Sunday, October 20, 2013

San Diego ....Our first Conference!



Mike had a conference in San Diego, and I got to go with him to.  This was a first for many reasons.  
 A first for us to be together in San Diego
A first for us to meet  "Best" friends from residency also attending.
A first for Mike to reunite with his brother at a conference (he is a hope to be soon ortho resident).
A first for us to both leave our four children for more than two nights  (we went for three):)
A first for us to enjoy being treated a bit more like an attendee than a resident....even though we have eight more months to go.

By the end of the trip I must say.....I hope it wasn't the last:) I think we enjoyed it just that much more because of firsts.  We have both been working hard, and a vacation just felt GOOD!
The minute we walked off the plane to pure sunshine.....I took a deep breath in and felt "like I was home".  I LOVE the sunshine!!   

We enjoyed a little shopping around Horton Plaza.  I completely enjoyed "prepping" it up and playing a completely different life than my actual "real" one.:) I mean..... when was last time I really wore a sweater around my neck....only in San Diego:)  



We ate A LOT of good Mexican food. WE LOVE Mexican food, and have really missed out for a LONG LONG TIME.


We got to run along the coast line......
Deanne was our trainer for a couple of the mornings...and I still can't sit down.  



I actually read a  book for the first time in a LONG Time.  "THE PARIS WIFE"......I couldn't put it down.  The entire time I was reading I was thinking of my brother who is visiting Paris for a week.  That lucky boy!





San Diego was Gorgeous.  The best part other than being with my husband, was catching up with these GIRL friends of MINE.  

What would I have done over the years of residency without good girl friends, and these at the top of the list.  I often joke with Deanne.....I use the phrase WWDD (What Would DeAnne Do?)  She got me through some sticky situations, some long days, and some tears along the way.  We have laughed, cried, and laughed some more over the years.  The best kind of therapy any woman can have.  




They are all attendee veterans of a couple of years, and offer great advice and constant support.  We are acutally following McWhorter's to Arizona for a fellowship.  They are good sale's people for Arizona, that is for sure:)  

I sat at dinner with these five couple friends of ours and almost started to cry reminiscing about the past.  These friends of ours know us better than most!  They know the good, the bad, the ugly, and hopefully the best sides of us.  
It is great to have them in our lives as examples, mentors, and friends.  I always heard that you make the best friends while living away.  I never truly understood what that meant, until now.  There is a forever bond that is just a "BLESSING".  
These friends of ours our living literally "all" over the world in Hawaii, Wisconsin, Price, Utah, Arizona, Kansas and Texas.  It is very entertaining to hear about their lives in each of these spots.  Hillary can't imagine life without a surf board and shoes, Tara can't imagine a town with a spa, DeAnne can't imagine a town without a spa and a Nordstrom's, Katie lives On Lake Michigan and is gearing up the COLD winter.  And myself.....I just get to listen and be entertained by them all.  I LOVE IT!



Mike's cute younger brother Dan was there as well.  We got to spend some good time with him, and we look forward to conferences with all the Sumko men in the future.  



Deanne, Tara, and myself caught up with life through shopping, laughing, and eating.  We all laughed A LOT....

Nothing surprises me in big cities.  I had to get a picture of this dog who "stopped" traffic completely. 


It was Brian McWhorter's birthday so a cold stone cake was necessary. 


I fell in LOVE with San Diego all over again.  It had been years since I had visited.  I loved the weather, the food, the nautical feel and decor.....
It is like the East meets the West.  Classy, but sunny!  Old, but new!


All in all....I am still in San Diego mode and am not sure when I can snap out of it.  The vacation is over, but I am not over the with vacation.  

:)  Good thing we have one more day till the work/school week ahead! 

1 comment:

DeAnn McWhorter said...

We truly had the best time! MANY MORE TO COME! You are a doll! I love the way you word everything!