John Charles Peterson
It’s official, our lives will never be the same! John Charles Peterson entered the world at 5:57pm on Thursday, May 7, 2009. He checked in at 10 lbs, 6 oz, 21 inches long - it has definitely been discussed that Liz gave birth to a 2 month old child. Liz and I are adjusting to life with a newborn and wondering how it is possible to love a little baby so much when all HE has done so far is eat, sleep, cry, and poop. We definitely have our work cut out for us with my medical school graduation next weekend, our cross-country move in 2 weeks, and the start of my residency next month back in St. Paul, MN. In spite of the stress, we feel incredibly blessed and are so thankful for our friends and family who have supported us, brought food, and sent encouraging texts and emails.
Our little man is named after his grandparents, John Peterson and Charles Hutson, and for now likes to go by the nickname J.C. Check out his photo gallery for all of the official pictures! We had quite the experience bringing him into the world, and as it is a relatively lengthy tale we will share it here to minimize any left out details in case you otherwise hear it second-hand.
Harvest
As our time in California draws to an end, we are realizing just how much we feel at home here after 4 years. Medical school aside, we have been blessed by so many friends through our involvement at our church, Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA. Although it is a mega-church, we have realized that the size of the church doesn’t matter. Through our leadership involvement with the married couples’ small groups ministry and the music ministry, we have met so many people who we consider close friends. For Liz this has been a huge support to have friendships outside of Loma Linda, and for me I have been so blessed to have had numerous opportunities to lead worship and play my guitar with some amazing professional-level musicians. This has strengthened my passion for music and I hope to continue this throughout residency and beyond, especially given my career choice as an emergency medicine physician. We will definitely miss our friends at Harvest and the many opportunities that we have had to serve!
The Match
Sadly, my entire life’s work (including the last 3 and a half years of medical school) has been focused on a single day and a single event: The Match. Fortunately this day is now behind us, and I can enjoy the last 2 months of medical school solely for the purpose of learning the art of medicine.
After a lengthy application and interview process, Liz and I were pleased to discover that we will be spending the next 3 years back in St. Paul, MN, where I will be completing my medical training in emergency medicine at Regions Hospital. I’m excited in part because I used to work as an ER tech at Regions, so this will be a return to where it all began for me. After the Match ceremony, my class sponsored a party at K1 high-speed indoor karts in Ontario where we spent the afternoon tearing up the indoor tracks and playing Rock Band. 
Our Canine Daughter
We added a new member to our family last September, but have been busy travelling and haven’t been keeping up on the postings. Samie came to us from Beagles ‘n Buddies, a non-profit no-kill rescue shelter in El Monte, CA. She had actually been surrendered by her previous owner only an hour before we arrived so fortunately she didn’t have to stay at the shelter for very long. She was the first dog we saw when we walked in, and that was that! She is full of love for us and her 2 stuffed animal “babies”, and we do our best to keep her fed, watered, and walked. She is very well-behaved and we love her so much!
California Bucket List
It’s true when they say that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. As we ponder our future with my residency and the possibility of moving out of state, we realized that we have not taken full advantage of the opportunities in California. We have been fortunate to explore much of Southern California, which by the way is totally awesome, but there were still a few things we really wanted to do before we leave.
East Coast Adventures
Thanks to the insane residency application process, Liz and I had the chance to travel all over the United States last fall for interviews. In addition to programs in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester, MN, I interviewed at 3 programs in Los Angeles, 2 in Chicago, Georgetown in Washington, DC, U-Mass in Worcester, MA, and U-Conn in Hartford, CT. We ended our East Coast trip with a visit to Chad and Melissa Abby, friends from our original small group in Loma Linda who now live in Providence, RI, and a final stop in New York City for the wedding of Liz’s cousin, Melissa Hutson. Although expensive, we had a great time exploring a part of the country that neither of us have spent much time.
Honoring Chris
Please consider donating to this fund. Christopher Laurie leaves behind a wife (Brittany); a 2 year old daughter (Stella); and an unborn daughter, due in November.
Please read Pastor Greg’s thoughts on the passing of his son. We are encouraged and inspired by his faith in this tragedy.
http://www.harvest.org/chris/memorial-fund/you-choose-dad.html
Love, Bjorn & Liz
A Sad, Sad Week.
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The following is the most encouraging devotion (or encouraging anything, outside of the Bible) that I have ever read. Bjorn and I are beside ourselves this week as we try and sort out a tragedy that has occured within our church family. At some point I’ll probably post more details as to how and why this tragedy hits so personally for us, but for now, this is all that needs to be said.
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By Pastor John Collins:
“Lord, if you had been here . . . ”
These are the words of Mary and Martha at the death of their brother Lazarus in John 11.
There, at that moment in time, when death was cruel and vile and heartless, they stood before what seemed an unbreakable valley of darkness. They wrestled with grief, and the grief was unbearable and unbeatable because grief can never be beaten, only experienced.
And so when Jesus came to them, they said it, “Lord, if . . . ”
They both said it, at different times, but to His face. We get the sense that they most likely had said it among themselves, too.
