A Little Announcement...

Oh hey! Sorry for the blog hiatus. I think that was my longest blog-break ever. Oops. 

Well, I have returned with some news! (And hopefully return for good as in not taking 6+ month hiatuses) 

We made this cute vid to make a little announcement: 


This decision did not come easily! Actually, it was the most difficult decision Justin or I have ever had to make. 

As some of you may know, he had already been accepted to Cornell in March and we were set to move to NYC. We had seen the housing, walked around our new neighborhood, and lined up job interviews for me. 

Then, on May 17th we were at home in Granite Bay getting ready to go out on the boat with my parents when Justin received a phone call that would turn our world upside down. The admissions director at UPenn in Philadelphia let him know she had an opening and he would be accepted off the wait list. We were both in shock. 

The next 48-72 hours were just bursting with mixed emotions. I have a lot of emotions in general... We got back home to Provo and started our researching, pros/cons lists, and long heart-to-heart discussions. We were both torn for many reasons. A main reason is this incredibly adorable baby girl and her parents in NYC. 

Even now our hearts hurt thinking of closing the door to the option of Cornell and NYC and seeing that sweet face on a daily basis. However, after a lot of tears (mostly Justin's... duh) and a lot of prayers, we had a strong impression that we should move to Philly and Justin should attend UPenn. Since then, we have felt so much peace. I am grateful for a God that is aware of us and for His guidance. Without His loving answer to our prayers I think we would still be staring at our pros/cons list. 

We also feel so lucky to have had two amazing options to choose from! This past year of the medical school application process has been quite the ride. However, I couldn't be more proud of Justin and the years of work he put into applying. I still can't believe he has been admitted to one of his dream schools. Although we still have a long road ahead, I know I will enjoy it with Justin by my side. 

So now we are in it 100% to experience all Philly has to offer for the next 4 years! We will be cheesesteaking and liberty-belling it up! And, hopefully I will be documenting these activities to share with you. 

We're following our hearts to the "city of brotherly love"! 

Fall leaves

It has suddenly hit me that this is our last year in Utah. I have been so excited about both of us being done and Justing going off to med school that I haven't really thought about how much I love it here. I will really miss the fall colors. Although Kimber is convincing me the colors back East are great too... 

Our first Alpine Loop drive was during our first year together at BYU. We drove it in a pretty snow storm during General Conference and listened to the speakers on the radio. I didn't think we would make it up there this fall with our schedules but a few weeks ago Justin made sure it happened. 

I'm so glad he did because it was beautiful. 

I usually don't like horses (traumatic experience at a Dude Ranch) but this is so pretty.

This pic is for Dad! Just as we were finishing our drive and coming down the canyon, a deer jumped out right in front of our car. I tried to grab my camera but was too slow. Then, a second one ran across and I missed that one, too. Just a second later a third deer jumped out and that time I caught it. Super blurry but I was just proud to get the picture! 

Who knows what setting it was in-- I just turned it on and snapped it.

Unfortunately there were no pals around to take our picture, so we just took them of each other. :) 

Isn't my husband dang cute? I've been thinking that for quite some time but this pic really captured it. I told him he should prof pic it for sure.

Hopefully no one is getting tired of our throwbacks... this is us on that snowy Alpine Loop drive 5 years ago! 

Just today I drove the Loop again with Ash and my Grandpa Olson! The leaves are falling now but it was still beautiful! Also we saw a MOOSE! So exciting. I'll have to post those pics soon. 

Gooo Spikers!

Marissa, Justin's little sister, is playing volleyball this year and she gets to be coached by her mom, Jana! A few weekends ago we went over to cheer on the Spikers! 

Each team won a match so it came down to the third and final tie-breaker. It was a nail-biter. We were ecstatic when the other team missed a serve and the Spikers won it! Marissa says we must have been a lucky charm because it was their first win. 

We brought our big camera along and got some action shots. Sports photography really isn't my thing so don't judge! I don't have Kimber's skills in that aspect.

 Jana giving the pre-game pep talk

Happy Spikers celebrating their first win!

The Spikers with their fearless leader, Jana

And of course, we had to get a pic with the vball star herself

We were so proud of both Jana and Marissa! Hopefully we can make it to another game and be their lucky charm again :)

In other related news, Justin and I are heading up a coed volleyball intramural team this fall! I'm having flashbacks to the time I hit the ball into the net and lost the entire church volleyball championship for my team... 

Trip to Yale and NYU!

I got up bright and early (yeah like at 4am) to train from NYC to New Haven, CT for my interview at Yale School of Medicine. It was a cool experience to be on such a historic campus--both the undergrad and med school. From the moment I walked in, I felt like they knew me. It was obvious that they had spent a lot of time reviewing our applications. Some of the highlights of the day were seeing a century old surgical training amphitheater and old campus. I really liked the feel of the program and would be so privileged if I got in there. Last night we headed down to Little Italy and had an awesome dinner at a place called Angelo's. Definitely recommend it. We finished off with some authentic Cannolis and a stroll past the new Freedom Tower which is lit up right now for Sept 11th.

Today I headed nearby to NYU for my last interview in NYC. I was impressed with the school and loved the clinical opportunities that are available there. They have an affiliated private hospital which is one of the top in the country, the historic Bellevue hospital, and a VA hospital. Pretty cool. Kimber and I headed after my interview to the Metropolitan Museum. We only had an hour, before it closed but I could have spent a week there. It's amazing how much amazing artifacts under one roof. As I headed home, I stopped at the 9/11 Memorial. What a humbling and special experience. Tomorrow I'm off to Baltimore/DC!

Here are some pics!

NYC Day 1

Hey everyone! I had an awesome time today interviewing at Cornell. The weather was a bit crazy but the school and my interviews were great (I hope :) ). I interviewed with a doctor who recently had a major stroke and who had quite a difficult time speaking. I was pretty humbled to know though that he delivered this year's White Coat Ceremony keynote only months after his stroke. Pretty amazing. My second interview was with a 4th year student. Overall, I feel like they both went very well and I definitely would love being here. Cornell, unlike the undergrad institution , is in Manhattan on the upper east side in a beautiful part of town. Beyond that they are affiliated with some incredible hospitals like New York Presbyterian, Hospital for Special Surgery (top orthopedics hospital in the country), Sloan-Kettering (one of the top cancer hospitals), and many more. After my interview I met up with Kimber and we went to see NYC. We celebrated National Cheeseburger Day by hitting up this locals-only style burger joint hidden behind this curtain in this super nice hotel. Random, I know. So good though. On our way home we got caught in a thunderstorm that had NYC under several severe weather and tornado warnings. The streets had literally turned into rivers. We made it though :) Onto Connecticut for the day tomorrow! Here are some pics!

Interview catch up

So I have been bad about blogging about my interview trips and this is my very brief attempt at catching up :) As Allie mentioned, I've had an awesome time visiting places I've never been before as I interview at the different schools. So far I have been to Baylor in Houston, U. of Rochester in New York, and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. It has been quite an adventure so far and here are a few pictures to catch up :) I'll be better at posting a short blurb and pics as I go now instead of waiting so long. Thanks for reading!