Well, ladies and gentlemen, the results are in, and James has MATCHED for a neurosurgery residency at.......(drumroll)......WASH U! (No, I'm actually not kidding.) After seeing all of the other top programs, he decided that he had it pretty good here at Wash U and didn't want to leave. He listed Wash U as his first choice, and he got it! We're both pretty excited....he's excited to stay, and I'm excited to finally be able to look for a job. It's so nice to just KNOW after wondering for so long.

So anyway, we'll be in St. Louis for 7 more years, except for 6 months in the middle when we'll be in Ireland. As a part of the program, you spend half of your fourth or fifth year in a hospital in Dublin. You guys will all have to come visit us while we're there! Okay, well I've got a whole bunch of guys in my apartment celebrating and watching the UFC Fight Night, so I think I'd better go keep an eye on things...

We had a nice trip to DC after New Years to see the Sagar family. James planned a surprise trip for me while we were there - the Supreme Court! I've spent so much time reading the opinions that came out of that courtroom in the past two and a half years, and James knew that it would mean alot to me to get to visit the place where the buck stops with the law. It was so much fun!















We got some great presents from the Sagars - James got a beautiful North Face jacket and pants. I got a beautiful purse and a silver necklace with a black pearl in the center. We were both so pleased!















We also went to the Sackler gallery to see an amazing exhibit of some of the oldest versions of the Bible in the world. Get this....I actually saw some of the DEAD SEA SCROLLS!!!!















Of course, Jenny the cat took it all easy - she spent the whole time sleeping on the rug by the Christmas tree and in some of the empty present boxes on top of the tissue paper!