“Lord, if . . . if you had only done this or that . . . ”
It is the perfectly human response of a heart that is broken because hopes have been dashed and their world shattered. Someone they loved has been taken away. Life as they knew it was now different. They stood on the cliff of that dark valley and peered into the blackness and thought, “Lord, if . . . ”
This morning, as I write this, my pastor and his wife stand on that cliff. They are suffering the loss of their eldest son, who was taken from this earth quickly and tragically Thursday. They are battling the unmerciful giant called grief and, like Mary and Martha and every human soul who has waged that battle, they are losing.
It is painful to watch for the end is not near, and with every merciless blow they cry out, “Lord, if . . . ”
I have been in that ring before, but only as a young man of 16. My father had died of cancer. The last night of his life, I left the hospital with the words, “I’ll be back to watch the World Series game with you tomorrow.”
There was no tomorrow. I had missed those precious last hours with him. And I grieved, “Lord, if I had only stayed with him . . . ”
“Lord, if . . . ” is the cry of every forsaken moment, every unsaid word, every failure to perfectly love the ones we love and now can only remember.
“Lord, if . . . ” is how we ask God, “Why?”, when we know He won’t answer, when we are unsatisfied and frustrated by “seeing through a glass darkly.”
“Lord, if . . . ” echoes in the darkness and, like all echoes, it returns with no answer. The price of life and love is death and separation. As C.S. Lewis once said, “That’s part of the deal.”
So where is Jesus? We ask, “Lord, if I must drink this cup of grief, where are you?” To that, we have an answer in Psalms 139:8–12:
“If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.” (NLT)
For Mary and Martha, the darkness and grief for Lazarus was temporary. Jesus allowed it so that His power over death could be made known at the resurrection of Lazarus.
Jesus was there, orchestrating His plan. Out of the darkness of that tomb came a foreshadowing of his own resurrection, which would give light and hope to all the world now that death was defeated.
Where was Jesus? He was there in the darkness of that tomb. And before raising Lazarus, He was with Mary and Martha, weeping with them!
Where is Jesus? He is forever in the midst of our darkness, in the black caverns of our life. He sees the grieving widow. He sees the grieving father and mother. He sees our pastor and his wife and He visits them in their grief. He knows the pain of the journey.
Isaiah said, “He is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3 NKJV). It is comforting to know that our sorrows are His sorrows and that He knows the aching sense of loss and grief. God never promised to remove our grief, only to give it purpose.
Mary and Martha were united with Jesus in sadness, the grief of loss. And Jesus entered into that grief.
How sweet and comforting to know our God is with us in our moments of desperation. He is the King who bears the full, blunt force of our “Lord, ifs . . . ” and then sits next to us with a loving arm around our shoulder and weeps.
It is in these moments with Jesus that we come to know that the darkness only hides His face. One day, when the darkness is gone, His face will be the light of heaven.
My heart breaks for Greg and Cathe. I have come to know Jesus through Greg’s faithful teaching of the Word of God. I watch and wince at every blow of grief, but I am confident there are blessings in the buffeting and grateful that Jesus is with them.
By John Collins, Administrative Pastor, Harvest Christian Fellowship
3 Years in the Life of a Medical Student
Ok. So it’s been 3 years. The random 1 or 2 people who actually view our (super exciting!) blog may or may not have spoken with us frequently. If you have, you’ve probably heard us complain about something that confuses you. Your response may be along the lines of….”Aw, I’m so sorry.” Or, my personal favorite “HANG IN THERE, it’ll all pay off once he’s a doctor”. O.M.G. I could use the nickels that I wish I had received for every time somebody has said this to me…..
So, perusing my new BFF Facebook this morning, I found a note from one of Bjorn’s classmates and not only is it enormously entertaining, it is disturbingly accurate - so I had to post it. Now you can understand why we have been crabby for the last 3 years!!!! Here it is - thanks to Julie Jeyaratnam….
Random list of my least favorite things about med school
Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:58pm
Following is a random list of my least favorite things about med school. It is not at ALL comprehensive, nor does it necessarily cover the WORST things about medical school. These were just the topics I felt like complaining about on this particular day.
1. Test questions. These are usually asking about something that you have never heard of in your life. It definitely was not covered by the lecture notes, required reading, or review books. Or if you have heard of it, it is something that you had tried to clarify while you were studying, and you extensively looked up the answer to no avail. Now they test you on it because they know there is no correct answer. Or option #3, it is a question for which you DO know the answer, but the correct response is not an answer choice. They instead give you several choices of wrong answers, and you must guess the one they arbitrarily chose to be right.
2. Gunners. There are two types of gunner med students: 1) the studiers and 2) the aces. The studiers are classmates who panic if 3-5 minutes elapses without studying. They will run you over if you get in their way, possibly even hurt you badly, and they won’t give you any medical help either because it would take away study time. The acers, though less obsessed with studying, are fighting to be number one in class rank (there seems to be about 30 of them or so) and they get mad if professors try to give helpful tips or reviews for exams. “It’s not fair” they complain “I won’t look as smart if only 10% of our class fails instead of 50%.” These are the students who will know the answers to all the test questions mentioned earlier, even though they can’t explain how they figured them out. Slapped, that’s what these folks need.
