Hello Summer

Hello Summer, nice to see you. Hello blog, nice to see you again too. So, here's the Cochran update: We sold our house in four days back in May, right before Chris' graduation, the house went under contract the day before my parents came into town. We were very grateful it sold so quickly, we felt like it was a huge blessing to be in contract before the families came into town. The graduation ceremony was wonderful. We had a great big BBQ at our house with all of our friends. I still can't believe that my husband is a doctor, or that we are now starting residency! We had a great time with both my family and Chris' family. We are so glad they came to share this momentous occasion with us.

We closed on the house, on June 18th, packed it up, and now we are living with friends until our house closes. I am very grateful to these wonderful people who have opened their home to us. So far it's been pretty smooth sailing, I'm trying very hard to help around the house, cook, and keep our trash and noise to a minimum. My kids are loving playing with the boys who live here, and so far we are enjoying it.  Sophia started swim team again, and she is doing so well! She has been shaving off time her two events, freestyle and backstroke every week! I am so impressed with her tenacity.

summer time play in the backyard where we are staying. lovely, right?

The past few days I have been feeling very melancholy. I could NOT put my finger on why, sure my husband is living in another state while we wait for our house to be built, sure I'm homeless living on the hospitality of others with three children, we are leaving a good school and neighborhood that my kids love, we have been saying goodbye to dear friends, leaving our dance studio, and our ward, and the list goes on....

However, I couldn't put my finger on WHY I have been feeling so blue, until tonight. Tonight I picked up Ellie and her little friend Natalia from one of their dance classes. They have been dancing together for three years. Ellie and Talia are best friends. Talia's mother has become one of my best friends in the universe. I dropped off Talia and was driving back towards our old neighborhood, and then it hit me, nothing is going to be the same. I am still in this town, still taking my girls to dance, going through some of the regular motions of my life, but the entire dynamic of my world has changed and it's still changing.  I feel like I am desperately trying to hold on so tightly to my old life, but that time is over. I have to start looking forward and thinking differently about where I fit in, about building a new life. My heart is a little broken and I am trying hard not to be too sad.

Ellie and her dear dance friends.

So now I have a label for all my emotions and an explanation for all these difficult feelings. Hopefully now I can move forward and figure out how to have a fun meaningful summer. I want to enjoy our last bit of time here before we move to VA in August. I've decided I need to make a list of things I want to see (and photograph) before we go. I think that will help me close the chapter on our time here, and help me hold onto the good memories.

Our new house being built in Chesapeake, VA!! 

*all photos taken with an iphone 4s or ipad*

Valentine Mini Sessions!

Offering some lovely mini sessions in February at the beautiful Love Life Images Studio in Savage Mill. 

Space is limited so book soon. Saturday, February 2nd!

January

Hello friends, it's been a while. It's mid January and again I have no idea how to play catch up with my life in blog land. So, I'll start with the news that is most pressing: Chris matched on December 13th. He matched Orthopedic Surgery in Portsmouth, Va. Even as I write that it's still a little unreal, 4 years in the making and lots of dreaming hoping and praying waiting for the results. We were a little shocked by the news, when we moved here the plan was to head west after med school for residency. Chris really wanted to go to San Diego and complete his residency with his brother who will be one year ahead of him in the ortho program. We talked about and looked forward to the time when we'd be closer to more of my family and enjoy California living. So when the day came for our big news Chris called me around 6:45 in the morning, the conversation went something like this:

Chris: Hi Honey, I have my email with the match, what do you want to me to do, read it now or wait until I get home in a few hours and we can open it together? (pause from me) Me: open it now. So he read: "Orthopedic Surgery Portsmouth Virginia."

My heart at that moment leapt in happiness and also sank in sadness. I remember the tone of his voice, almost disbelief! He wanted Ortho so much, but he wanted to go to San Diego just as badly. I was in shock, and sad he didn't get exactly what he wanted. Unfortunately he was in a common room when he checked his email that morning so he didn't have the freedom to talk or (cry) as I thought he needed to, so he waited until he came home that morning to vent and talk.

Here we are a little over a month later, and I think he's happy: he got the specialty he wanted, and I am relieved to say the least that we have our path. In my heart I kind of knew that San Diego may not happen. These last few months when I would try and envision myself in San Diego things always got in the way, like it just wasn't clear, and I felt unsettled. I also knew that we couldn't stay here in Maryland- Chris felt like the program here would not be the best place for him, and so the great compromise is that we are moving again, but to Virginia. It's crazy. Heavenly Father is putting us where he wants us to be, and it's going to be a fun new adventure. We are starting to look for homes, and schools and gyms and dances studios and it's exciting but also scary. We know lots of people out in the area from our aviation days but I am so sad to leave our dear friends here. Luckily we are only about a 4 hour drive from Columbia and the temple so I feel we will be making a few trips back here, which makes my heart happy.

The kids are doing well. Ellie is probably taking the news the hardest, she is sad to leave her friends and our amazing dance studio. But we will find a good place for her. Our other big news over the holiday is that Ellie was baptized! What a wonderful sweet spiritual day we had together. Both sets of Grandparents came out for the event and it was truly one of the best days of my life! My sweet little Ellie was so excited to be baptized, and knew why she was making the decision, she wanted to be a member of Christ's church, and follow his example. She is my little light, I really love her.

Ellie and her Daddy. Such a wonderful day.

Both sets of grandparents, my sweet Sister Anna, Andy, Teresa and their kids.

Sophia wants to start swimming again, so we are looking into swim teams down in Virginia. She's enjoying school and is learning a ton. She is full of life and spunk. She is turning into quite the girl. She also loves her dance team and is enjoying her own routine.

Gradon is talking up a storm and still loves trains cars and anything with wheels. Me? I'm trying to wrap my mind around selling a house and being an east coaster for another 5 years. I'm working a lot and enjoying my calling at church. I've made some goals for my new year and so far things are going well. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself, and work smarter and not harder. I am trying to be more positive and accept myself in the 'now'.

We had a great holiday with lots of family in town. My sister also came out for the baptism and it was fun taking her to see lots of fun sites in the DC area. My kids loved having their grandparents here, we played lots of games and enjoyed their company. One of the days I worked Chris and Andy took the grandparents to the B&O railroad museum. Everyone had fun. They also visited Edgar Allen Poe's grave, but took no pictures. I was bummed to have missed out on that trip.

Gradon, Kalina, Ellie and Sophia at the B&O railroad museum.

Sophia and Grandpa

Christmas was great. My birthday was quiet this year, it was on a Sunday this year so we ate a nice dinner at home. I was able to finally make it to NYC with some friends a few days before my birthday, it was a fun trip!( I'll post some photos from that trip in another post) I hope I get to go back soon. New Year's Eve I had a fever and was in bed early. I usually crash like this at the end of the year, I just wear myself out! So no big party plans or fun things to report that night.

So, here we go, 5 months away from Chris' graduation and six months away from a move and the end of the school year. I'm very grateful for where we are headed. I've got a lot of work to do between now and then. I'm going to try not be overwhelmed and take one day at a time.