Phoenix Foster Update

It seems I've been remiss in my posting duties. Between the family reunion, Jeff's boards, our trip to D.C., and getting ready to come out to Denver, I got a little sidetracked. This post is going to be all about catching up.

First--the Carson Reunion. All I can say is, thank goodness for family reunions and anything else that gives any of you guys an excuse to fly down to our neck of the woods. We had a great time seeing everyone that was there, and of course we missed all of you that couldn't make it.
I'm sure Margaret will have a large stack of photos from Carson that will be fun to look at when we all get together, but here are a few pictures from our own camera.



The Wednesday after we got back, Jeff took the COMLEX, the osteopathic board exam. Cal and I tried to celebrate and congratulate him, but what can you say after an 8-hour test? It's difficult to find the words, plus Jeff came home feeling pretty sick. The picture below is of our attempt. The week after that, Jeff took the USMLE, the alleopathic board exam. It's also eight hours long, but he said going in that it almost felt like an after-thought; he just wanted it to be over. What can I say? He's a genius. Or maybe he said that because we were leaving at 6 AM the next morning for Maryland...


Here are a few pics from that trip--the Maryland/D.C. trip. It was awesome. Just the break we needed--Jeff from school and me from not seeing any of my family. We stayed with my sister and her husband for 10 days, helping her with her new little baby, and sightseeing up the wazoo. (See below...) My brother also drove up from Virginia during one of the weekends we were there.
You probably won't need a whole lot of explanation for most of these pictures, but this is us in front of the White House. We tried to arrange a tour, but this is as close as we could get.

Above are Jeff at the WW II Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. Both are very cool, but this was the first time I'd seen the WWII Memorial. I was taken aback by how big it is and what a special feeling it has. It's so impressive to me how these types of memorials really do inspire such feelings of gratitude and respect--you really can't help but think about all of the servicemen who have died protecting our freedom. It made me realize how naive I am about it and how much I take it for granted.

Above is my brothah, Dale, and my hubby and me on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out to the Washington Memorial. Below, Cal and I are in Gettysburg, at a small memorial for the 20th Maine regiment.

Above, Jeff is trying to crack the Da Vinci code, and Cal's giving that look that says, "What's going on here, people? All we do is walk around a look at stuff all day. This has got to be some kind of a joke..."
This is Jeff in the back of Mt. Vernon, and then again in front of the Jefferson Memorial. He's one good-lookin' guy...that's why I took so many pictures of him.
This is a cool picture of Cal and mom wading in the Chesapeake Bay. He wasn't quite sure what to think about how cold it was, but he got used to it after awhile.

And there you have it. If you're still reading this, you are completely caught up on the Phoenix Fosters. We love you guys and we'll see you soon.