We have been busy down here in Texas! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I am SO excited because my family is coming down for a week! :)
I started working at Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, down town San Antonio at the end of September. I am learning so much and loving it! I work 3 12 hour shifts, which make for long days, but its nice to be off 4 days a week and I love the kids I work with and my co-workers. The unit is called Special Medicine and we get children from birth to 18 years. We specialize in children with Cystic Fibrosis and kids who need rehab because of surgery, traumatic brain injury or any other reason. Because of the nature of these situations, some of the kids are with us for weeks, even months at a time.
Andrew's parents came down in October and it was so nice to have visitors again. It was fun to show them where we live, work and where we go for fun.
Andrew has been on an easier rotation this month so he is working "clinic hours" which means Monday-Friday 7-4. We feel like normal people! :) He has been working on projects around the house and we have been able to spend more time together. We went to the Randolph Air Force Base Air Show a few weeks ago with some friends, and it was so neat! He goes back to a more busy schedule at the end of the week, but we are thankful that he gets breaks in between the really rough rotations.
We find out in December if we are staying here in Texas or if we are moving again. We are anxious to find out what is next, but are trusting God that just as He went before us with the move to Texas, He will go before us again wherever we end up. I must say, I am liking the Texas much more now as our highs have been mostly in the 70's and 80's lately! :)
I have been involved in a women's bible study at church this semester that I am getting so much out of and really enjoy. Our small group has been doing a marriage study that has been really good to too.
I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting but just wanted to send out a quick update.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
What's new with the Bloom's
Things have been going really well down in Texas. Andrew is doing his ER rotation at the hospital and is really enjoying it. He is also working a little less hours than previous rotations so he is getting a little bit more rest and I love having him home more!
My parents and their new Beagle mix, Kenzie came to visit a few weeks ago. It was so good to meet the new dog and to spend time with them. Andrew had to work most of the time but he was able to do some things with us. We took them to a few new restaurants, went to the riverwalk (of course) and went tubing down the river. It was such a good time and it was so nice to have family here again ... I was starting to get homesick!
I accepted a nursing job last week! It is at a children's hospital downtown San Antonio on a long term stay unit. The kids are typically there for weeks at a time (at least). I think it will be a good fit for me. I start at the end of the month and will be working 3 days a week. My fall women's bible study is starting back up again this week and our life group is kicking off a new study. I have been going to a lot of social activities with the BAMC auxiliary I joined and am looking forward to some volunteer opportunities.
This past weekend we went to Andrew's hometown, Coal Valley IL for our friends, Ben and Mallory's wedding. We were only there for the weekend but it was so good to see friends and family. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time catching up with a lot of Andrew's childhood friends. Marley did great at the Pet Resort ... it was his 2nd time there and they called us and said that he was great and a good candidate for doggie daycare. They said he loved playing with the other dogs. So we may have him go there once a week when I'm at work. I know, doggie daycare I'm crazy! :)
That's pretty much our story for the last few weeks ... I am jealous of the cooler weather everyone is getting up north! Enjoy!
Kristin
My parents and their new Beagle mix, Kenzie came to visit a few weeks ago. It was so good to meet the new dog and to spend time with them. Andrew had to work most of the time but he was able to do some things with us. We took them to a few new restaurants, went to the riverwalk (of course) and went tubing down the river. It was such a good time and it was so nice to have family here again ... I was starting to get homesick!
I accepted a nursing job last week! It is at a children's hospital downtown San Antonio on a long term stay unit. The kids are typically there for weeks at a time (at least). I think it will be a good fit for me. I start at the end of the month and will be working 3 days a week. My fall women's bible study is starting back up again this week and our life group is kicking off a new study. I have been going to a lot of social activities with the BAMC auxiliary I joined and am looking forward to some volunteer opportunities.
This past weekend we went to Andrew's hometown, Coal Valley IL for our friends, Ben and Mallory's wedding. We were only there for the weekend but it was so good to see friends and family. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time catching up with a lot of Andrew's childhood friends. Marley did great at the Pet Resort ... it was his 2nd time there and they called us and said that he was great and a good candidate for doggie daycare. They said he loved playing with the other dogs. So we may have him go there once a week when I'm at work. I know, doggie daycare I'm crazy! :)
That's pretty much our story for the last few weeks ... I am jealous of the cooler weather everyone is getting up north! Enjoy!
Kristin
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Texas ...
Wow. I haven't written in so long!!! We have definitely been busy since moving here. Andrew has one rotation under his belt and he has been really busy working at the hospital. He is just amazing, I have been so proud of how he has handled the long hours but still comes home and makes time for us. I got to play nurse this past week when he got all 4 wisdom teeth taken out. The surgery went fine but he had a lot of post op pain and ended up getting dry sockets in all 4. He had the surgery Friday and was back to work on Monday. He has been such a trooper even though he isn't fully back to normal yet.
