Tony has been working on his masters/PhD for going on 6 years. He applied to 15 internship sites and traveled to 11 of those sites for interviews. I helped him pick out what jacket, pants, tie, shirt, shoes to wear each time he left. He traveled for 3 straight weeks in January, sometimes only coming home for one night to repack his suitcase and then leave again the next day. It was an exhausting time for him, and for me, as I realized during that time that we truly do have a partnership when it comes to household needs, dog parenting etc. I missed him tons!
After ranking his choices we waited somewhat patiently. I picked up extra shifts at work, and threw myself into organizing an adoption shower for a close friend. Yesterday morning, February 17th, Tony got an email with our placement for next year. I woke up early per usual, and was downstairs with the pups when Tony came running down the stairs, excitement on his face. “I got an email- so that means I matched!” Apparently there are some unlucky ones out there who do NOT match, leaving them in a sort of limbo in between years of hard work and graduating. Thank goodness he matched! His top two choices were in Kansas City, a place near and dear to my heart, and we had been toying around with the idea of living there since his interviews.
He read the email. I saw a brief period of disappointment on his face, followed by a small smile. “it’s not my #1, but it’s my #2. We’re going to Kansas City!!” And then I started crying- very unexpectedly. This internship has been hanging over our heads for YEARS. We’ve had so many date night conversations surrounding this year, speculating whether or not we’d be able to stay in South Bend in the home that we’ve made for ourselves for an extra year, or whether we should be crazy and pick a random city like Seattle or somewhere warm for me. In the end, he allowed me to narrow down the cities where he could apply. I picked cities where we had friends or family, because honestly people make the place more than the hOuse, the weather, or the work. This match email made our move a reality. I knew it was coming- but it was always so far away. It even feels like yesterday when I would say “next year” when I referenced our move. I love my job. I have been incredibly blessed to work day shift and feel human for the last 3 years. My coworkers are my family and friends here- and I will miss them dreadfully.
Kansas City has been near and dear to my heart since our first meeting. After surviving nursing school (because who actually enjoyed that?) I was incredibly lucky to take my first job in the Children’s Mercy Hospital NICU in Kansas City. I was a very green new grad, but was surrounded by nurses of all ages and backgrounds who shared a common passion for NICU excellence- a passion that I have yet to find a match for. These nurses inspired me to believe that I would never do any other type of nursing. Why did I leave? I longed to be closer to family. I remember that an encounter between my Corolla and a snow bank pushed me over the edge one winter. Plus- I met a boy, who turned into Mr. Right, and Kansas City was just a little too far away for us to give us a fighting chance.
When I think of how it has been SIX years since Tony started this program, it seems as though that should feel like a long time. But it has gone fast. In those 6 years we have done a lot of living. We got married. I commuted from South Bend to Chicago for two years to keep working at Lurie Children’s with some amazing people. We got a puppy. Then we got another puppy. We’ve dealt with heartache. We’ve made bucket lists for each season to keep on enjoying life when our natural instinct was to stay home in our own heads. Time flew!
Our relationship began in Kansas City, and in July we will head back there! We are both very excited that our lifestyle will not change too much. We can rent a cute little house with a fenced in backyard for our fur children and explore the many new aspects of Kansas City that have popped up since I’ve lived there. My resume is in serious need of updating- but for this weekend we are just going to be celebrating!