3. “Vacation time.” Fourth year of med school is supposed to be the best year because you get several weeks of vacation time. Little do they tell you that they count the last week you are taking your 3rd year finals as a week of 4th year vacation time. What am I missing? How does 3rd year finals count as vacation for 4th year? It’s not like I’m going crazy over one week, but it’s the prinicple of the thing that matters. Tests are NOT VACATIONS.
4. Abuse. If you ever happen to run into a doctor, please take the oppourtunity to remind them that MEDICAL STUDENTS ARE NOT FREE LABOR. Docs may THINK that we are there just to go out and buy them pizza (and pay for it too). The may THINK that we are there just to be a receptacle for their anger when they feel like dumping. But nope. We’re not. Also, we don’t like to work 18 hours a day 7 days a week, and we don’t like to stay up all night following the night float residents around when they’ve only been up 5 hours and we’ve been up 24 hrs (cause we’re on call). Especially if there is nothing going on.
5. Cost. Medical school costs so dang much. So much that I signed away 11 years of my life to the USAF to pay for it. Arg. Where does $200,000 go? Could it be those cushy call rooms they provide for us at LLUMC? OH wait, we don’t really have call rooms. We sleep in patient rooms on gurneys IF the patients have left. What about the call rooms at RCRMC? (We actually have ones there.) The ones with beds covered in so many dark stains that they look mottled blackish-brown and smell like… rotted something or other? No… those are paid for by the county. Hmm… maybe it was those free rice and bean burritos they gave us for lunch that one time.
6. Boringness. Medical school has a way of making subjects that were once irresistably interesting into something so boring that it could be used as torture. Take bioterrorism, for example. In undergrad, Dr. Shors told us about how the Soviets (ok Russians, whatever) stole several vials of smallpox from us and how they could wipe out the USA iif they set even one of them loose. SO EXCITING!!! Everyone would almost pee their pants in that class. However, in medical school for bioterrorism, we watched 7 VIDEOS 40 min each OF POWERPOINT SLIDES WITH SOMEONE DRONING ON about some random acronyms that didn’t stand for anything, as far as I could tell. 5 slides and 40 minutes of BLAB BLAB BLAB BLAB… ahh I couldn’t stand it. Please, real bioterrorism has GOT to be more interesting.”
Ah, finally. Someone has accurately summed it up
Oh, and pictures are coming hopefully soon! I tell myself everyday “TODAY I will get more pics up on the website”….better busy than bored though!
Just Don’t Get It.
I have spent the last 5 or so days trying to understand why I am so sad about the death of Tim Russert. I was finishing lunch and watching the news last Friday when I saw a flash of something about Tim Russert. It took a few seconds for my mind to comprehend what my eyes were telling it - Tim Russert dead?! No way! He’s too young.
I flipped from cable news over to NBC just in time to catch the tail end of Tom Brokaw’s sad annoucement. I think it was in that moment that I first realized the size of this tragedy. I grew up watching Tom Brokaw on the news every night - never had he looked like this. His eyes were swollen and so red - It was almost unbelieveable. My mouth was hanging open though, and I was still trying to process.
Now there are two things I don’t get here. One…….why and how could he have died so young - and just dropped dead, nonetheless? Two……why have I been just SO SAD about this? True, I ALWAYS loved hearing Tim on the Today show, or watching him those few quick moments on Sundays before we had to head to church (it was always Meet the Press - that’s the only option on Sundays). And, I totally remember that “Florida, Florida, Florida” moment :) If you know me, you know that I am a news junkie, and I tend to get attached to my anchors. Moving to California was partially because of medical school, but largely an effort to get back to a market where Paul Magers reads the news. (I was devastated when he left Minnesota!) So, call me wierd, but that’s just how I am. And I guess if you think of it that way, it makes a little sense that I would be saddened by Tim’s passing.
The wierd think about this though, is that I was not SAD at first - I was shocked, but not sad. Yet it took less than 10 minutes of listening to the commentators’ broken-hearted comments about Tim, and the tragedy of this loss, for a deep sense of sadness to set into my heart.
By Sunday night, trying to watch our Tivo’ed version of this week’s MTP with the empty chair, I was trying to fight back tears. By Wednesday’s nationally televised Memorial Service, I wasn’t even trying anymore! I had to turn it off to watch at another time, when I am less sad over this loss, our country’s loss.
Last night, Bjorn & I marvelled at the circumstances of his funeral - It was crazy! Every politician, journalist and commentator you can find - plus McCain & Obama embracing - are you KIDDING me? This thing was like a state funeral! Presidents don’t get that sort of reception when they pass!