I started applying for part time nursing jobs and in the mean time have been finding things to fill my time. We found an awesome church right when we moved here so we have been able to meet some great people. We have gotten plugged in through a small group that we love and I went to a Summer Bible Study for military wives that wrapped up last week. This past weekend I went to a spouse orientation for the Brooke Army Medical Center auxillary and got to take an official tour of the hospital and the rehab center. We also got to see the Fisher House and Wounded Warrior family community center. These are meant to house and serve family of men and women who have come home from the war seriously wounded who need extended care at the hospital and rehab centers (primarily soldiers with serious burns and amputees). I was so inspired by what goes on there and am excited to get involved by volunteering. The stories of these soldiers and their families are amazing. Its something that a lot of people don't get to see and I wish people knew more about.
We have also had a few visitors since moving here which has been great. My mom and dad came right after we moved in to help us get settled and paint. We were able to take them to some of the touristy spots here too so we had a great time and we really appreciated their help! One of my best friends Michelle came and visited us over the 4th of July. We had an awesome time with her before she headed to Alaska for the school year to teach. We are so proud of her and are excited to hear about her adventures this year! A few days after Michelle left, my brother, sister and Cordell were here for a week! We went to all sort of restaurants, SeaWorld, the riverwalk and tubing down the river (twice!) The second time we all got extremely sunburned despite wearing sunscreen ... it was very strange and very painful!
We are really starting to feel like this is home, but we also miss everyone up north!
I started applying for part time nursing jobs and in the mean time have been finding things to fill my time. We found an awesome church right when we moved here so we have been able to meet some great people. We have gotten plugged in through a small group that we love and I went to a Summer Bible Study for military wives that wrapped up last week. This past weekend I went to a spouse orientation for the Brooke Army Medical Center auxillary and got to take an official tour of the hospital and the rehab center. We also got to see the Fisher House and Wounded Warrior family community center. These are meant to house and serve family of men and women who have come home from the war seriously wounded who need extended care at the hospital and rehab centers (primarily soldiers with serious burns and amputees). I was so inspired by what goes on there and am excited to get involved by volunteering. The stories of these soldiers and their families are amazing. Its something that a lot of people don't get to see and I wish people knew more about.
We have also had a few visitors since moving here which has been great. My mom and dad came right after we moved in to help us get settled and paint. We were able to take them to some of the touristy spots here too so we had a great time and we really appreciated their help! One of my best friends Michelle came and visited us over the 4th of July. We had an awesome time with her before she headed to Alaska for the school year to teach. We are so proud of her and are excited to hear about her adventures this year! A few days after Michelle left, my brother, sister and Cordell were here for a week! We went to all sort of restaurants, SeaWorld, the riverwalk and tubing down the river (twice!) The second time we all got extremely sunburned despite wearing sunscreen ... it was very strange and very painful!
We are really starting to feel like this is home, but we also miss everyone up north!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Lately ...
We have had a busy week since Andrew's graduation. We took a break from cleaning the apartment and organizing our things for the movers and met Andrew's brother Adam and his fiance Cori in Bloomington. Adam's work site is there and he was able to show us around which was really neat! (Cori and I did not have the best foot wear for walking in a construction zone ... she did it in heels!) After that we headed to a really good Indian restaurant that Andrew and I had been to with some of his classmates. It was so good to see them ... crazy to think the next time we will see them is on their wedding day!
I am so grateful that we had professional movers or it would have been a truly crazy week! It was strange sitting around (watching Cake Boss) while the guys packed up all of our things one day and came and packed up the moving truck the next. Andrew isn't great at sitting around so he spent most of the day talking with the guys and scoping out how they were packing our stuff :) They really did a great job!
We are at Andrew's parents this weekend. We thought it wouldn't be much fun sitting in an apartment with nothing in it so we decided to come see friends and family here before we head to Texas. It has been so nice and we have been eating like kings! Andrew's dad cooked enormous steaks for us on Friday night and we had BOTH meals yesterday with our good friends Nick and Melanie - It was great to spend so much time with them! We also met with Rich and Susie Kraft - Rich married Andrew and I and did our pre-marital counseling. He wanted to do a follow up with us before we headed down to Texas. It was a great time of counsel and reflection over this last year and how Andrew and I have grown as a couple. We even got to visit with Luke and Meghan (their daughter and son in law) for awhile! I feel so blessed to have the friends that we have. It's been a great weekend!
