So Proud!

At the end of Andy's first week of school in August, all the students were recognized as entering the medical community and were officially draped with their white coats. It was a nice ceremony at the quad on the Health Science campus at USC in which they read the Hippcratic oath.

Andy's family came down for the ceremony/reception to celebrate and we had a wonderful time with them.

Annaliese is certainly proud of her daddy and how hard he works!

Andy is enjoying the beginning of med school and has the daunting task of studying so hard, yet still balancing life at home with a pregnant wife and active toddler daughter - he does so well with all of it though! He rides his bike to school 3 times a week and gets a good work out that way (6 miles each way). He has made some friends with whom he can study with and we've had also been able to get together with a few of them and their wives/kids. It is nice to know we're not the only crazy ones who took a round about way into med school and have a family as well! Next week, I'll try to get a picture of him in his scrubs (he's such a hottie!). He has already gotten to meet patients and has been learning so much!

As the time approaches for our son to enter the world, we're praying that he comes after his due date (Oct. 8th), since the week of Oct. 4-8 is Andy's first week of comprehensive exams! Although it would be excused if he had to miss part of the testing, it would be great to have that first set down before adding another little one to the family! Please join us in praying for a smooth and safe delivery (hopefully after Oct. 8th)!

Mr. & Mrs. Dollahite

We set them up and it worked!!!

Andy's brother Jon & Ashley, a former co-worker at Immanuel Schools, got married in June! [pictured at their rehearsal dinner]

It was a beautiful day in Arroyo Grande and we were both in the wedding party, so it was a little crazy. Fortunately, my parents watched Annaliese so that we could participate in all the festivities without worrying about her! She was an adorable dancer out on the floor though! (sorry we didn't take pics of the lovely bride and groom on the day since they had such wonderful photographers)

We're here!

We've officially been living here in Los Angeles County, in the city of Alhambra (about 6 miles north east of the USC Health Science campus, which is very near downtown L.A.), for a month now! We love our little old house that we're renting, with all it's little quirks and issues.

Although dealing with the drama of getting a truck/trailer from U-haul that was too small (even though we'd reserved a much larger truck nearly a month prior) made things MUCH more difficult, we were so THANKFUL to our friends who helped us load up from my parents' house in Reedley (not pictured) and the friends who came down to help us unload! These guys as well as my mom, who came for the first several days to help settle in, were such a blessing to us - I can't even explain how helpful they all were.

We've loved being able to walk downtown to restaurants/coffee/dessert (while we were being spoiled/treated by mom when she was visiting and we were all unpacking), as well as the library, a couple different parks & grocery stores, and churches we've visited. Annaliese has handled the move with as much grace as you can imagine any almost-2-year-old possibly could. The only real issue we discovered was that we had assumed that she'd gladly go back to her crib (she used to love it), but had been sleeping in a Pack-n-Play for over a month and just preferred to continue. Since her "big girl bed" was one of the things that got left behind when we had the small truck/trailer to move, I'm just waiting to transition her from the Pack-n-Play straight to the bed soon (before the little one arrives).

Annaliese has also been talking up a storm!!! She will mimic anything anyone says or does, so we all have to be extra careful! :) She knows SO MUCH including colors, animals & their sounds, and her favorite tv characters and is learning her letters and numbers. She really is a little sponge right now! Yesterday, she wanted to do "pree har" (pretty hair) with all sorts of bows & clips while I was getting ready in the bathroom. It was a crack-up so I had to share.

Back at the ranch

Sorry, friends. In all the craziness, and in my attempt to go in chronological order of events (there have been lots), I've not posted for all of July & August. But here we are in September, and I'll just do them in random order, as the fancy strikes me... (here's one I had started, but never posted awhile ago):

We will miss all our dear friends from church! We had a wonderful time sharing dinner and chasing after all the little ones. Annaliese miss her little friends as well (especially Ellyann - who went to bed and missed the pic).

We all loved living at Nannie Pie & Opa's house before we moved down! My parents blessed us so much by letting us live with them for over 2 weeks, eating their food and taking over their home! As you can see, my mom didn't mind too much!

We also had another goodbye party with family and other friends (on my 30th birthday), but it turned out Annaliese caught a bad virus which involved a really high fever that evening, so it was a tough night (and several days following). We were so thankful to see everyone that came though and we know that others would have loved to have been there.

We miss everyone so much!

Craziness

Here's a little update of the craziness that we've been up to lately:

Completed items (YEAH!!!!):

• Find renters for our house
• Collect a lot of boxes/bubble wrap
• Andy's brother's wedding in Arroyo Grande - happy 1 week anniversary!!!
• Find a place to live in L.A. (2 trips)
• Have a giant garage sale
• Andy finish working at BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant (just finished last night!)

Still in progress:

• Go to Andy's extended family reunion in Alabama/see other family in upstate NY for about 11 days (7/3 - 7/13)
• Pack all our stuff into these 4 categories - for the AL/NY trip, for the remaining couple of weeks in July after the trip but before we move to LA, for LA, and for long term storage (confusing? you bet! I am too!)
• Determine loans, scholarships, health insurance, and other details for switching to a different medical school in mid-May
• Take care of and hang out with our toddler daughter as well as go to maternity check-ups

So we'll be moving out of our house by the end of June so that our renters can move in. Then we'll go to another wedding locally, fly to AL, fly to NY, fly home, have a couple of weeks in July during which we'll stay with my parents and say good-byes to friends & family locally, visit our dear friends the Dauphins who had just had their baby girl in the Santa Cruz area, Andy will go on a quick backpacking trip in the Sierras, and I may be working a bit in Fresno. Then we'll move down to LA around the 1st of August.

Phew... is it any wonder that I can't really sleep with so much going on?!? Please pray for us!! We know God preparing the way for us.

7 Years

We are so blessed to have been married for

7 YEARS!!!

We've been through ups and downs, but we've been joyfully side-by-side since June 21, 2003. That day was such a joyful and blessed "door way" into our life together. We have such sweet memories of the wedding and reception... from the heights of anticipation, to my (Stephanie's) nervousness that lead to trying to put the ring on Andy's right hand :) during the ceremony, to the overwhelming gladness of having (most) everyone that we love and that love us surrounding us in support of our union.

God has been and will continue to be our foundation. It is wonderful knowing that we can display our marriage relationship and happiness in one another to children. Even though we're not perfect, they get to see us work it out daily and rely on the Lord for everything. It is adorable how Annaliese loves to have us kiss each other after we both kiss her... she'll push our heads together and we know that she knows that we love each other.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner out with Annaliese and my parents to celebrate at one of our favorite restaurants in Fresno, Campagnia.

To Andy: It is with rich joy that I recall the past 7 years that God has been knitting our hearts closer and closer together in marriage and it is with great honor that I look forward to journeying through this next crazy chapter of our lives together. With the Lord on our side and our 7 year foundation beneath us, I know we will be a great team.

I love you, my man. Thank you for loving me.

Ode to Ji Hae

Our Korean host daughter has gone home to visit her family and will be moving to Texas after she returns in 5 weeks. (Isn't she beautiful!?! Andy took her senior pictures and they turned out amazingly!) We will miss her so much and will continue to love and pray for her as God molds her into a lovely and Christ-seeking young woman.

Just as Andy wrapped up his last year of teaching (for a total of 5 full time years at Immanuel High School), Ji Hae graduated and we had a fun party to celebrate her accomplishment and wish her well as she moves to Texas for junior college.

We're so proud of her and Ji Hae will always have special place in our hearts and in our family. Annaliese misses her terribly and asks for her by name as well as "calls" her on her various toy phones. We love you "Ji Ji!"