Living, Loving, Learning

Bruce starts his new job on August 20 th !! It is all happening soooo quickly. So, so much to do in such a small amount of time (moving day will probably be Aug. 14 th or so). Due to a little detail (Sunshine), we will not be able to live in the rental home we were originally planning to use, so now we are officially scrambling to find a place to live down there for a few months until we can buy something. Although, the Moms have been real peaches and offered to take care of Sunshine for us until we can bring her down, we still want to try to find a place that will accommodate her. Life just isn't as sweet without her around. Because the town is so small, I am not having very much luck with the Internet for finding housing so I am hoping I can talk to some people down there on Monday. We also need to start working with a mover and getting the dates set, although, it will be helpful to know whether or not our new place will be furnished.....need to make plans with friend

Don't believe me...it's true, the sign says so: I just got off the phone with Bruce. The hospital called him and made him a very attractive offer and he accepted the job!!!! I am so proud of Bruce. All his hard work and endless hours of studying have paid off in a huge way. He will be the first from his graduating class to have received a full-time position in the field. We will be working out the timeline over the next week or so, but we will definitely be in Madisonville before we see the golden rays of September. As the details come together I will post them. In the meantime, if you are in the MI area, let's make sure to get a date on the books to spend some good time together soon. I have had a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge for a month in preparation for this glorious day and now it is time to celebrate!

On our way down to Kentucky, we stopped at Pa n' Ma Gast's home. Bruce's sister, Kelly, husband Eric and 3 fabulous kids came up for a night. Griffin LOVES these kids. He's not alone, everyone loves these kids. They are sweet, polite, and full of fun and adventure. The kind of kids that carry around sparkles in their eyes. Can you tell I am fond of my nephews and nieces?? Here are some photos, for those who haven't seen them since our wedding. BRADLEY MATTHEW ABIGAIL The kids had a great time playing with bubbles that Grandma had bought them. The big boys let Griffin blow the bubbles AT them, which he thought was hysterical. Bradley and Matthew are so patient with Griffin, never giving him a harsh word or playing too rough, but always willing to play with him and teach him things. It was so fun to see Griffin so enamored by them. Grandma and Grandpa bought a water ice machine for the occasion and that was definitely a highlight for the kids. I think Griffin tal

"Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belooonnnnggggg......" We are home from our big road trip to Kentucky. If there is one thing we are really good at, it is road tripping and Griffin has really gotten with the program. We had a really smooth (albeit long...Bruce has a thing for taking the "back roads" and having to trade in our rental car for another in Ann Arbor due to some funky smoke coming out of it) drive down and back from Madisonville, Kentucky. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The town itself is small, OK, tiny...minuscule really. BUT, what it lacks for in size it makes up with in friendliness and accessibility. The town offers all the necessities including a state of the art medical facility. Bruce really enjoyed his interview and would be very happy to work there. He got along really well with all his possible co-workers (his would-be boss makes mandolins in his spare time) and he believes the hospital would offer him exciting challenges. They also ha

The Gast family has logged many miles and many smiles in the last few days. Our trip to Virginia went very well, travel delays aside (we can thank Northwest for that!). Our little flyer did terrific and received an amazing amount of attention, thanks to his little cap. The Eastern Shore offers an eclectic mix of seaside, farmland and tiny villages. Although surrounded by water, the Chesapeake Bay on one side, the Atlantic ocean on the other, there is really only two beaches available. This is a boater's/fisherman's paradise. Many bays and inlets surrounded by marsh allow for a fantastic array of sea life. Bruce's interview went really well. He was told that the hospital would be making a final decision by the end of the month so it may be a few weeks before we know anything for sure. I think our favorite part of the trip was an evening spent in Cape Charles, having a fantastic dinner at Aqua and frolicking in the bay at sunset. We are home for a few days now, all nursing ba