Milestones

Today was a day of milestones - some large and some small.

The large ones included:

1. Keith's final day of 11 years of medical training.

And he went out on a high note... literally. At the staff's request, he brought in his bagpipes and --to the great joy of the office and patients-- played a few tunes (the joy part is amazing; it's a small office and those things are LOUD)

Also at the staff's request, Luke and I visited the office to say good-bye. Everyone there has enjoyed Luke's visits since we arrived in Vancouver last summer. This time they marveled at his curls and super walking skills.

Every single person in the office, from Keith's two surgeon mentors to the nurses and front office gals, showed their true sadness about Keith's departure. It was very sweet and certainly a year he'll remember. They all wanted a photo with him and the bag pipes. Those pipes have always been a crowd favorite.

So, big monumental day and all, I expected to hear trumpets playing and fireworks firing as he exited the building. But no... it was just another Friday. Except that we were able to go out for happy hour overlooking the setting sun at Kits beach with a bottle of champagne and a chilled seafood platter:

Lovely adult time thanks to Renee, which brings me to large milestone #2...

2. Luke's final day with our wonderful babysitter Renee.

Renee has been watching Luke for a couple of afternoons per week since January and has been a fantastic caretaker and playmate for him. She is the first non-grandparent person to watch Luke, so we have come to really trust and appreciate her. When we walked in today, she had him laughing hysterically about a toy that we've had for months and I've never seen him even notice. But that's what she's like - she does whatever it takes to make him happy. We'll miss Renee. Here she is with Lukey:

And, not to be forgotten -- the small milestones:

1. I completed a big writing project and my to-do list of moving prep tasks.

I'm glad this is our last significant move, for sure... at least for the foreseeable future. The moving topic deserves it's own blog post, and since I didn't have a blog when we moved the last three times, I think I'll work on one. It will include things like how a second-rate moving company (which I selected because they were the cheapest) lost a few things like our bed, our college diplomas, Keith's medical school diploma, and other important bits & pieces. Let's just say I learned a lot about moving long distance). Stay tuned for that post... probably after we complete this move, incase there are a few more rich anecdotes to add.

2. I got a haircut.

It's only a milestone because it's my first cut since the day before Luke was born! Since my hair always (and only) looks nice when I get a salon haircut and have it professionally blown out, I asked Keith to take a photo of Luke and me on our balcony. Because who knows when it will ever be blown-dry again. Then again, we're moving to Utah, where the dry climate makes every day a good hair day for my thick and wavy mane!