Match Day

The much anticipated Match Day has come at last. Thanks to Facebook and Instagram, this won't come as an announcement to anybody, but I still want to document this big day in our life journey. Just to recap leading up to this event and to remember the process in 15 years when I look back on this: Justin spent the fall going on interviews to all the different programs he applied to. Then, we discussed back and forth a thousand times in January and February and finally submitted our Rank List at the end of February. All the programs also submit a rank list of the candidates they interviewed. Then we waited some more until March 18-Match Day. Basically a computer system goes through all the lists and matches you up according to how you ranked the programs and how they ranked you. On Monday we got an e-mail telling us that we did in fact match to a residency program. We weren't really worried about not matching, due to the field Justin chose and that we had some solid backup programs on the list, but it was still nice to get that e-mail confirming we had a spot.

 Friday morning was a blustery cold day and we shipped our kids off to three different places. Matthew went to play with Gwen, Koyle went to the Amarillo Zoo with the Carlsons, and Landon went to get babysat by the Bassetts. We were to the school by 9:30. It was fun to sit with all the LDS couples that we have done so much with the past four years. After a couple speeches they started the long drawn out process of handing out the letters. They had all the names in a bowl and they drew them out at random. Everyone was supposed to put money into a big jar as they went across the stage and the persons whose name was drawn last got the pot of money. We were really hoping to win. Brittany was definitely the most anxious and she did not want to get her letter at the beginning only to have to stare at it for the next hour. We all laughed pretty hard when Brad was the third name chosen.

  The rest of us made it pretty far down the list before we got called. The Farmers almost won; they were third to last. Bummer. I was glad we didn't have to wait until the end though because I really needed to use the bathroom and they took an hour reading off the names so the last person would get his right as it was time to open. Finally it was 11 o'clock and we were allowed to open those special red envelopes. Again, we weren't too nervous about it, more just excited to finally know where we would be going. Can you see in the picture I wore my Idaho necklace for good luck?

We feel so blessed to have gotten our number #1 choice, Pocatello, Idaho. We have so much family around there, it was definitely the program Justin liked the best and that will best prepare him for what he wants to do with his career, including OB so he shouldn't have to do a fellowship. It was so fun to hear the shouts and cheers that erupted all around the room, and especially from the ones at our table.

 The Whitings (above) got their top choice in OB at Redding, Pennyslvania. The Clarks are doing their transitional year in Fort Worth, TX and then Residency in Interventional Radiology in St. Louis, MO. Pavin matched to the same program as Brad which was very exciting! The Farmers are doing Pediatrics in Phoenix, AZ. And the Hansons (below) needed a few minutes to digest their news as it was a little lower on their list but they were happy to match in Radiology Oncology in Philedelphia.

 Lubbock brought us all together, and now it is sending us all across the country on new adventures. Hopefully we will get to see these wonderful folks again as the years pass by.

 Markie, me, Brittany C., Brittany D., Kristin, Alexa

 Adam, Justin, Brad, Chase, Michael, Jeremy

 We were the only pin in Idaho, not surprising there. Even though our friends are going off to more adventurous locations, our dreams of going home again are coming true. After much celebrating and mingling, we had lunch and they did a little awards ceremony. It was a fun morning which kicked off the craziness of making a whole bunch of big decisions, like to buy a house or not, for how much, what part of town...and the list could go on. But it's an exciting crazy and it means good things are happening. And I feel like this picture makes me look super fat...so to my future self-remember you are 21 weeks pregnant in this picture. : )