Dave and Arielle Get Hitched!!

Yay!!!  Two of our very best friends in the entire world were married on Saturday!!  After knowing each other for 5 years, and dating for 2, this hilarious, caring, fun, kind, and amazing couple finally tied the knot!  And they are currently in Jamaica as we speak for their honeymoon!!  Hooray!!

Their wedding started out with a beautiful ceremony with personalized vows that brought most of their guests to tears!  So much love both for God, and each other!  All of our favourite friends were in attendance, and Dave and Arielle's wonderful families, who helped out so much with the wedding!!  And did I mention, Andee was a groomsman??  He and the entire wedding party all looked so handsome/beautiful, and Dave and Arielle were such a beautiful couple!!

It was an especially hot day on Saturday, one of the hottest of the year, and so the reception was quite steamy, which, of course, I love!  But it was a little too much for some of the boys in their long, black tuxedos, so they decided to take measures into their own hands!  Right outside of the Reception Hall was an extremely appealing and refreshing looking pool.....and the rest of the story pretty much writes itself!  Needless to say, the boys stripped down into their unmentionables, and were easily able to cool off and get some relief from the intense hot weather!  They later returned for some "amazing" dance moves that were quite enjoyed by all!  Enjoy the pictures!!

A wonderful, hilarious, and very fun wedding!!  Congratulations Dave and Arielle!!!

What The Heck Are We Up To Now??

So, in case you haven't heard, Andee has passed Step 1 of the USMLE!  Phew!  Since this crucial step of the process is finally over, we can now focus on getting everything ready for moving back to the States and starting clinical rotations!  Why is our life so crazy?  You will have to take that up with God.  Go ahead, I do it often!

So, for the 10000000000000th time, here is a recap of our future journey - I think I can now accurately
recite this in my sleep.  It's quite confusing, random, unpredictable, and subject to change at any time, so please try to keep up.

Since the USMLE is now out of the way, any day now we will be finding out where we will be heading next.  Which means that in the next few weeks to a month ish, we will be moving back to the US.  The next 2 years will consist of "Clinical Rotations" with various hospitals affiliated with UMHS, and some of our own.  Where, you might ask?  We don't know.  Could be anywhere in the US, but the most likely places will be Atlanta, Georgia; Southampton, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   We can be at any of these places for pretty much any length of time, and have no idea for how long.  We can also come back to Canada for a total of 3 months within this 2 year time frame.  After this, there is a minimum of 3 years of residency, most likely also in the United States.  Where, you might ask?  We have even less of an answer for this question.  So, the total is about 5 more years in the United States, with minimal stops back in Canada.  Confused yet?  Welcome to the life of an International Medical Student and his wife.  Personally, I think God has gone a little nutty with this plan!  Just kidding!  But seriously, we are really relying on faith and hope during this part of our journey.  Don't get me wrong, it is pretty fun, and all of the experiences, memories, and relationships we have now that we would have missed had we strayed from the plan are just what God had in mind for us!  And seeing as we have at least 5 more years of this nonsense, he clearly has more in store for us!  It is both exciting and crazy, not quite what I would have had in mind, which is what makes it amazing!

Ok, back to Canada!  Yay!  Since Andee hasn't been studying like a madman for the past few weeks, we have been able to actually hang out and act like a real married couple.  Cool.  We have been cottaging, hanging out with friends and family, and most recently, watching the Olympics!  Time for some pictures!

We have been to the cottage quite a bit in July, since Andee has been off, and it has been amazing!  There has been lots of fishing, swimming, sunning, boating, card playing, duck feeding, turtle sightings, and even an incredible fireworks display in Fenelon!  Jenna and Melanie were also able to come for a visit, as well as lots of Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and lots of other family that we can always expect to see at the cottage!  The cottage just solidifies my love for Canadian Summers - they are just the best ever!  Such a wonderful time of year!  Enjoy the pictures!! 

We were also able to attend April's 25th birthday party, which, in true Oshawa fashion (sorry Oshawa) was "white trash" themed!  We all dressed up, looked ridiculous/amazing, and had a great time!  Great party!!!  I miss my Canadian friends when we are away!!

July has been extremely eventful and exciting!  On July 20, 2012, Andee's brother Jamie and his Bride, Tiffany, were married!  Yay!!  Jamie and Tiffany are one of the best matched couples that I have ever known, and we are so happy that they have made it official!  They were married in Port Perry at a beautiful outdoor gazebo, and then we all made our way back to Goreski's Landing for the outdoor reception!  It was a perfect weather day for an outdoor wedding; not too hot, and not getting cool until much later into the evening!  Tiffany looked absolutely stunning in her dress, and the speeches, meal, cake, and every element of the wedding were perfect!  We are so happy to have been a part of their special day, and we know they will be together forever!  Enjoy the pictures!

Well there you have it, July 2012!  Today is the first day of August, and our hope is that we can spend the majority of this month in Canada, enjoying more of the summer with friends and family, and allowing me an opportunity to work and make back a bit of the money we have spent on Medical School...sort of not really.  Also, 2 of our best friends, Dave and Arielle, are getting married on Saturday!  Hooray!  Expect some good pictures!!  Happy Summer everyone!!