So leave it to my wiser-than-me hubby to help me understand…..first, that I was not crazy for feeling emotion over the loss of someone I have never even met…..and second, for making sense out of the tragedy. Bjorn reminded me, the reason we are so sad, is because of the legacy that Tim leaves behind - and that legacy reaches so far beyond politics, into our very hearts. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the journalists, politicians, musicians & others who eulogized this man, offically or unofficially, spoke of his love for his family as being FIRST and FOREMOST in his life. Well, not even - Faith was first, and that rang loud and clear in the last five days as well. They told us that his son was the most important thing in the world to him. That he spoke of Luke constantly. That everytime a colleague had a child or lost a parent, Tim was on the phone or writing a card. That he loved to throw back a beer with his son’s college friends - in his son’s words, “even more than he wanted to attend a state dinner” ! That he consistently & repeatedly over time, reminded colleagues & subordinates that family is THE MOST important thing (along with faith). That he wrote two books about FAMILY not politics. Bestsellers, too by the way.
One of my friends became a fan of Tim Russert on Facebook - so of course I had to click on the page (and become a fan ). I was sitting here tonight, feeling kinda melancholy about life for some reason (unrelated to Tim this time) - and started reading through the comments Tim’s Facebook fans had posted. My tears started rolling again. This is truly an amazing man we have lost. We will miss his voice on Sunday mornings, and oh man, how will we ever understand the election this year without him….. But we have the legacy. The legacy that can make an impact on individual lives and cause the country take a collective pause to re-evaluate what is important in life. This is some of what I read on Facebook:
* “Mr. Russert’s death has helped me to grieve my father’s death after almost three years. ”
* “When men are so desperately needed to take the leadership role in their families, Mr. Russert was a fine example of what it meant to be a real man.”
* “Tim Russert was the only reason I understood anything about politics.”
* “Tim was such a breath of fresh air in a world full of depressing news nowadays….we miss you already, Tim. Thanks for so many years of educating the American voter so that we may make the right decisions to keep this country moving in the direction that it should……Forward.”
* “Rest in peace. Job well done.”
Maybe feeling sad that this guy has moved on is not the craziest thing after all. RIP Tim.
Four Years and One Day
Yesterday my sweet hubby and I celebrated four years of marriage. Whoo hoo! In the scheme of things, I guess 4 years isn’t that long (wow, I TOTALLY take that back as we sit in year 3 of 4 nightmarish years of medical school), but lots has happened. Some good, some bad, ALL worth it. I love you baby!
One of the things that we did to celebrate (here is where you know we are poor med students - yes, this truly was the highlight of our anniversary) was get some new bedding, which we desperately needed. See, this is before:
And this is after:
Yeah! it actually looks like a grown up bedroom!!!!!
After all the washing of sheets & re-doing the bed with the new stuff, we went out for a fab dinner at one of our favorite (yet seldom frequented) Mexican restaurants here in So Cal - Las Campanas, at the Mission Inn. mmmmm. Enchilada heaven!
So, even though there is no budget for Anniversary presents this year, I could really care less. My present is having the privilege of spending 4 amazing years with the love of my life! And I don’t even care how cheesy that sounds.
My travels to Carbondale.
Last weekend I got to travel out to Carbondale, IL, to visit my sis Daryl who is a student at SIU, Southern Illinois University. Whatta weekend!!!! We had a BLAST, but it was not without drama, including……
**5 hours of waiting for a delayed American Airlines flight in Orange County, on one of 3 days that AA decided to cancel 1,000+ flights for safety checks….O…M…G….NOT FUN!
**One hour spent cleaning an overflowed toilet in the good ol’ college house…….
**15 total hours of travel from Carbondale back to Loma Linda, including a 4 hour layover with a delayed flight out of Chicago, my luggage getting stuck in Chicago in spite of the delay thanks to a “broken baggage system”, said luggage being delivered to home at approximately 3 am later that night, this weary traveller forgetting to give them the code to the gate for the complex, and the delivery people calling 3+ times to be let in before I actually answered…..DRAAAAA-MAAAAA!
All this not to be outdone by my OFFICIAL most embarrassing moment on the plane from OC to St. Louis: Utilizing a borrowed Portable DVD player, approximately 1 hour spent listening to the Sound of Music (you can’t make this up people), audio emanating from headphones AND speakers….Yes, that’s right, everyone around me could hear that the hills are in fact alive with the sound of music, but apparently everyone is not as excited about that as me and Fraulein Maria, because the flight attendant had to come by and tell me they had had complaints. I have never been so mortified in my LIFE! And it took me about 20 minutes after the complaints to realize that the audio was coming out of the speakers in addition to my headphones, and fix the problem!
But, in spite of many hours of waiting, several hours of misery and one hour of embarrasing obliviousness, there was enough sister fun time to make up for it! Next time I will read the DVD player directions first….oh my word……
Google Maps & Googly Eyes….
