple of dinners to go to and the grandparents graciously accepted responsibility of our children. It felt like date night after date night for me and Brendon as we spent time with each other and good friends. We loved catching up with everyone and are so grateful for the friendships we have made that have helped make this medical school journey more enjoyable. 

{The study buddies & their wives}

Henry loved playing in the pool with dad and grandpa, who were quick to take any opportunity to swim with him. Maggie even got in the pool (mostly to get in her cute swimming suit). Henry loved the pool when he was her age; she didn't cry but didn't seem to love it either. We also spent a lot of time chatting with our parents and playing card games.

Graduation was a day full of celebration. The ceremony was...well, just like any graduation ceremony. Sister pooped out onto my skirt to make it more memorable. But truthfully, it was a proud wife moment. I felt a lot of gratitude for making it to this point in our medical school journey. Along with Brendon's medical knowledge, we both learned a lot about life, ourselves, each other, and how we work together. When I asked Brendon what it feels like to have graduated from medical school he asked what it feels like for me to have endured the journey. I told him I forgot the hard things. The human mind is great that way. Not that it was all hard, but there were definitely difficult days/weeks/months during the last four years when time together was limited. But we made it!

After the graduation ceremony, we got pictures with our dear Kirksville friends and spent the rest of the day with our family going out to eat at La Fuente (my favorite Mexican restaurant), shopping, and playing card games.

During our last day in Kirksville, Katherine had us over for dinner. As always, the food was incredible and the company was wonderful. We love the Fields like family and really enjoyed our time with them.

This was a great trip for our family. We were able to spend time with the people who have offered so much love and support to help us succeed. What an accomplishment!