I am so grateful that we had professional movers or it would have been a truly crazy week! It was strange sitting around (watching Cake Boss) while the guys packed up all of our things one day and came and packed up the moving truck the next. Andrew isn't great at sitting around so he spent most of the day talking with the guys and scoping out how they were packing our stuff :) They really did a great job!
We are at Andrew's parents this weekend. We thought it wouldn't be much fun sitting in an apartment with nothing in it so we decided to come see friends and family here before we head to Texas. It has been so nice and we have been eating like kings! Andrew's dad cooked enormous steaks for us on Friday night and we had BOTH meals yesterday with our good friends Nick and Melanie - It was great to spend so much time with them! We also met with Rich and Susie Kraft - Rich married Andrew and I and did our pre-marital counseling. He wanted to do a follow up with us before we headed down to Texas. It was a great time of counsel and reflection over this last year and how Andrew and I have grown as a couple. We even got to visit with Luke and Meghan (their daughter and son in law) for awhile! I feel so blessed to have the friends that we have. It's been a great weekend!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Andrew's Graduation
Wow ... what a weekend! After all of his hard work and dedication, Andrew is officially a doctor! I am so proud of him! We had both of our families here this weekend and I had so much fun cooking, baking and getting to use all of our wedding gifts (that are going to be packed up here pretty soon!) It was really nice to have everyone here - I don't get to play hostess too often because we are usually the ones traveling on the weekends to see our friends and family. Marley loved having all of his favorite people over at the same time, but he is completely wiped out! It is so funny to watch him try so hard to keep his eyes open :)
Now we are just trying to relax and rest up for the week ahead - it will be busy with packing up the apartment (with the help of the movers the army provided ... hooray!) and tying up loose ends here in Springfield. It is hard to believe that moving week is here. I was telling Andrew the other day that it is finally starting to hit me how much I'm going to miss Springfield. I was driving home from the hospital after cleaning out my locker and saying goodbye to some co-workers and I realized how many memories Andrew and I have here. I remember all of the trips we took back and forth between my college (IWU) and Springfield so we could see each other while we were dating ... pretty much every weekend despite the fact that we were in nursing and medical school! :) And our first apartment together is here along with my first big kid job and obviously where Andrew has been going to school for the last three years. I will really miss Springfield, but I'm so excited for new memories in San Antonio!
Now we are just trying to relax and rest up for the week ahead - it will be busy with packing up the apartment (with the help of the movers the army provided ... hooray!) and tying up loose ends here in Springfield. It is hard to believe that moving week is here. I was telling Andrew the other day that it is finally starting to hit me how much I'm going to miss Springfield. I was driving home from the hospital after cleaning out my locker and saying goodbye to some co-workers and I realized how many memories Andrew and I have here. I remember all of the trips we took back and forth between my college (IWU) and Springfield so we could see each other while we were dating ... pretty much every weekend despite the fact that we were in nursing and medical school! :) And our first apartment together is here along with my first big kid job and obviously where Andrew has been going to school for the last three years. I will really miss Springfield, but I'm so excited for new memories in San Antonio!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Family Time
We had a great long weekend at home with my family. Andrew and my dad replaced my parent's old wood deck with new composite decking. The project only took them about 2 days ... I was very impressed. It was a good excuse to come into town and get to see some of my extended family and friends. Andrew loved the excuse to use all of his tools and not think about medical school for awhile :)
I think the best part of the weekend was that all of the Sheehan kids were home for mother's day. We had a nice day at home and us kids cleaned the house and made dinner - it was fun to have everyone all together.
Andrew graduates in two weeks! Luckily, these last few weeks are pretty easy for him and he has a light schedule -we are enjoying the down time!
Well, back to watching Date Night - love this movie!!!
I think the best part of the weekend was that all of the Sheehan kids were home for mother's day. We had a nice day at home and us kids cleaned the house and made dinner - it was fun to have everyone all together.
Andrew graduates in two weeks! Luckily, these last few weeks are pretty easy for him and he has a light schedule -we are enjoying the down time!
Well, back to watching Date Night - love this movie!!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Time in Texas
Well ... we found a house! We spent a long weekend in San Antonio exploring and looking for a house to rent and we just got approval this morning!! We are so grateful ... the rental market in San Antonio is crazy. We had 10 potential houses on our list that dwindled to 0 by the time we got into town. The real estate agent we were working with found some other places and we found one that we both liked and suites are needs. I have to admit I was freaking out and of course Andrew was completely calm. :)
Once again, God came through in a huge way for us and we are so excited to have a HOUSE!! I don't think we will know what to do with all of the space. There is plenty of room for visitors and a good sized yard for Marley.
