A New Year

2014 is finally here.

We spent New Year's Eve sleeping in our car which we had parked at a rest stop in Nebraska.  It was an adventure to say the least and, in many ways, it was the only way to wish 2013 goodbye.  It's not that we set a low bar of expectations for this year; we actually spent our time enjoying just being together without any distractions and spending the night being grateful for everything we have.  It was more than enough for us.

Waking up inside a snow covered car parked in Nebraska proved to us that we are remarkable people.   Who does that?  We do.  2013 consisted of so many changes and many bittersweet moments.  We experienced our own up's and down's just like everyone else.  But there were a few very defining times for us this past year.

Our year in review:
> Spencer was accepted to a couple of medical schools
> He decided and tried to convince me to move to Iowa for school after he interviewed there
> We told Oregon that we accepted their offer
> Spencer graduated from the University of Utah
> We tried a handful of infertility treatments without any success
> I said goodbye to my job
> We drove to Capistrano Beach and stayed in a beach house for a week
> We said goodbye to our families and all our friends
> We started another chapter of our lives by beginning medical school and moving across country to the corn fields of Iowa -- not oregon
> Lived in Iowa for a month without any furniture but an ironing board a cooler and a stool
> I got called to the Young Women's Presidency -- it was a huge surprise, there is something that the Lord is trying to teach me with this calling...
> We found a great group of first year med students that are more than just friends here in Iowa; they are like family
> I learned how to cook and grocery shop by myself now
> Spencer decided he wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, a general surgeon, an interventional cardiologist, an internist, a radiologist, an OBGYN, and a gastroenterologist.... it changes weekly
> I flew back to Utah for Emily and Dan's wedding
> Spencer was called to be a ride coordinator -- apparently, that is a real calling here
> I flew back to Utah and then to Hawaii for a memorial service and the beginning of my parents home renovations
> I got a job working at Wells Fargo
>  We celebrated Thanksgiving in Iowa with some amazing friends that are third and second years
> I quit my job at Wells Fargo
> We decided to drive back home for Christmas and surprise everyone
> On December 31st we began our trek back to Iowa and got a speeding ticket in Wyoming just hours before the new year
> Decided we hated Wyoming around midnight and decided to make it to Nebraska before pulling off and sleeping in our car

Happy New Year.
I hope that 2014 is awesome!