Family Weekend - Feb. '09

Last weekend, Dave's parents made the long drive down to Loma Linda for the University's freshman class Family Day. They arrived on Thursday night and we enjoyed giving them the tour of our small abode and had pizza and salad for dinner. We set up our aero bed in the office which turned into a great little guest room.

Friday morning we all got up early in order to get to school on time (plus a stop at Starbucks :)
The school had set up a light breakfast for us outside of the lecture hall and we enjoyed eating while mingling to meet everyone's families. One of the most exciting meetings for us was to finally meet Becca, Brent's fiance. We have heard so much about her and it was great to put a face with those stories. Becca is such a sweetheart and we very much look forward to her moving to CA and becoming a part of our posse.

Chatting with the future Mr. and Mrs. Wolford!

Mingling with our beautiful friends, Teresa and Rachel.

We were privileged to sit through three morning lectures. The first was on the endocrine system and although I tried to focus the entire time, I was left scratching my head wondering how anyone could understand what was going on. I finally leaned over to Dave and said, "Do you have any idea what she is talking about?" He nodded his head and smiled. I have a new appreciation for his intellect. What a guy....I'm a fan!

The next lecture was about ophthalmoscopy. I loved this lecture because I grew up with a lot of eye ball talk in our house and it was great to learn a little bit more. I know Dave loves these lectures because he is now able to really converse with my Dad about medical issues. Fun.

The last lecture was by far the best. Dr. Hadley, a urologist and dean of the medical school is a favorite in our community. He is a genuine guy with a great sense of humor. The lecture was about micturition or "going #1". It was all kinds of interesting although a bit graphic for the general public.

After the lecture, we spent a while showing off the school and touring various buildings. Both Steve and Virginia were brave enough to go into the cadaver lab (I waited outside).

The school of medicine

Dave with Dr. Hadley at the fancy luncheon they had set up for family.
They even had those crazy meatballs made out of nuts.

The whole crew on one of the cloudiest days in CA

Dave and Brent with Dr. Nava in the lecture hall where they spend 3-4 hours of everyday.

Our friend Teresa did a wonderful thing by hosting all of our friends and their parents for a potluck. It was so great to see where everyone comes from and to enjoy breaking bread together. When everyone had eaten, Teresa set up a get to know you game where the med students shared stories about each other and introduced their visiting families. When it was finished, we all headed over to the University church for a dedication ceremony. As part of the ceremony the school presented each student with a bible engraved with the Loma Linda seal.

Dr. Hadley presenting Dave with a Bible.

Dave with his classmates.
He was wearing the exact outfit he wore on our wedding day. I was all goo goo gah gah!

Saturday late morning we walked up and down State Street in Redlands checking out all of the fun shops. The highlights were the HUGE antique mall where we went on an in depth search for a tea pot Virginia was looking for and also a children's bookstore called The Frugal Frigate. After lunch we headed back home for a lazy afternoon.

Sunday we got to show off our church, Reformed Baptist of Riverside. It was great to have Dave's parents there and wonderful confirmation that we had chosen well in our church search. After a lunch, Steve and Virginia packed up and headed south to Del Mar to visit Pam, Steve's sister. Dave and I spent the afternoon lounging around and ended up having a game night with friends.

Monday neither one of us had school which was magical. We cleaned up the house and bought groceries. Monday night we had Danny and Meg and Brent and Becca over for dinner (homemade pizza) and dessert (chocolate fondue). It was loads of fun to hang out together and a hopeful foreshadowing of all of the good times to come in the next few years. Overall, a wonderful weekend.

Things are really speeding up at school and will continue to be hectic for the rest of the year. I actually love this fact because it keeps us from getting bored and makes the time fly. Monday, my Chamber Singers are singing the national anthem at the Ontario Reign hockey game. SO FUN! I have a concert coming up a week from Monday (Mar. 2) and my parents are going to be able to be there. EVEN MORE FUN!