MONTH ONE & DONE (RESIDENCY)

Well, we did it. We made it through the first month of residency-- on call, middle of the night pages, and busy days and nights. Besides the major lack of sleep (on both parts), Derek is learning a lot and operating even more. With him working between 13-15 hours a day, and me juggling my work schedule, church, house hold duties, and such, we have been keeping super busy. Our TV has rarely been turned on, and at night we have been enjoying late dinners while talking about our days. Derek was recently e-mailed an article about the high divorce rate of medical residents, because of the hectic schedules they keep. It was quite an interesting read, and even more so since Podiatrists have one of the lowest divorce rates among US careers. I think the most important thing to remember in this phase in our life, just like when Derek was in school & doing clerkships, is to cherish the time we have together.  Even if it's just a quick little trip down to the corner store for an ice cream, a swim in the pool, or a full Saturday spent at the beach. I also try very hard to get all housekeeping (cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, errands) done during the week after work to leave our Saturdays-if Derek not on call-open. I honestly can't think of anything more painful the fighting crowds at Costco, Target, & Trader Joe's on a Saturday. I guess you could say it's almost as painful as trying to get Derek to smile for a picture.