The Hazard Chronicles

Right now it is early morning and I am the only person awake. I am sitting on my front porch right now and commiserating over the past four years. There is a light rain falling- enough for the sounds and smells of rain but not enough to keep the birds from singing. It is beautiful.

I've been thinking about how great Cleveland has been to us. Rachel and I came here not really knowing what to expect. Actually, the very first time Rachel saw Cleveland was from the train- and she cried. Little did we know that we would totally fall in love with this place.

Part of it has to do with the sheer number of things to do around here. I think we can definitely say that we have "done" Cleveland. Of course there is the Rock and Roll hall of fame and the Cleveland Indians. But we have also gone to all sorts of different festivals, museums, venues, markets, parks, beaches, and attractions that are a little off the beaten path. And just when I begin to think that I have explored every nook and crany this city has to offer another surprise will pop up. That is the cool thing with big cities- they always have surprises. There is always something going on and some place to go. It's been a lifestyle that has worked well for us.

Another major contributor to the love I have for Cleveland comes on a more personal level. The other day I told Evelyn "her" story. I walked with her outside and told her about when we brought her home from the hospital. I brought her into our bedroom and showed her where the crib was, and then into the kitchen and pointed out where she would sit and eat. I showed her pictures of "baby Eva" when she was leaning to crawl and showed her the place where she took her very first steps. We then went back outside and I took her down to the forest at the end of our street and told her about how this was the first "walk" I ever took her on when she was just 2 weeks old.

As I was doing this, it really hit me that Cleveland will always have a special meaning to me because this is where it all started. When Rachel and I arrived here four years ago we did not have any children and our house felt huge! Well, according to some people we are now a large family, and somehow the home we have lived in for the past four years has taken on a much smaller size. I can't say exactly how I know this, but I think that being here for these few short years has permanently effected my family and the people we will all one day become. It's just a feeling I have.

When I think of Cleveland I also feel a certain sense of accomplishment. On the first day of dental school our dean came and gave a speech to our incoming class. At that time he told us to mark on our calendars May 15, 2011 . That was the day that we would become doctors. Well, in case you haven't noticed, that day is today. It's sort of crazy to me that this is the end. I have had this goal for a long time and finally it is happening. Later today I will proudly put on my wizard robes and march up in front of everybody to receive my diploma. And I won't lie- that feels good.

All of these thoughts were going through my head yesterday as we loaded up our truck. The friends, the activities, the living, the learning, the playing. Our house now looks a lot like it did when we moved in- empty. But it's not. Instead, it feels profoundly different. This house is still overflowing with love and with memories (and with people), and even without all of our stuff in it, it is still our home. Cleveland is our home. And we are leaving.

Goodbye Cleveland- it's been fun.

On to different (but not necessarily greater or better) adventures. Life is exciting.

Pictures: Obviously some of these were taken after I wrote the post.

First I'll show all of the obligatory graduation pictures. I like the wizard robes. They make me feel smart.

Here's Evelyn and Luke watching us load up the truck.

Here's Grandma, Addy, and Jackson watching us load the truck.

And here's Evelyn and Rachel- watching us load up the truck. It actually only took us about 20 minutes to load thanks to Rachel's excellent planning. All of the boxes we used were exactly the same size and all of the furniture was already disassembled. I have helped a lot of people move, and let me just say that we were easy. I am proud of that.

Notice Rachel's swollen cheek. Sadly, she had to have a tooth pulled this week. Even sadder- I couldn't be the one to do it because I had to stay home with the kids. Saddest of all- the doctor who did the extraction gave her over FORTY shots! WOAH! Talk about overkill. My jaw hurts just thinking about it.



We spent a lot of time at the park and just hanging out. It has been great having my parents and Allison here. They have been super helpful, and it has also been a lot of fun.