Our Richmond-versary

We have officially lived in Richmond for a year now. It is one of those things that feels like it has been longer then that and shorter then that at the same time. It has been such a change for our family, living in the south and on the East coast, Nik going to medical school, and Grandma Carol living with us. It has been a year of growth, adventures, and learning new things.

Here are some things we have learned this past year:
1. It is hot here, so when you are outside it is best to hold really still and if possible put a towel over your head
2. In the fall plant pansys, then you can pull them up in the late spring
3. You must say "Hi, How are you? It is good to see you" etc before you ask for what you want
4. Fireflies (or lightning bugs if you are from the Carolinas) are AWESOME!
5. Cicadas on the other hand, are creepy
6. Just because the states are smaller and the cities are closer together, doesn't mean that getting from place to place is fast
7. The beach is freaking awesome when you don't have to wear a sweatshirt and you don't get hypothermia when you play in the ocean without a wet suit (Don't worry, the Pacific Northwest will always have my heart anyway)
8. "Peel" and "pill" are said the same way
9. Magnolia trees are messy messy messy
10. When walking the bulldog, it must be 82 or below otherwise his tongue turns blue and he throws up foam
11. Don't ever say anything bad about tobacco, tobacco companies, or cigarettes to the locals
12. Blond haired, blue eyed kids get a lot of attention at certain establishments, we have even got the comment from multiple very nice older African American women, "I like them white ones"
13. Pigs feet are not fried and it is absolutly rediculous to EVER suggest such a thing...
14. Even though we are about 2 hours away from one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, it is considered rural here (outside of Richmond of course)
15. Everybody sweats here, get over it. Your shirt will be soaked and your hair will be frizzy no matter what you do, just don't wear anything darker then white and you will be fine.
16. The world is really flat when you aren't living in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains
17. The South may have won the civil war... the jury is still out
18. If you went to the University of VA then you only wear khakis, polos, and boat shoes... probably because that is what Thomas Jefferson wore
19. Most people don't have a clue where Idaho is, it is probably next to Iowa and Illinois because all of the "I" states must be next to each other
20. And everybody thinks that Colorado is really cold... shhhh don't let out our secret
21. Moving 30+hours away from your family, friends, where you grew up, familiar sights and sounds is tough, thank goodness we have Skype, Facebook, and blogs to hold us all together

So here we go... we are well into the 2nd year of medical school, I think that I finally like my job again, Raivis is growing, changing, and getting smarter everyday, we sort of know what to expect from the weather, we have favorite/familiar places to eat here (come visit, the food here is AWESOME), and we have met a bunch of really great friends to go on this journey with. Plus we still have TONS of places to explore and things to learn. All in all, I'd call that a success.

Thanks for everybody's support and love this past year, we couldn't have survived without it!