We made it to Charlottesville!

  -our road-

-the park right outside our door-

We're finally in Virginia... it's a strange feeling.

We've talked about medical school since we were dating. We knew it was in our future, yet for so long it was just that. Just a vague experience that one day we'll start. It never seemed like it would actually be here. But here we are! In our little apartment on the other side of the country.

Before we left, we celebrated Tay's birthday with everybody. It was the day before he left with the moving truck, so everybody wrote down advice for us. Jer put it all together in a little book and I read it on the plane ride over here. Our family is so supportive and gave us some great advice we need to remember! It was the only time on the plane rides that any tears fell. :) Mostly I was just so grateful for everybody.

It sure was quite the process to move out here! Taylor, my dad, and his dad all went together. They are are saints. Absolute saints, I tell ya! They drove a 22 foot moving truck with a trailer all the way out here. They made it in about 3 ½ days. Then when they got here, there was more work to be done! Unloading. Ugh... moving is just the worst! Every part of it is arduous and hard work. However, our new ward is already amazing and the Elder's Quorum president along with several youth came over to help them move in. I am so grateful for that. Not only that the men were able to get help, but now our ward knows we've moved in and they're aware that a new family is here!

When we looked at these apartments in April we were so excited. We had just seen dumpy apartment after dumpy apartment. Or we'd finally find out that was descent, and you needed a certain income level that we couldn't meet. (duh... we're in medical school losing money, not gaining!) We were getting so discouraged and I honestly was devastated. It sounds dramatic, but I pretty much thought that life was not going to be happy once we moved out here. I wish you guys could see how bad the student housing was that we looked at! I do not know how anyone can be happy living there.

We finally came across this place, and we both got super excited about it! We were pretty nervous about the income requirement though, so we tried to get our hopes up too high. Well, obviously everything worked out and we were able to move in! So here's the point of the story. When we walked through the show apartment, it was super nice and new and clean. Now, I realize that show apartments are always much nicer than the one you actually move into, but this one was a totally, completely, different apartment.

When the men finally got here, I guess they walked into our apartment and it was pretty depressing! Smelled like smoke and dust, looked pretty grungy, and definitely didn't have some of the things they said it would have in the walk-through of the show apartment. Well... technically they didn't lie about everything. For example: They told us that every master bedroom has a walk in closet. Definitely something I was excited about... we need a lot of storage room! Well, our apartment does have a walk-in closet, but the closet also just happens to be the laundry room... Seriously??? Yes, seriously. So now we have a washer and dryer in our closet and no room for anything else! We still haven't figured out where to put all of our clothes...

Anyway, the men knew I would burst into tears if I flew to Virginia and saw that this is where i'd be living for at least the next year. So they were so sweet and tried really hard to do everything they could to make it better. First, they cleaned up. I mean going-out-and-buying-carpet-cleaner-and-febreeze-and-weeding-the-window-boxes kind of clean up. Then they did what they called added “Heidi touches”. And this part almost made me cry. They got out one decoration from all of the boxes, set it on the side table of our now fully set up living room and along with fresh flowers and my favorite candy bar and displayed that so I would see it when I first came in. They also did countless other things like buy us a desk and set it up before they went, because our desk didn't make it through the move. They set up Leah's crib and bed. They just did everything! (including stocking up the fridge with Coke, cause they knew we'd need it! And we did!)

-our humble apartment... but these are just BEFORE pics. Wait until I paint and decorate :)-

Okay... this post is ridiculously long. Let me just quickly say how good Leah was for the flights! We noticed she had a fever right when we got to the SLC airport, so after my mom dropped me off (that was brutal.. I hate saying goodbye!) then I quickly went and got some medicine for her. As sad as it was, it made for a very easy flight! She watched Curious George for about 45 minutes, and then slept the rest of the 3 ½ hour flight. Our next flight was an hour, and she slept the entire time. I doubt another two year old has even been so good on a plane! The poor thing though, it really was sad! I'm glad she was able to sleep.

So now we're here... in this apartment that needs a lot of TLC. But with some love and new paint (and yes, I CAN PAINT!!!) it will honestly be totally liveable. We really can be happy here, I think. It's definitely a step down from where we were living, but what do you expect going through medical school? We're fine to live a little down from what we would prefer. It's all part of this crazy journey...

Next step, meet some friends! :) Hopefully that happens soon!

My 2013 Goal

The other day I was reading Casey Weigand's blog. She is a beautiful mother to 3 beautiful kids 3 and under. It's a very inspiring blog! You should take a look. Anyway, I read a post written by her about wanting to be better. A better person. A better wife. A better mother. Then at the end of that post, she says something that really has already changed my life for the better.

"I am tired of playing the games of this world. I am not of this world, so I no longer should be impacted by it."

It sounds cliche that this already has changed me. But it has. It has allowed me the courage to follow her and be not of this world. Like she said, I really am not of this world. So why do I let it impact me so much? Why do I care what other people think? 
                               
                
For some reason I have always struggled with caring about what other people think. I think this stems back from getting married so young. At first I was strong because I knew it was right. So it didn't matter what other people said or thought. But as time went on, these comments wore on me. I started feeling stupid and hated the fact that I did something no one approved of. Well, no one OF THE WORLD approved of it. My heavenly father did approve of it. Anyway, ever since then I have been more self conscious about what the world thinks of my decisions. Stupid, I know...

But "I am tired of playing the games of this world". I am tired of wondering what others will think. I am tired of editing my thoughts and decisions before the world sees them.