We had a great time relaxing and exploring San Antonio. There is a ton to do and it wasn't too hot while we were there - although 60 felt like winter when we came home. We visited a church that friends of ours who used to live in San Antonio went to. We loved it! The pastor was great and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Most importantly they preach what the Bible says. We met some really nice people and I am really excited to get more involved there once we move.
Reflecting on the weekend, the whole situation is definitely bittersweet, but I know God will continue to provide for us. I feel blessed to be married to the man that I'm married to and I am so proud of him for all the work he has done and his commitment to help others - especially his commitment to take care of men and women who are fighting for our country. I'm not really sure how to be an army wife or a doctor's wife for that matter but I'm sure God will show me as we start this journey. I can't believe how helpful the army is ... we have gotten multiple phone calls from people about helping us with our move and getting us settled in. I'm excited to be a part of that kind of community.
Well that's all I have for today ... I'm trying to follow this war movie Andrew is watching - not going too well :)
I will post some pictures of the new house soon!
Once again, God came through in a huge way for us and we are so excited to have a HOUSE!! I don't think we will know what to do with all of the space. There is plenty of room for visitors and a good sized yard for Marley.
We had a great time relaxing and exploring San Antonio. There is a ton to do and it wasn't too hot while we were there - although 60 felt like winter when we came home. We visited a church that friends of ours who used to live in San Antonio went to. We loved it! The pastor was great and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Most importantly they preach what the Bible says. We met some really nice people and I am really excited to get more involved there once we move.
Reflecting on the weekend, the whole situation is definitely bittersweet, but I know God will continue to provide for us. I feel blessed to be married to the man that I'm married to and I am so proud of him for all the work he has done and his commitment to help others - especially his commitment to take care of men and women who are fighting for our country. I'm not really sure how to be an army wife or a doctor's wife for that matter but I'm sure God will show me as we start this journey. I can't believe how helpful the army is ... we have gotten multiple phone calls from people about helping us with our move and getting us settled in. I'm excited to be a part of that kind of community.
Well that's all I have for today ... I'm trying to follow this war movie Andrew is watching - not going too well :)
I will post some pictures of the new house soon!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Transitions...
As Andrew and I are getting ready to start the next chapter in our lives, I have decided to take up blogging ... we will see how this goes. I have been worried about keeping in contact with people when we will be so far away from friends and family. Hopefully this will be a way for people to keep track of us and for us to share what God is doing in our lives.
I can hardly believe that we have been married a year ... it has been wonderful. I think I can safely say that both Andrew and I have learned so much about ourselves and each other. The hardest part of the year was most definitely when Andrew did away rotations at army bases for 2 months, but we got through it and I appreciate Andrew being around that much more! He has about a month left of medical school! I couldn't be more proud of all he has done and been through. After graduation we are headed to San Antonio, TX (yeehaw!) where Andrew will start residency at the medical center on base at Fort Sam Houston. We are currently looking for houses to rent and we are hoping to have found something by next week!
For now, we are getting ready for the move and enjoying time with each other before Andrew becomes an intern. (80 hour weeks, being on call and working as a real doctor) We are excited for what San Antonio will bring but we are trying to soak in our friends and family in the midwest before we go!
We had a great Easter in Peoria with the Bloom's and Pauli's. It was so good to see everyone and especially the soon to be newly weds, Adam and Cori Bloom! I am so excited for Cori to officially become a part of the family - we are looking forward to June 18th!
Well ... dancing with the stars is on :) We will try to keep everyone posted with the upcoming move!
I can hardly believe that we have been married a year ... it has been wonderful. I think I can safely say that both Andrew and I have learned so much about ourselves and each other. The hardest part of the year was most definitely when Andrew did away rotations at army bases for 2 months, but we got through it and I appreciate Andrew being around that much more! He has about a month left of medical school! I couldn't be more proud of all he has done and been through. After graduation we are headed to San Antonio, TX (yeehaw!) where Andrew will start residency at the medical center on base at Fort Sam Houston. We are currently looking for houses to rent and we are hoping to have found something by next week!
For now, we are getting ready for the move and enjoying time with each other before Andrew becomes an intern. (80 hour weeks, being on call and working as a real doctor) We are excited for what San Antonio will bring but we are trying to soak in our friends and family in the midwest before we go!
We had a great Easter in Peoria with the Bloom's and Pauli's. It was so good to see everyone and especially the soon to be newly weds, Adam and Cori Bloom! I am so excited for Cori to officially become a part of the family - we are looking forward to June 18th!
Well ... dancing with the stars is on :) We will try to keep everyone posted with the upcoming move!
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