We knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but we are happy with sooner for sure. Kori, my dear friend from college (and a member of my email group) is now officially engaged! Our email group, RaChelle Hendricks, Anna Ganske, Melissa Roskam and myself have been absolutely obnoxious – pestering Kori about this. Not that we are taking credit for an engagement or anything – but we certainly are excited for them! The wedding will be during Labor Day weekend in Nampa, Idaho on the Schmidt family homestead.

It’s like the first day of school but not! Telfer has now been working at the VA hospital in Loma Linda as a medicine intern for nearly two weeks. Although the patient population is decidedly homogeneous, he is having a great time and working really hard. I, the family pessimist (which is fairly funny but compared to Telfer, I definitely fit that bill) am relieved that the hours are not nearly as bad as I had been thinking.

Telfer and I, in a celebration of his last days as a footloose and fancy-free physician, went to the musical, Wicked, at the Pantages. Let’s just say I have been singing along (of course I have the CD now) ever since we went (and I really can’t sing all that well)- in case you don’t know what Wicked is about – it’s a retelling of the Wizard of Oz – from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. But is she really wicked? That’s the question of course.

We have officially recovered from the Graduation festivities. Telfer continues to work away all day every day on the house – until the end of June when he starts his intern year (and then it will be working all day every day on people). Since the beginning of June we have finished painting the guest room (I cannot seem to take good pictures of the room hunched in the doorframe – you all will just have to come see us!) and finished painting and putting together the bathroom. Very fun. This weekend we helped some of our friends from our bible study move and so little progress was made on our house – not that we are complaining at all – moving someone else was a nice, needed change of pace. Last week we actually had friends over for dinner and we are definitely feeling like we can relax here and there.

Picture 1: THE LIBRARY…Picture 2: Andrea reading in the room for the first time…Picture 3…The Living Room…Picture 4: Dining Room…Picture 5: Yellow bathroom with A SHOWER…Picture 6: Telfer typing away in the kitchen

Graduation was the first time I actually sat down in our new house – let me tell you, it felt good. We still have a lot to do but the house feels a little lived in finally. The kitchen is nearly pulled together thanks to my mom who made curtains and a bench seat pad for us. Telfer gave her all the measurements and she just sewed her little heart out – thanks Mom!

This week we (well, mostly Telfer) is painting the rest of the molding in the living room and dining room and getting ready to paint the guest room and the bathroom. Sense a theme? Hopefully this weekend we can get a lot of it done…I think Telfer especially is ready for the painting bit to come to an end…