anna in med school

Eunee and Ryan were married on June 25th at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (and yes, that’s the guy who wrote and illustrated The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other children’s classics).  The setting was especially appropriate given the occurrences (mostly meteorological) surrounding the wedding that, like their relationship, was the stuff of storybooks.  Ominous storm clouds rolled in just fifteen minutes before the outdoor ceremony, but the couple decided to risk it.  Everyone was seated, the string quartet was playing, and the bridesmaids had made their way down the aisle when the rain began to pour, but only for long enough to get all the guests inside.

A few minutes later, we tried again.  Halfway into Ryan’s original vows (which he had completely memorized…until the last line–adorable!), it began to drizzle again.  As the celebrant suggested that we continue the ceremony inside, a soft chant was already building among the guests: “Tough it out!  Tough it out!”  And they did.  About five minutes following, I was just getting my first cocktail and I turned around to see a full-out thunderstorm through the floor to ceiling windows, proceeded by a double rainbow.

It was wonderful to reconnect with some of my Goucher (post-bacc) girls, who are all kicking butt and taking names at their respective med schools around the country.  Eunee and I actually became much closer friends when we lived in Boston together following post-bacc, having both moved to the city in order to be with our significant others.  She was always such a warm, spirited soul to be around, with fantastic taste in restaurants and desserts (she was so good to me, she called ahead to flour bakery to reserve my introductory sticky bun).  We met up for lunch on her birthday that year and she asked me whether or not I was planning to take John’s name when we got married.  “I don’t know.  What do you think?  Would you take Ryan’s name?”  “Well, that’s a somewhat…unique situation.  You see, ‘Park’ is a very common Korean last name.”  At least they don’t have to deal with social security.

As read and presented with illustrations) at their wedding (an excerpt by Sandra Boynton’s Your Personal Penguin):

I like you a lot.  You’re funny and kind.  So let me explain.  What I have in mind.  I want to be your personal penguin.  I want to walk right by your side.  I want to be your personal penguin.  I want to travel with you far an wide.

Sickeningly cute and totally appropriate.

I hope it’s obvious that I don’t treat this blog as a diary.  Then again, I never kept a diary, so maybe it’s a poor point of contrast.  Bottom line, I don’t give all the boring details of every passing minute, or even an account of all the most important happenings to me.  I’ve come to simply write exactly what I feel/think when I have the chance to do so.

Still, after not writing for a while, I always kind of dread getting back into it.  The last two weeks since the last exam have been jam-packed with good, sometimes tedious, always energy-consuming stuff.  They’ve been wonderful and celebratory in large part, but I am so looking forward to our real vacation, which starts Saturday!

So I thought I’d start with a brief picture show of the most time-consuming/rewarding project of the last two weeks: recombining John and my homes into one.

Final moments in my sunny apartment at 912 Pine, yards away from the Italian Market, right in the thick of things:

A few details of our new home…one of my mothers-in-law bought us our first new-home plant (we could not have done the move without her and her husband–huge thanks!)…

Quickly becoming one of my favorite spaces in the house (granted, we haven’t finished with the study yet…we have a study!):

We were able to coerce Jon and Jamie to celebrate the 4th with us in the ‘burbs.  We love their company, but we also love that their coming over served as a great impetus to get our butts in gear and make the place (at least the downstairs) look habitable.  I made them take a picture of me and Jamie, mostly because I was pleased that I unknowingly dressed Independence Day-appropriate (I don’t think I’ve done that since I was eleven), and it’s always nice to be in pictures with beautiful women:

Poor John has received an earful of annoying laments about missing the city.  I loved living in the city, for sure, but the suburbs has its perks, first and foremost John (and space and doors that close).  This will be a good place for us.

Of course the suburbs also has its oddities/steriotypes.  I met a neighbor while out exploring and he asked, “So, how many kids do you two have?”  <llllllllllllllllllllll…>  I don’t see us throwing back a few on his porch any time soon.