New York May 12-19, 2009

Dan graduated from Medical School on May 14th and the whole Blaine and Patrice Asay family (except for Andrew) went out to celebrate. Our family hadn't been together since Christmas 2007, and it was wonderful to be together again. I was so sad that Andrew couldn't be there with us, but he had to work and wasn't able to come.

Here are some highlights:

Dr. Dan

What an accomplishment. I was feeling very emotional during the graduation as I watched Dan receive his diploma. He worked so hard to reach this point and is such an impressive guy. I have always looked up to Dan, and I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished and become. It was the culmination of many grueling, miserable, draining hours, but he did it. Now for some more pain in residency!

Ithaca

After Dan's graduation in New York City, we drove up to see Scott, Trina and the girls in Ithaca. We got to see Scott's little office in this gorgeous building on the Cornell campus and get a little taste of their beautiful life.

The Girls

I think everyone would agree that the highlight of the whole trip was spending time with these two adorable little personalities! Evelyn and Allison are the two cutest girls I have ever met and I loved being around them. They really are so special. I hope our little girl is very much like them...

Hiking
Of course it wouldn't be a real Asay family vacation without lots and lots of hiking and walking. We hiked to some beautiful waterfalls and in some captivating forsests and parks. It was spectacular.Lisa and me.
(In real life I looked more pregnant than this picture lets on - I was 5 months here. Three random strangers even asked me when I was due during this trip, so I know that I must have looked noticeably pregnant!)Lisa, me, Trina, Evelyn

Hanging out like when we were kids...
It was wonderful to be with my family again. We all live so far apart now and it makes me sad. It is fun to get together now that we have grown up some and I love mixing our "grown-up" personalities. My siblings are so impressive and my siblings-in-law are perfect fits and I cherish the time we get to spend together. There were only a few instances when I got mad at myself for reverting back to acting like an immature 16 year old...hopefully I'll grow out of that some day.

Talking to AndrewI missed Andrew so much on this trip. The time difference made it challenging to find good times to talk and I was so sad to be without him. He is my best-friend and I missed sharing my family and fun with him. He is a wonderful husband and I am grateful for all of his sacrifices and hard work to support our little family. I love him so much.

The Whole Family (except Andrew, of course)

Me, Dan, Lisa, Matt, Scott, Allison, Trina, Evelyn, Mom and Dad

Thanks Mom and DadThanks for all you did to make this trip possible and so wonderful. We love you.