Two cool things happened this week so far. The best part is that both of these cool things reminded me of how awesome the simple things in life are……
First, Bjorn & I watched our Tivo’ed Saturday Night Live from last weekend, and I thought I might die of laughter. Good ol’ Christopher Walken —- HOW did he become funny? Who IS he even? Can anybody name one movie he is in? Yet over the years, he has become like the funniest person ever to grace the SNL stage….It is so confusing, but don’t question it - just tivo SNL whenever he’s hosting! My stomach still hurts from laughing at this:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/play.shtml?mea=237389
The second cool thing is that Google updated their Google maps for Blackberry, and oh. my.gosh. has it revolutionized my world. My phone went from being a basic (yet unbelieveably cool) blackberry pearl, to GPS, in just one quick download - THANKS GOOGLE!!!! Now when I am sitting in wretched Los Angeles area traffic, and I want to pull up google maps to find out how long the wretchedness will last, I no longer have to turn on the map, figure out what city I am in, wait for the map to find it, turn on the traffic feature……now, all I have to do is turn on the map — Google shows me my location! To within 1700 feet! YES! I love google maps……..And if you ever have to drive in wretched Los Angeles traffic, you will love google maps too!!
This goes out to the Gmail peeps….
Why do I ALWAYS forget that it’s April Fools Day???
I woke up and logged onto email, much the same as every other day, and was FLOORED to read about Gmail’s new feature: “Custom Time”. (For the 3 non-Gmail users out there…A) Why? and B) FYI, Gmail constantly adds new features - which is why we all love it so much.) Anyways, I read the little blurb about Custom Time, and my jaw dropped — NO WAY! It was so crazy - I couldn’t help but be a little offended! Apparently they updated the system to allow you to backdate your emails - Just in Case. You know, you entered a contest, emailed a paper for school or a report for work, happy anniversary email, whatever - just a little too late…..so, backdate it! I figured that could be useful in some situations but all I could think is — “Wow. Hasn’t technology gone a little too far??! This is just promoting DISHONESTY!” (Truly - these thoughts went through my head!!!!)
Fast forward to 5 pm, when I am bored & procrastinating random things that should be done, and perusing my new fave site, digg.com…….and behold, an article to Digg — “Gmail’s April Fool’s Joke sparks Wikipedia war”. Wait — WHAT? Gmail’s What?!
So, ha ha - joke’s on me, right?! It gets even worse… Bjorn and I went out for coffee tonight, and I come home to a little chat message from my sister: “I was SO MAD when I found out Gmail’s Custom Time is fake! I could really USE that!” And I laugh and laugh at her…until I remember….they faked me out too. How quickly I forget!!!!!!!
Next year, I am marking my calendar on March 31st!!!!!!! Next year, I won’t be fooled!!!
Quick Trip Home…
A few weeks ago I got to GO HOME for a long weekend…..yeah!!!!! I have OFFICIALLY wussed out…….the cold was too much for me, and I caught a cold before I left! YUCK. Anyways, we had a fun time out celebrating one last time before T gets hitched….
Bjorn had to stay home and work, boooo…..Only a few more months & he will be done with his third year though — we have turned the corner!
Happy Belated Easter to all…….
We’re Baaaa-aack…….
Hello.
Welcome to 2008. I don’t know if I fell asleep, fell off the face of the earth, or just got lazy….maybe a little of all three….but I’m pretty I sure slacked off for a good 7 months there! By now, anyone who may have regularly checked in on Bjorn and me here has probably long since given up — I hear crickets when I log on….HA HA.
Anyways, MUCH has changed since I last updated our site. Hopefully many of you have checked in one way or another and are somewhat up to date but here is the speedy run down………
Bjorn finished his second year of medical school — GOOD RIDDANCE — and is happily plodding through his third year, doing clinical rotations. He has been on OB-Gyn, Psych, General Surgery, Surgical Sub-specialties, In-Patient Peds and Family Medicine. Lots of ground covered! Last fall when the state of California caught on fire (LOL sort of), Bjorn helped serve the county by volunteering at the evacuation centers, and solidified his decision to practice Emergency Medicine. YAY! He also began ministering on Sunday mornings by playing guitar at the satellite campuses for our church, and the two of us took on a leadership role in our married couples small group. Lots of fun. Over the holidays, we were able to get back to Minnesota to celebrate a White Christmas; visit my dad & co. in Seattle; and even take a ski vaca in Canada with Bjorn’s friends from Bethel. WHEW. 2007 went out with a bang…..But, we were not sorry to see it go.
As for me…….2007 took me down a career path I never in a million years would’ve expected to go! In July of last year, I launched a business with Arbonne International, marketing skin care, health & wellness products. I LOVE IT! Best (career) decision I ever made! In August I threw in the corporate towel to focus on my business and it’s been fantastic. Check out my website:
www.elizabethabby.myarbonne.com
My new career path has given me the ability to be more in control of my life and my schedule…..I am in several awesome Bible studies and love the fact that my life is what I want it to be — not what the rigorous schedule forces it to be. It is muy bueno.
Life in California is chugging along. Crazy, but Bjorn will graduate from medical school in just over a year from now. Next up, schedule rotations in different hospitals to determine where to do residency….plan a Spanish Immersion trip for us to Ecuador….and book a graduation / five year anniversary celebration trip to Hawaii. (We hope at least!)
