Christmas 2009

Here we go again, another year coming to a close, another Christmas time approaching as we see the city of Chicago replace all of its Olympic 2016 signs with more jolly and happier signs of the Christmas season.
2009 was a year of ups and downs, but overall a blessed year as we began the year on the Chicago news (Bekah asked "why?" and I responded "why not?") as I partook of a leisurely dip in Lake Michigan with several other Chicagoans as Bekah stood on the shore, so very proud.
February was a very emotional month as we discovered that Bekah's pregnancy was to end earlier than we had hoped, yet we learned so much about God's faithfulness and how we are so wonderfully blessed by friends, family, and coworkers who overwhelmed us with support, love, and prayers. After the whole ordeal we joined some good friends on a "get away" trip to Peurto Rico which was amazing, except for being rear ended by a local who did not speak English being followed by some policemen who also did not speak English...it was funny looking back on it now, but was stressful at the moment.
March through June seem to fly by as we continued to be very busy at work. I continued to be fascinated and honored to be able to work with those struggling with mental illness as I wrapped up my 2nd year of residency. Bekah continued to provide chemotherapy full-time until the end of July when we agreed that it would be better for Bekah to move to part-time work.
We ended June with a great trip to Seattle in which I was able to go to several great independent coffee shops drinking more coffee than one should. We also were able to see flying fish and enjoyed a great day of hiking at Mt. Rainer, except that the humidity ruined our camera...which we discovered later that night as we watched the sunset from the top of the Space Needle.
In July I moved out of the hospital into the outpatient world with my very own office (with my name on the door!) as I started my own clinic (yes with plenty of supervision). It was at that time that we announced that Bekah was pregnant again and she has enjoyed being able to volunteer at different organizations in Chicago since being part-time.
July onward we have been getting ready for our new addition, as my study has transformed into a baby room and I've discovered that even though baby items are small, that does not mean that the price is. Still we are very excited to see what God has in store for us as we move into a new phase of our life: to which people just smile at us and tell us to enjoy things like sleeping through the night, enjoying a quiet meal time, and doing laundry once a week...all which make me wonder what we are exactly getting ourselves into. Because of this advice, in October, we did take one final trip out west to enjoy California and Nevada, visiting family and friends.
May this Christmas season be a blessed one for you and your loved ones as always if you are in Chicago please look us up (except around the middle of February).