Moving on as best we know how: food, travel, theater

Since my last post, there's been a lot of catching up, soul searching, grieving, breathing, and not-so healthy lifestyle habits. But we've made it through a solid week back at home in Rhode Island and are slowing getting our world settled into its new normal without Diana as part of it.

While in Seattle we did get a chance to catch up for some much needed reconnecting with friends from medical school. John and Bri now live in Tacoma and we had an amazing dinner with them a few nights before we went home.

And I had the incredible chance to meet up with my "wine and magazine party" girls from medical school. All are now residents in Internal medicine, family medicine, and emergency medicine. How did we get four medical residents to be available on the same night at the same time to catch up over dinner? I'm still not certain

DeeDee and Matt got married last summer and now, as of the night we met up, are home owners! They bought a home in Seattle and had just moved in the day we met up for dinner. Now we all feel very "adult" given that we're doctors, we're buying houses, and we're having babies :)

As soon as we got back into Providence we both had about one day of work before we took off on our planned anniversary trip to New Jersey and New York City.

Why New Jersey? you ask? Because the University of Washington Huskies happened to be playing Rutgers on Labor Day weekend. At less than a 4 hour drive from Providence, we OBVIOUSLY had to go :).

They tried to emulate a "UW-like" tail gate, calling it the "battle at the shore" given UW's long history of having sail-gating and a waterfront view for all of the games. We enjoyed the sand castles and the spirit for sure

BBQ awaited us by a local family that brings their smoker to the game and we were quick to snatch it up

We ate enough for three (but some would say we're justified because I'm pregnant and all)

The enormous portion definitely contributed to the belly looking a little more pronounced than it has in the past :)

It was a beautiful day for a ball game

In keeping with their "battle at the shore" theme, they even incorporated hot tubs into the student section and had beach-towel give-aways to the fans.

We spent the night in Piscataway, NJ then woke the next morning to head to the Big Apple. I am definitely a tourist, having never been to New York City before. I was blown away (kind of as I expected to be) by the insanity that is a huge city with millions of people.

We were fortunate though to be taken great care of by my cousin Jamie and her husband Alex who live in Jersey City, just across the water from downtown. They graciously let us park at their place overnight so we didn't have to drive in the city or pay for ridiculous parking.

Our journey led us to NYC so we could see the broadway musical: Hamilton. Thanks to Tom's new job (ok, and some $$$) we were able to get tickets.

We snuck in time for my weekly "bumpie" (a pregnant selfie). She's coming along slowly but surely. I can't suck it in any more!

Broadway is right adjacent to times square. Also thanks to Tom's job and all of the traveling he is doing, he is racking up Marriott hotel points and therefore we got to stay in a hotel for free in the city! Our hotel was LITERALLY behind the big screens of the infamous tower of screens that you see every year on New Years Eve

The show was truly incredible. Tom and I were thrilled to get the opportunity to go. We definitely enjoyed it.

Although, we must say, the experience on Broadway wasn't necessarily anything more special than seeing shows in Seattle. So, I'm not so sure we'll be making our way back into the big apple for shows since they are so much more pricy than other cities :)

We actually got bumped from our original hotel which was overbooked, so we got comped to stay at a different hotel and got a bunch of freebies like free breakfast, free voucher for food in the hotel restaurant, and free frozen yogurt! So, after the show we were able to enjoy a little late night treat amidst ALL OF THE SCREENS.

While in jersey city we got to enjoy a nice walk with a view with Jamie, Alex and their pup Jackson.

This view is literally a 2 min walk from their front door!

We didn't take a group picture (because my sister wasn't there to help us remember to do such things...sorry Kristi!), but we definitely enjoyed our short, but sweet, time together.

We also got some of the BEST breakfast I've ever had. Now, some may not call this breakfast, but it was my kind of breakfast--- corn flake crusted bananas foster french toast on brioche bread. Are you kidding me? It's like they made it just for me! Kumquat loved it too :)

We were tourists around the city for a few hours as well.

Central Park was always on my bucket list so we had to check it out

And while we were in the city I felt like we had to take the opportunity, no matter how heavy, to go to the 9/11 memorial.

The photos in the exhibits obviously don't do justice, nor would any attempt at describing the feeling in the place. You should definitely go. That's all I'll say

Looking up at the freedom tower at the end was such a reminder of life, love, lost loved ones, tragedy and hope all mixed in one.

We drove out of the city and back to work for the night shifts.

But not without a stop up to Boston first to pick up a chair that I had fallen in love with for the nursery. Diana and I had been working together to find a rocking chair for the nursery. She found one at pottery barn kids that I loved, but I certainly didn't love the price tag. Well, thanks to combined efforts with my sister, she was able to find a used chair listed online while Tom and I were in Seattle for Diana's passing. I messaged the seller back adn forth who happens to be a pulmonary critical care fellow at Tufts University, expecting her third kiddo and outgrowing their small Boston apartment. Long story short, she and her husband (also a physician) arranged for us to come and pick up the chair and on the morning we met, refused any payment for the chair stating "residents take care of each other. Congratulations on your first baby, and consider this an early Christmas present." I almost lost it right then and there on the sidewalk in Boston. I hugged them both, teared up with gratitude and an overwhelming feeling of humility and thanks as we loaded a chair full of more meaning now than ever before into the truck. Thank you Diana for the gift you gave to me, and to the amazing couple in Boston who blessed us more than they will ever know!

Alright, back to work and away from emotions now :). I'm on night shifts and while it's crazy tough in terms of the schedule and the sheer number of patients to see and things to do, we did manage to sneak in 4 minutes (in 2 sets) of wall sits and 10 minutes of stairs as a group overnight. I think this photo summarizes the delirium of nights and our coping skills with how terrible our bodies feel quite well don't you?

I hit the 23 week mark! And now at work I get the folks that don't really know me having the courage to pipe up and ask if I'm pregnant because "you NEVER had a belly, and now it's like there's a little something there, so I can't help but ask." Ha!

That brings us back up to speed for the month I think.

Here's some photos I couldn't get myself to emotionally post at my last blog. It's from our kayaking adventure in early August to East Beach, a place I've been wanting to go since moving here and it definitely proved worth it!