Come & Visit - you never know where we’ll be next! And stay tuned to our site for more frequent updates……
Check out the photo albums for pics from last year & this year
Oh Wow - It’s JULY!
I guess it has been one of those “where on EARTH did time go” couple of months for Bjorn and me. I don’t know how it got to be July, but here we are, practically smack in the middle of it - it’s hard to believe.
As we have shared with many of our friends and family, 2007 has been extremely chaotic and somewhat challenging at times for the two of us! The first three months were just plain busy, and the three following that were really tough. In March, Bjorn came down with mono - just a few months before he had to take Step One of his boards for Medical School (i.e. the biggest, hardest and most important test of his life!) ! He was down for the count, to say the least.
It’s hard to really put into words just how tough it was for both of us for a few months there - so I’ll just sum it up by saying “it was reeeeeally tough.” We were so busy, and Bjorn was so sick (and studying constantly), it was a difficult time. We really kept our situation in perspective, knowing that it was temporary, and knowing that it could be much worse, and that helped. But needless to say, we were both very relieved when June 8th came and Bjorn took his exam. Even better was June 9th (it was all OVER!) — and best yet was June 13th, when we left for our amazing trip to San Francisco. It was an awesome blessing and an incredible way to celebrate the difficult months being in the past.
Tomorrow Bjorn officially starts his third (THIRD!!) year of Medical School (with a bang - overnight call on the first day!), and we have every reason to believe that the second half of ‘07 will be filled with lots of Bjorn-Liz time, to make up for what the first half lacked. We both still need your prayers - this med school thing is quite intense! - but we are optimistic that the worst of it is over. Now Bjorn will be in his clinical rotations, beginning to do what he got into this for in the first place!
Next time: an update on MY life — You wouldn’t guess it from today’s entry, but I actually do have a lot more going on than just watching Bjorn go to school!
Click into photos to see some pics from our San Fran trip.
Ciao!
Busy in 2007
The title says it all: we have been BUSY! We hit the ground running in January, and it appears we have not looked back or stopped for a breath since! For the most part it’s been good….friends and family…but we have been sick. Every weekend of the year so far, we have either had company, been out of town or been sick….and when I say sick I mean SICK. Don’t get me wrong - I fully realize Bjorn and I are blessed with awesome health. But man, whatever bug went around this winter hit our home with full force and dug it’s claws in and refused to surrender! I had it twice and both times missed work - too much work. No more PTO for me until May :(
Anyways, other than being sick, we have had many visitors and fun weekends. I was able to head to Naples, FL the first weekend of March (see photo gallery!) for a long weekend with my girls (from Woodbury) - and it was a woooooonderful and much needed break. Bjorn has been hitting the books pretty hard, as his boards are coming up - but there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. One more round of exams this week, then finals in May, and boards in June. It’ll be a long, tough, tiring couple of months for him though - so if you think of him, say a quick prayer!
Below is a pic from St. Patty’s Day Eve in Pasadena; also in the album there is a pic of my sis and her cutie pie boyfriend at Huntington Beach last weekend - we got to meet Andrew for the first time this last week - fun!
Enjoy the pics that are attached and in the photo gallery. Love to all of our peeps, wherever you may be. We miss you!
Whale, Snow & Celebrity Sightings!
If you can’t tell by the title here, Bjorn and I have had a very exciting January! Yes that’s right peeps: We had our very first celebrity sighting since moving to California. And if you know me, you know it has been very impatiently awaited. More on that in a bit.
Bjorn and I had a really special holiday season. This was the first year we have spent Christmas with his family, and also the first year I have spent Christmas in a warm climate. So for me, it was a year of firsts. I’ll admit both were hard - first time away from mom or dad at Christmas, and there wasn’t even any snow to make it feel like home! But we had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day, even though I had to head right back to work the next day. It was very nice to have two long weekends (and short weeks) in a row, and Bjorn and I were finally able to have some quality time together after a 2.5 week finals marathon. On New Year’s Eve we went to dinner in Palm Springs (at our fave Mexican restaurant) with friends from Bible Study, and over the holidays my mom came into town, and we visited her brother, my uncle, who also was in town with his wife….All in all - a great holiday in 2006.
But after December comes January - the January blahs. It hit us hard, too. Almost immediately after New Year’s, Bjorn came down with a terrible cold - and I was quick to follow. We are both still recovering. In spite of our sickness, we were able to do some fun things this month - and had more firsts!
The first significant first (sorry, that was the best I could come up with as I speed type) was absolutely mind boggling to me. I STILL can not believe this happened. I woke up on a Friday morning and as I opened the door to leave the house, I stopped dead in my tracks (I have gained a whole new appreciation for that saying….). I may have stood for a full minute before I finally began to accept what I thought my eyes were seeing. Bjorn, sitting at the table behind me, probably thought I had suffered some sort of medical emergency - I was speechless. There was SNOW on the ground!!!! So needless to say, if you click into the photo gallery, you’ll see pics of something I thought I would NEVER SEE - snow on my front porch, my grill cover, Bjorn’s car, and our “lawn” (And BTW, the mist behind Bjorn’s car is, obviously, the sprinkler system…what the heck. this is so backwards…). It actually flurried as I drove to work. The snow was of course, gone by the time 9 am rolled around - but wow, was it a sight. A friend who is a teacher text messaged me and said her kids were beside themselves - most of them had never seen snow in real life. Crazy!!!!
