And the winner is.....

DENVER!



Dave matched with the Emergency Medicine Residency Program through Denver Health!!!!! We will be in Denver for 4 more years!!! We are pumped!!!

We Matched!

We matched. I don't know where yet, but we matched with an EM Residency. Of course, I thought we would, but there was still a level of insecurity due to this past years experience. You can never be sure. But we got the email today that said we matched! I feel much better. On Friday we will be celebrating. No matter where we go, Dave and I will be where God wants us to be. I am so happy and relieved we got the reassurance and now we get to find out Friday at 11ish where we will be!

Snowshoe for love...

Valentine's Day is just round the corner, so Dave and I went snowshoeing on Saturday to celebrate. We enjoyed a few hours of snowshoeing (which feels like hiking, but in the snow) at Henderson Mine which is near Empire. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! The weather was glorious, approximately 35 degrees and sunny. The snow was fresh and the views were amazing. It was great to spend time together, even though we were both pretty worn out from the week. We capped the day off with a beer from Denver Beer Company as well as Great Divide Brewery, which was our old stopping ground before Rockies games. It was great to reminisce and anticipate the upcoming baseball season.







Happy Valentine's Day Dave! I love you! I am proud of your hard work and I am thankful for the time we had together!

A few random thoughts...

I had this past week off. Let's call it calm before the storm. I had a week to organize, relax, prepare, read, stalk people on FB, and mentally get ready to see Dave even less than I do now. I did some awesome things like sewing two pillows, washing the car, checking the alignment of the car (not me, but I took it to the place), starched/ironed a bunch of shirts, went running each day, snuggled with Asher, cooked meals, cleaned the crap out of our apartment (bleach included), and studied ventilators for my upcoming ICU rotation. I was busy most every day and I feel ready to face the next 10 weeks. It will be difficult but I am rejuvenated after a week off.



As for my random thoughts:

-"Stronger" by Kanye West is still my top favorite running song. I prefer it to be on repeat so I can hear it over and over again..."Now that don't kill me, can only make me stronger..."

-Positive thinking is vital to surviving life. Changing your mindset is a powerful tool.

-Curve balls in life are often thrown by God. He knows and He heals. I laugh every time I think about last December when Dave and I were heart broken about the AF and Residency drama. But now, I know it was because God knew we were not ready, or knew for some other reason, we needed to wait. Dave is doing great this year and in March we should know where Dave starts his Emergency Medicine Residency. Pray. Wait. And know He is in control.

-I have the most beautiful nieces and I can't wait to meet another one in June!

-I am obsessed with our cat, Asher (ha, ha, ha, I even put a picture up with this post). She plays catch, responds to her name, snuggles, challenges the vacuum, makes me smile, jumps in small boxes, and loves bacon:)

-Dave and I have been married for 4.5 years. Wow, just wow. I still love him dearly and I can't imagine my life without him.
We make an awesome team! I love you Dave!

What month is it?

I can't remember what today's date is, or what month I am in... scary, I know, but keep reading. Today I went for a run in a t-shirt and shorts, A T-SHIRT AND SHORTS! It was sunny and warm (approximately 60 degrees) outside. The air was clean, fresh, and it invited me to run harder. It was a great run, very invigorating (once I caught my breath). Once I got home, I decided I needed to get some more wind blowing through my hair, so I fired up the scooter for a ride to Cherry Creek. I ran a few errands around CC, then I rode to the grocery store to pick up a few essentials for dinner. I wore a sweatshirt, thinking I would get chilly riding at 30 MPH. Nope, sure didn't get chilly. I took it off and rode in a short sleeve tee. Wow! Just WOW. I also opened the sliding glass doors to allow fresh air in the apartment. Asher hung out on the deck, sunning herself and enjoying the weather. It was THAT warm outside. Confusing, huh. January 21st, 2012, and Denver, CO, was: 60 degrees, sunny, and a simply glorious day to be outside running or scooting:) A year ago, we were recovering from about 10 in of snow. Things that make you say, hmmm.

Oh how I just love Colorado weather. Praise God for wonderful weather and time off to be outside!

And on another note: I finished Term 4 (out of 7) 10-week Terms for Respiratory Therapy school. I will be doing clinicals in the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs in February and March. I am excited to continue to learn and I get to spend time with my family in Colo Spgs! I finish school in August 2012! Not too far away!

Christmas Eve Fun 2011

The Gilmore's hosted Christmas Eve this year, and it was a wonderful party! Delicious food (most importantly shrimp cocktail and meatball subs), wonderful family (the Gilmore's, the Hagiwara's minus Michael, the Ghiazza's, & the Otten's), great friends (Amy joined us), hilarious doggies (the 3 Gilmore pups) and Justin Bieber's Christmas album! Yes, a few of us may have rocked out to Under the Mistletoe by JB. It was awesome. You know what else was awesome? Dave got off in time to eat and join in on the Biebs dance. I also caught a pic of Dad being the first one to the dinner table and Kali joining him right away. This was a very joyous Christmas and I am thankful for family and friends.


Dad got an orange hat to match his orange socks:)

I love me some KALI!

Kali and Dad chowing down:)

Baby Hagiwara!

Top 10 Blessings for 2011

In no particular order Dave and I thought about our top 10 blessings from the year, which was actually quite hard to do.

-My South Korean Trip: wonderful time spent with family, especially Carlie and the newest Tessa! This was a unique opportunity and I am very blessed to have been able to go there for 12 days.

-Dave graduating medical school, becoming a wonderful doctor that takes time to teach, show empathy and laugh a little, surviving Intern year while interviewing, getting a civilian deferment, and still having time for family

-Finding something I think I will really enjoy and having the opportunity to go back to school (Respiratory Therapy)

-Our health, along with the health and love of our family and friends

-Travel: Hawaii, western CO, St Louis, Uganda (Dave), Arizona (Dave), South Korea (Gwen)... We are blessed to be able to do the things we love and visit the people we love.

-Family. This year I feel closest to our families and grateful to be close to most of them. I am thankful for my growing number of nieces and can't wait to spend more time with them.

-Asher- I feel like our little kitty always knows when we need a snuggle or a laugh. She is the sweetest thing and we are blessed to have her in our lives.

-Learning to live each day as it comes. It is hard to not count down the hours until your next shift, or count the hours away. We have tried to live in the moment as much as possible. We are trying to appreciate each other, time together, and time apart.

-A warm apartment, with plenty to eat and working vehicles.

-A loving Savior that actively pursues a relationship with us and is watching over us. We can trust that everything that happens in our lives is in His hands and in His plans, and even though we might not always recognize it at the time, He is guiding our lives on a daily basis.

That sums up 2011 in a nutshell.



Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!

With Love,
Dave and Gwen