Farewell Rochester

Oh man, this one is a hard one. We have had the best experience living in Rochester, Minnesota.  We are better because of the people we have met and the experiences we have had.  I am so grateful we were able to have this opportunity.  People always say things like "I don't know how you do it" or "wow that is a long time to become a doctor" but my honest answer is that we have had such a wonderful experience I can't imagine our lives without it.  We are happy, we have met incredible people, we have had unique experience, and we are stronger as a family because of it.  I wouldn't trade this route for anything.  Here are some reason why we LOVE Rochester and why it's been so hard to leave (in no particular order):


1. FRIENDS:
Okay this really is the biggest reason we loved living in Rochester.  Our ward was full of residents (around 30), and each resident was married with lots of young kids.  Everyone was going through similar struggles and we understood each other very well because of it.  Going to church solo without Spencer was never a big deal because I knew there would be multiple other ladies with their kids and no husband.  There was a silent strength that came from it.  We all lived far from family and so we did everything together--holidays, birthdays, vacations…! Life was busy, life was fun, and our friends were spectacular people. Honestly, some of the best people you will ever meet.  They were hard working, fun, unique, hilarious, and not afraid to be themselves.  It was fun serving them as well because they were the type of people who have spent their lives serving others-- no one took advantage of anyone else.  They loved my kids and I loved their kids.  We were happy for each others successes.  I love them all dearly and will forever be grateful for the influence they had on me as a mother.  I feel like I was sent to Rochester as a "training camp" on how to be a better Mother.  I learned that everyone has their unique talents and strengths, and even though we are all raised slightly different from the person next door, we can all achieve the same outcome-- and that is to have Families that are Forever.  We need to embrace our strengths and talents and not wish for what our neighbor has next door.  I could go on forever-- but I truly LOVE all my friends.  They were heaven sent to me and my family.

2. MAYO CLINIC:
The Mayo Clinic has been an incredible place for Spencer to get his training in Internal Medicine.  He has worked hard and had some unique opportunities.  He has accomplished a lot and is leaving with a vast knowledge in medicine and skills that will help him reach his patients and give them the best care possible.

Our children have been seen by many specialist that have given them great health care.  One of my favorite memories is taking Benson or Tanner to the Mayo Clinic for an appointment and walking past the piano (which is almost always being played-- an oftentimes when the lady in the black dress plays people gather around and sing) and seeing all the elderly people ohhh and ahhhh at my children.  When using the elevator people would often ask, "where are you from" or they would make darling comments about my children.  People come from all over the world with hope that the doctors at the Mayo Clinic will figure out what their illness is-- it's usually their last hope for a cure and with that comes the nicest most friendly people.  You feel like you are on sacred ground there.  Even when I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed about a medical issue, I always felt extra strength from the people there.  There's a reason they are the best hospital in the world and we were blessed to be apart of it.

3. COMMUNITY:
People in Rochester are so friendly. Strangers will randomly start talking to you at the grocery store.  It's a small town, around 100,000 people, so the traffic is non-existent, you can get anywhere you want in less than 10 minutes and people look out for one another.  Our neighborhood always felt like such a safe place. Our neighbors were super friendly-- people would hang out in their garages or front lawns and chat with one another.  They had many family-friendly activities and lots of fun parks.  Not to mention it's absolutely beautiful in from Spring-Fall.

4. Home:
We lived in a beautiful home and made many fond memories there.  Some of the things I loved were: our massive backyard with a swing set and monkey climbing dome, our first family garden with Spencer's crazy amount of tomatoes, our kitchen table where each night we had awesome conversations with the boys ("the fondest memories are made while gathered around the table"), piano lessons and practicing the piano, homework being done at the kitchen table, kids running down the hall and doing crazy tricks on the couch, our large mud room with TONS of snow clothes and boots, our massive basement full of toys and a TV where we had many family movie nights, the kids room that smelled like boys and was consumed with books and legos, and our front yard that was full of kids!! We spent most summer nights on the driveway (many times with our buddies the Allen Family who lived across the street) watching the kids ride their bikes or scooters up and down our neighbors driveways.  It was such a relaxing time and fun to see the kids get their energy out with the neighborhood kids. Our house was loud and often times crazy-- but it was fun!!

The only thing I WILL NOT miss is how extremely cold it got in the winter.  During months February-April winter was in full swing and it made me go mental!! If it weren't for my good friends-- I may not have survived.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories!!

Allen Family: Ben, Heidi, Max, Sadie, and Abby

These Amazing ladies!

Top row: Alissa Gardner, Staci Thacker, Gina Duncan, Stef Wilcox, Lisa Hoelzer, Nellie Thurston, Lindsey Esplin

Middle row: Me, Ashley Rutledge, Lindsey Reid

Botom Row: Heidi Allen, Jen Hull, Amanda Rawlins, Megan Bracke, Kristi May, and Cassi Orme.

The Brunch crew (and my besties): Cassi, Heidi, Ash, and Me!

Orme and Miller crew

Cassi and Me

Adam and Reece

Probably the saddest good-bye was watching Reece and Adam say farewell to each other.  Its always worse watching your kids go through sad times-- and this one was definitely one of those times.  These two are like brothers-- Adam's 3rd grade teacher said about them "they finish each others sentences… they have the same unique minds". Adam has been a big blessing in Reece's life. They are two awesome kids with a lot of great memories together.