A month of firsts

I can't believe it's almost the end of May. I spent the first two weeks of May with David. That makes May a very special month. How did I have two weeks off you might wonder, well, it's term break which means I have finished my first term of nursing school! I am officially 1/3 done. (Actually now it is June 6th and I am almost half way done with school!!!)

During my trip back to Portland, David and I attended the first baby blessing of our matchmaking success. Betsy was blessed and it was one of the most tender baby blessings I have ever heard. You could feel the love of her parents and the genuine blessing that she is in their lives. I was so grateful that I was in town to be a part of such a special day.



Later that week we were privileged to be part of another person's special day. David had been working with missionaries and one of their investigators, Jonathan, and his baptism was that week. It was the first time I got to see David baptize anyone.

I enjoyed my first Palaquin deep tissue massage. Thanks David for a perfect birthday gift.

David and I took our first trip to Costa Rica for a relaxing vacation.



I attempted surfing for the first time and was whacked in the nose by the surfboard for the first time. Unfortunately we have no photos of that :).


We enjoyed our first deep sea fishing excursion and caught Yellow Fin Tuna and Black Tuna. We ate the rawest fish we have ever had, a slice straight off the fish we had just pulled out of the ocean.


This trip was also the first time I recovered from from being motion sick while still on the boat. It was a true miracle. And I recovered not once, but twice. Dramamine + soda + barfing does the trick.
It was the first time I have eaten meals made from fish that I have caught. And the first time that two husbands have cooked every meal for the wives during the trip. The meals were delicious.





A first for me, but not David, was our overnight stay in Houston on the way back from Costa Rica. We lucked out to be the volunteers that got booted from the plane. $600 worth of flight vouchers is worth it, especially when we are doing so much flying this year.

I met my new niece, Katelyn, for the first time and she is adorable. She came a couple of weeks early and my trip to Illinois had already been planned for the weekend after she was born, so it worked out perfectly. And, I got to see these other cuties too, plus Karsten.


David made his first commercial debut when he was asked to take part in a commercial for OHSU. He ended up playing the main part, and if I do say so myself, he was quite a natural.

The OHSU Teaching Effect Commercial

And our last first for the month, I found out I made the Dean's list at school. It's pretty exciting because I never did that at BYU. So either BYU is that much harder or I am that much of a better student. (I actually think it's a combo of both.)

Hodgepodge and Happy Easter

My head has been stuck in the books the past few months, but I thought I'd include a few pictures of what we have been up to. Unfortunately most of our adventures have been apart, but we have been able to see each other a few times.

The 1st Sunday in April my parents and I drove up to my sister's house in Illinois to watch general conference and spend time with her family.



Theron passed his oral surgery boards, so we had to celebrate. Congratulations!

That following week my sister's family was traveling to Jamaica for vacation, and this little guy was staying behind. It was a treat for us to get him to ourselves for a whole week. And, Aunt Ashley came in town to visit that week too.

Gar-Man

The kiddos and I found out that my computer video camera can do all sorts of funny things to your face, so we spent lots of time testing out all the different options and laughing until we cried.




Meanwhile, David had a conference in southern California where he ran into Dr. Bailey, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Loma Linda where David did his residency. Dr. Bailey placed a baboon heart in Baby Fae back in 1984 and started neonatal heart transplants, so he is kind of a legend worldwide.


On the way back from the conference there were airplane problems and David got diverted to Phoenix for the night. Lucky for him, he got to see his family. And, all the boys were in town so they went out for breakfast before he flew out the next morning. I think these Bailly boys sure like getting to see each other.

Well, I am almost done with my first term of nursing school. I have finals this week and then I fly home Thursday for 2 1/2 weeks. It will be so nice to be home and to have a break from studying. I can't believe I am almost 1/3 done with school.

New Deliveries

I might possibly have the most thoughtful husband ever. Our friends had their first little girl this morning. Knowing how much I love babies and how excited I am to get to meet their little girl, David helped me to be a part of the experience by video calling me from their hospital room. So even though I am not in Portland, I still feel like I am apart of our life there. Thank you David for always thinking of me!

Being at school, away from David and home for awhile, has allowed me to count my many blessings and to see God's hand in my life. He intricately weaves a pattern out of my life that is more grand than I could ever have imagined and as I sit back and reflect upon it, I am in awe at His love for me. Despite the distance from David, we have grown closer together and we get to "see" each other almost every day. I have been tremendously blessed these past few months and somehow I have made it through 2 months. Only 9 months to go!

Goodbye again already?

It wasn't that long ago that David and I were saying goodbye to California and now I am saying goodbye to Oregon... at least for the time being.

Last night was my going away party. I guess it doesn't feel like I'm really moving since David will still be here for 6 more months and I'll be back to visit twice before he moves to Boston.





We have loved living in Portland and may actually consider coming back this way. In 2 1/2 years we'll know our "final" destination, I hope.

I am excited for this next chapter of our life and for the chance to pursue our dreams. We have been truly blessed this last year and I hope 2011 will be just as great, but hopefully even better.

Invitations

Sometimes they come by mail, other times they come verbally, but however they come, I love them. A couple of weeks ago we received an invitation to stay at Pronghorn near Bend, OR. We gladly accepted the offer and headed down to Bend with David's boss for a few days of relaxation and fun in the snow. I could have quite possibly stay bundled up in the king size bed with fluffy blankets, a good book and a warm fire in the fireplace, but we did venture out.

We did a little snowshoeing, played in the snow, ate some good food and hung out.

Before we headed out snowshoeing, David asked if I wanted warmer gloves. I quickly replied, "Why would I need warmer gloves, I don't plan on falling." Literally a minute later I tried to run in the snowshoes, tripped and fell down. Then I tried to race David in the snowshoes, big mistake. He has longer legs and can lift them a little higher than me. I found myself on the ground again.