The next first that we had this month was that we went whale watching. My dear friend T (Sara Torgerson that is) was in San Diego for the month of January with her boyfriend, and Bjorn and I drove down to visit a few weeks ago - and the plan for the day was whale watching. We really had a fun time. The pics don’t really do the event justice, because the whale we saw didn’t do any big flips - and our camera has a delay - but still, it was a fun thing to do (also, the aircraft carrier pictured is the USS Ronald Reagan. Last week it left San Diego for the Far East but I believe it had been in SD for a few months…). My co-workers made fun of me for going whale watching - but it was very easy for me to turn their excitement over snow around on them, and then we were even :) The things that excite Californians vs. the things that excite Minnesotans - very amusing!
Ok, and the moment I know you’ve all been waiting for: the celebrity sighting! Last weekend, Bjorn and I were lucky enough to be able to spend the weekend in Santa Barbara. The heart of wine country: and we were both so sick we barely left the hotel room! We did get to do a little roaming (we’ve been there before so we got to explore some new areas) and had a wonderful weekend. Bjorn was presenting research at a conference, and this is where our celeb sighting comes into the picture. On Sunday morning, I had to drop Bjorn off at the Four Seasons for his conference. Now, I was not about to pass up an opportunity to have a (legitimate) reason to go strolling through the Four Seasons lobby - it may have been my one and only opportunity to see the inside of a hotel quite that nice :) We took a quick spin, and in my hazy, congested and sinus-pain-filled-stupor, I missed it the first time: Bjorn saw….none other than…..Doc from Back to the Future (Christopher Lloyd)! Kinda boring - but we were quite excited. After Bjorn’s whispered “Did Christopher Lloyd just walk by?!”, I caught a glimpse of him as we passed again - and hence the big excitement of 2007, so far. This is coming from a girl who has been on the lookout for a year and a half, to no avail - so I do hope you’ll understand my giddiness. Sure, he’s no Brad Pitt - but let a girl revel!
And so begins 2007. We can only hope we’ll have more good luck as we proceed: good health, high board scores, a speedier commute to work and sightings of more powerful celebrities than Doc. And no more snow!
Bjorn’s Bday, Christmas & New Year’s…
I have put some pictures in the photo section of Bjorn’s 27th Bday, and our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. Enjoy!
Christmas Festivities
Bjorn and I have had a wonderful December so far! It is kinda crazy how much we packed in, especially considering the fact that Bjorn was studying for exams for 2.5 of the 4 weeks. Starting before Thanksgiving, our holiday season was in full swing!!!!
The week of Thanksgiving, we volunteered at the Operation Christmas Child
warehouse in Santa Ana with our Bible study group:
Bjorn and our friend Melissa were quite proud of the pallets they stacked
In Seattle, we got to visit our good friends Tom & Jess — and see the downtown Seattle holiday lights.
The weekend after Thanksgiving, we got our second annual Christmas tree from Home Depot (we do know how lame that is, but the price is right…) They actually had a Santa Claus that spewed out “snow” - that was also kinda lame. It was about 75 degrees that day…..
As Bjorn was beginning his long winter’s exams, we donned our favorite (?) Christmas sweaters to celebrate the season with our Bible study. It was Chad’s idea — and it was a RIOT. Please don’t use these pictures against us….
My company, Anchor Blue Retail Group, threw a great Christmas party - even better, it was on company time (lunch) and we had the afternoon off. Now that’s a Christmas bonus….
Last weekend, we got to celebrate the commencement of the second to last round of Bjorn’s 2 week long marathon exams with some friends. And what better way to do that than to go bowling…..(or something like that)
And finally, my personal favorite event of the month - Disneyland!!! The weather outside was frightful, but we braved the rain and cold. Mickey with a Santa hat on is so worth the shivering…
The day after Disneyland, Bjorn was fortunate enough to be able to head up to Lake Tahoe for some skiing with friends from school - a well deserved break and chance to forget the books. Hopefully we’ll get pictures from that trip soon.
And so, on the night before the night before Christmas, all through our house, the only creatures stirring are two very happy campers. Bjorn and I are so incredibly blessed, and fortunate to look back on another amazing year. Yes, there were ups and downs - but in the tough times we hold onto the one who was sent on Christmas Day - to be our Savior and our hope. We pray that each of you will have the peace of knowing Christ in 2007.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving…Man-cation…Girls Weekend
Happy Thanksgiving! Bjorn and I are having a cozy weekend in Seattle, and we are both thrilled to get a break from the norm - work, school & traffic. We have sooooo much for which to be thankful!!! Our health, our family & friends, and each other top the list — but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Bjorn and I are truly blessed and are grateful every day for that.