I don't mean that I'm always fake and not really myself. I'm just usually only about 90% of myself, and hide things or thoughts that I am scared I will be judged by.

Not anymore. I am now always going to be myself 100% of the time. I am no longer scared of getting judged by those of the world. I truly no longer care.

It is freeing.

It gives me strength.

It is refreshing!

So here's to a new year of being in this world, but not OF it.

Cheers. :)

(besides.. If I didn't get married when I did, I wouldn't have this beauty with me. I wouldn't trade that for anything!)

Wishing You a Happy New Year

We hope you all have a fabulous New Years Eve and a Happy New Year!

Love,

The Nortons

Thank you, Virginia!

Well, tomorrow we are off to St. Louis for Taylor's last medical school interview. I can't believe we're to this point! He has gone to Baylor, University of Virginia, Denver, and now to Wash U in St. Louis tomorrow. He ended up canceling his interview in Ohio because.... Virginia already offered him a spot for next year!!! :) It is the best news. Now, no matter what happens with the rest of the interviews, we are for sure going to medical school. I am so proud of him! Tay has worked his butt off for all of this. He is going to make one great and very good looking doctor. :)

School is still going well for me. I actually had the opportunity to work with a company that needed their product packaging redesigned. It was really fun! I worked on a team with 5 other students. It was great to work with a real client and to see how the process goes in real life. I absolutely love Graphic Design so far and am so happy I finally figured out what I want to do in life!

I just wanted to write down some everyday things that Leah does right now. Whenever she gets really excited about something, she does this hilarious cackle.. it's so funny! She gets super excited and then does this deep laugh that sounds quite evil, but really it's when something good happens to her. She also says "wow!" a lot and it makes me feel pretty impressive when I show her something. :) She knows how to make me feel good.

She still loves to be outside every minute of the day, even with these cold mornings we've been having! She loves to put on her boots, her jacket with her hood on, and head outside to ride on her bus. She even likes to push me on her mini bus! It's a pretty funny site.

We've been doing some speech therapy with Leah. My cousin is speech therapist and she is so generous to just let us come to her house and she'll do a little "session" with Leah and then coach me how to do it at home. Leah has improved a lot lately, but still isn't where she should be. She's a little perfectionist and I think she just doesn't want to say anything until she knows she will say it correctly!

Sorry to ramble on and on. I just wanted to make sure I wrote a little about what is happening right now! We are very excited about the future and are still loving the present.

First Medical School Interview

Taylor leaves for his first medical school interview tomorrow! It is so exciting! His first interview is at Baylor in Houston and then monday he has one at University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

He's going to blow their minds with his amazingness! I just know it!

Life via Instragram

We went to Bear Lake over Labor Day with the Norton's. As you can see, it was beautiful up there!

Leah had just learned her new yoga move, Warrior. She loves to show that off! She's so serious about it, it's funny.

She loved the lake and could have stayed out there all day. Too bad it was rainy and cooler weather, but it was perfect weather to go outside and play some flag football and play at the park.

Our backyard view right now. I am falling in love with fall. I've never loved it as much as this year. Having a view like this sure helps.

Many of you heard about Leah's incident with eating the top of a red pencil. Not the proudest mama moment... but it made for some cute pictures!

Taylor has somehow convinced Leah that mate is delicious! She loves it! I can't quite figure it out... it tastes like grass and dirt. She also has been way into wearing her sunglasses. She constantly slides them up on her forehead to see better, and then back down to look cool. :)

What Skyline Would You Choose?

Update on our current life happenings.

Taylor has applied to medical school and we are in the process

of hearing back for interviews. It's been so exciting and fun

thinking about where we'll be in a year.

For the past 3 years I have said a prayer in my heart that we will go to the University of Utah. It sounded scary to move away from family and friends.

We know Utah...we are happy here. I love Salt Lake

and was excited to experience it a little more

in depth while in Medical school.

However, the past year or so I just knew deep down that we weren't going to end up there. You know that gut feeling? At first I pretended like I didn't really know. I was denying it. However, as time went by I slowly started accepting that feeling. I started researching other places we had applied. 

At one point I actually started getting excited about the possibility of living somewhere new. For the first time I was totally open to the idea of moving.

Taylor and I talked just a while ago about our possibilities. We both really felt

like we were going to move, and we were both really open to it.

Since then, we found out that the U of U doesn't accept

AP English. That made it so Taylor didn't have enough english credits to even apply there. He could sign up and take an english class to maybe get an interview to maybe get accepted, or we could  take the opportunity to go to a better school and have an adventure.

It was at this point that we decided to not even finish applying at the U. You know what? We have been so happy with that decision!

Both of us are so excited to move and start a new adventure. You get to a point in life where you aren't being challenged. While this is great to have in certain seasons of your life, it also stops growth from happening.

I'm ready to grow and move on to a new chapter. Both me and Tay feel like we wouldn't be able to grow and progress as individuals if we stayed in Utah for medical school.

I still can't comprehend what it will be like to live far away from our families. I start crying randomly, thinking that we will be gone for at least 4 years... more likely 9.

But I just know we are supposed to move. So I know that's where we will be the happiest.

He has been invited to six interviews so far. 

One in each of the following cities, but two in st. louis.

I don't know much about any of these cities yet. Any information would be super helpful! We are super excited for the interviews and to see the places so we can get a better feel of where we might be living.

Sorry for the long post!

Oh ps... I am now in a Graphic Design program and am loving it! I am so glad I started it. I should be able to finish by the time we move, so it will work out great. I didn't know I would ever smile the whole time i'm at school. But I really do cause I love what I'm learning. :)