Half way through

Give or take a day, Roger is half way done with his residency here at Bragg. While I have a hard time believing that is true, all I have to do is look at my friends Tina's daughter, Kali. She was born shortly after we all arrived here in NC and now is running everywhere. Since we are half way through, I thought I'd do a year and a half review of our time here in North Carolina. A lot has happened since we moved here in June of 2008. Shortly after we moved here we put our beloved dog, Ty, to sleep. She had been with us for 11 years, so the loss was a hard one. Since we had not wanted to move to NC, I took it as an omen. I am thankful to say it was not. While our time here has not been perfect, we have managed to learn and grow here.

We have the best neighbors. Everyone is friendly and we always have someone to watch Hershey. And Jena has a friend just 2 doors down to play with. And we love our neighborhood. We hear so many people here say they don't like their neighborhood, but we love ours. For the most part, it is quiet. It has biking/walking lanes on the streets and we always see people walking.

We didn't know a lot about the program when we got here, but it has worked out well for Roger. He feels like he has learned a lot, and his residency class has been a good one. His intern year was a good one and we couldn't imagine him working with other people. I would say he has found many true friends, including his office and team mate, Jason. The two have way too much fun on call. Being back in the Army has been an adjustment for everyone, but the friends we have made through Womack have made it easier. I have made many friends through Womack as well. The families of the other doctors have been great in helping us adjust to our time here. I could have not made it through my first summer here without Karen and Tina. They are both such good friends. And I have found a kindred spirit in fellow mid-westerner Carol. Her son, Russell is one of Jena's best friends.

Many people have asked us if Fayetteville and Ft Bragg live up to their reputation. I have to say yes, it is a true military town. The size reminds us of Augusta 12 years ago when we moved there and the military presence reminds us of when we lived at Ft Hood. I find myself surprised to meet people who aren't in the military. It is a little on the small side, which makes shopping hard sometimes. But we are learning where to find all the good deals. It is hard too, we still miss Panera and The Fresh Market. We were sad this summer to see our new home make the national news again for a new killing spree that brought to mind the one in 2002. This time all the women were military members, all killed by another military member they were romantically involved with. It was especially hard when one was, Holley, a nurse that Roger knew from work. If life had been different I would have met her when I had Lily as that was the floor Holley worked on. My nurse after I delivered Lily had been one of her friends.

Our first fall here was very busy with Roger working and me taking a class a NC State and fixing up the house. Right after Halloween, we found out we would become a family of four. That made for a very exciting first year as we prepared for the arrival of Lily. Jena also started at her preschool. At her preschool she has grown and made friends. She learned about colors and sharing. There we also found our good friends the Nelsons. Caden, Piper and Quinn are Jena's closest friends and their mom, Rebecca is like the big sister I always wanted. I can't imagine this last year and a half without them.

In the spring we got our dog, Hershey. She has been a great addition to our family and both the girls love her. I call her the stalker, since she follows me around most and is always under my feet. Not fun when you are pregnant. We continued to get the house ready and make plans for the summer, the baby and after. We did not plan on the sudden loss of Roger's father at the end of May. We went to Valdosta to see him in intensive care with the plan to help him transition home and arrange for long term care if needed. We ended up planning a funeral in two cities, both far from home. I remember being angry at the Army for moving us from Augusta. It all would have been easier if when we had returned to Augusta to bury him, we also were returning home. We will be forever grateful to Roger's aunts and uncles for helping us through this difficult time. We are also grateful to the residency for all the support it gave up through this time. Especially to Col Lammie and Capt Braun for driving to Augusta for the funeral and to everyone who sent their support with cards, emails and phone calls.

Ft Bragg will always hold a place in our hearts as it is where Lily was born. She joined our family just over a year after the move and we changed to a family of four. This whole time has been about change. Adjusting to a new state and a new life. Roger going from Med student to intern to resident. And now here we are half way though. Can't wait to see how the other half turns out.