November was a great month! (why does it have to get so busy that these have become monthly updates???!!) Among the highlights: weekends spent with my oldest friend, Sara Torgerson, in town for a med school rotation; and Bjorn was able to hit Vegas for a weekend with the guys from college. I think both of us were reminded again this month how dear our friends are to us, and we were so happy to have such great quality time with them. Bjorn of course did the usual Vegas/guys weekend stuff (steak dinners, roaming the strip and a little tennis) and T and I were able to do quite a bit of boutique shopping, coffee dates and yummy cafes with great wine :) Among the many day trips we took throughout the month, we spent a weekend in Orange County doing nothing but bonding - it was GREAT!
And on that note, we hope all our friends & loved ones are having quality time with their loved ones this weekend - tis the season!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Where’d October Go….????
Hello! Well, I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden it is November, and I can hardly believe it. October was a good and busy month…..Here are some of the highlights:
Bjorn’s first round of second-year exams came and went. As exams go, it was the usual: eat, sleep, study, repeat — for about 2 - 2.5 weeks. Aside from the fact that Bjorn really is having to study more this year than he did last, overall, the first exams were nothing out of the ordinary. He did well, and that is always a great reward
The weekend prior to his tests, I was able to get out of town while he was holed up, and take a trip to New Orleans, LA. My cousin was married that weekend, but because I have no paid time off at work yet, I opted for the whirlwind “no days off work” version of vacation. I really got more than I bargained for in several respects — but it was well worth the trip. I was only away from home for about 36 hours, which was one reason it was a nutty trip. The second unique piece was that I have never been to New Orleans before - and it was great. However, the main thing that shook up my whole trip (besides spraining my ankle on the way home - a whole other story) was the absolute shock that I experienced on seeing the city, one year plus-Post Katrina. If any of you are like me, you may have nearly forgotten about Katrina, and certainly have put it to the back of your mind. It’s only natural - we don’t hear about it every day anymore. But please don’t let the fact that it is in the back of your mind stop you from keeping the city of New Orleans and the residents, in your prayers. The destruction, devastation and just sheer mess that I saw, were mind-boggling. If I hadn’t known better, I would never have believed the storm was over a year ago - parts of the city are in complete and total shambles! It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen, and it was upsetting to hear the stories of people who lost everything. I know that is what happened - I saw it unfold on TV. Seeing on TV and having people tell you that they lost everything - EVERYTHING are such vastly different experiences. Parts of the city made me feel as though I were in a 3rd world country - It was beyond description.
In spite of the sad circumstances within certain parts of the city, and the way that seeing it first hand shook me up, I DID have a wonderful trip. I got to see the French Quarter and eat real cajun food :) And, it was so great to see my mom and the rest of my family. (Yes, I fell down a stair - it was pitch black in my defense! - and sprained my ankle on the way to the cab for the airport. It was horrrrrible trying to travel back home and I am still limping! Thankfully it wasn’t broken….!!!)
The only other (photo-worthy at least) highlight of October was our pumpkin-carving session with Steve and Annie. We did the pumpkin patch and everything - fun! And, as can only be the case in California where real-estate values rise faster than anyone ever thought humanly possible - it’s a good thing we did do the pumpkin patch, cause next year it’ll be a Target!
As always, I uploaded some pictures of my trip, so enjoy!
Our New Friends
Welcome to halfway through October…..how the HECK did that happen???? Oh man, life is whipping by at break-neck pace. And it’s funny, for two people who live fairly uneventful lives, somehow life still manages to race full speed ahead…….
Bjorn is definitely fully back in the swing of school, which has its pros and cons. On the plus side, he’s that much closer to this year being OVER. And on the minus side (the only reason the plus side even exists is because the minus side is so annoying) — he studies non-stop. Quite frankly, I didn’t think it was POSSIBLE to study more than he did last year, but I am learning the hard way that I was wrong :( Thankfully, we still have a fair amount of time together, and with our friends (& family!)….
Which brings me to introduce you to our new friends. Well, one is an old friend, but one is new. Bauer, who belongs to our friends Zach and Angela, is easily our favorite dog :) Last year, he made many trips to our house. He even marked our couch as his territory :) (Since it’s Bauer, we couldn’t get mad) Last week, Bauer got a sister, and we have fallen head over heels. If you see below you’ll understand why……..We love our little niece and nephew!!!! :-) (seriously - you can’t tell me this isn’t the cutest puppy you have EVER seen!) Bauer & Aubrey visit for Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday’s, and it’s a good thing we have Tivo because I miss most of it…who could resist these two!!! See “Photos” for more pics of the pups….
Yes, that really is a dog!!!
Aubrey kept getting sleepy - she couldn’t stay awake!
Aubrey thought Bjorn was her mommy….if you catch our drift
Bauer giving the camera some love…..I sense sibling rivalry here…..
Well that is about it from So Cal for now. This week we got to meet some friends from Minnesota, Aaron & Katie Kardell, in Pasadena for dinner. Katie is a 4th year med student so the poor girl had to get drilled by me. It was SO great to see good friends from home….We hope to see all of you sooner than later!
