random thoughts: by liz

travis is busy studying so i thought i would just share a few random, very random, thoughts i've been having.

1. the reason i haven't been blogging much lately is not because we aren't doing cool stuff; it is because i finally gave in to harry potter. i know, you can't believe i haven't read them yet. i consider myself a big reader and will read almost anything but for some reason i was completely against reading them. almost everyone i know has read them but for a long time i had no need. well, jennie has every single one of them and i needed a good book to read, so, 2 books later i'm ready to start #3. i'm not convinced yet.

2. speaking of reading...i got the book "i am a mother" for christmas. it is a book written by a woman who is a member of my church who used to be a c0-anchor on the cbs morning show. she had always dreamed of getting married and having children but this dream did not come true until a little later in life. once she had her first child she quit working to be a mother at home. i won't go into much detail but this book is so empowering for all mothers everywhere. i do realize that every situation is different, but i am so proud to be a mother. i really feel this is the most important job that i could do. never be ashamed when asked what you do to say "i am a mom"

3. travis and i often talk about how we are really good for each other because there's a lot i teach him about stuff he doesn't know and vice versa. for example, i teach him about entertainment news, american idol and most other reality shows, baking, make-up, why we need a bigger closet, etc. he, on the other hand, teaches me about baseball, talk radio, and my newest passion, politics. for some reason growing up i didn't pay much attention to politics. then in college amber and alissa had numerous conversations with each other debating different policies and ideas while alisa and i kind of sat back trying to figure out what they were talking about! for a long time i really wanted to know what was going on but didn't know where to even begin. this is why i'm so glad travis has taught me a lot about the political world and now i love it. i enjoy listening to talk radio, reading cnn.com, and especially following the candidates during this crazy primary season. it is very interesting and i love being able to talk to other people about it and share my own opinions. thanks trav!

4. last weekend travis was able to go out to colorado to spend a long weekend with his dad, uncle, cousins and brother-in-law at a dental conference for a couple days and then some bonus ski time, too. this was the first time travis has ever left me and calvin alone here in boston and i have to say, overall, it wasn't bad. at first i didn't think i would like feeling like a single mom but then i realized that this is what i do most days anyway. it only got lonely at night once calvin was in bed...but at the same time it was kind of nice to be able to do all the things i wanted to without feeling like i was either ignoring travis or bothering him while he studied. i also had plenty of excuses to eat ben and jerry's, rent 2 chick flicks, go out to eat one night, host girls night, etc. because travis was having a fun weekend! i have to say that i did really miss travis and i realized how much i love having him around. he is really busy during school but when we do have him, it's really nice. it's good to be away sometimes because then we remember how much we love each other.

5. this is the last random, i promise. if you've made it this far, way-to-go! so, we only have 18 months left in dental school and it's really starting to sink in...and i can't wait! it has made me reflect on all the memories we've had here and all the things we've done and i also want to make sure that we check all of those things off the list before we leave. i realize we do still have some time but 18 months out of 4 years, that's so easy! before we came out here i got some advice from my mother-in-law who has also been a dental student wife which helped me so much. she let me know how it's going to be and in turn, it hasn't been so bad. i know a few close friends and family who will soon enter the dental wife world so i thought i'd share a few pieces of advice i have: (in no particular order)

a. make some good, close friends. i really don't know what i would do without the friends i have made here and i know they will be life-long friends.

b. get involved. whether it's with work, the dental school, church or your neighbors, get out and do things. i've done dental school while working and with a baby and no matter your situation, it makes a huge difference if you just jump right in. your husband will be busy, so try and be busy when he's busy.

c. don't whine and complain! your husband is going to be busy and gone a lot! he is not going to want to come home to a nagging wife wondering why he doesn't want to spend time with you. this may sound harsh, but really, get over it! this is a great time for you to strenthen your talents and become independent!

d. explore your new city. travis and i have loved living in boston and on the east coast because we know we'll never live here again. we love going on our little day trips or weekend vacations.

e. it's ok to have a bad day. we all do. there are some days where i really wish i wasn't hundreds of mile from my closest family, doing laundry all day in a big city but the next day is usually better. isn't this the way life goes anyway?

i'm sure there's plenty more. any other student wives, feel free to add to my list. as for me, i've got some reading to do. until next time.