So a lot has happened in the last few days - finally! Husband was offered a great job at a hospital a reasonable distance from Penn State - full benefits and tuition reimbursement to complete his undergrad AND grad school. Contract on the house!!! - closing in June. Heading to PA in a few days to find an apt since his job starts June 4. Almost finished with finals - graduating Monday magna cum laude, phi beta kappa 
I can finally be excited about starting medical school!! Can’t wait to finish packing up the house and get started on the next phase of our lives!
awesome news switz! glad to see that things are falling nicely into place.
i’ll add my update, too (since the 2011-2012 application season thread is gone). found renters for our phx condo, in the process of closing on a tucson house (4 bed/2 bath, new construction, got a great deal and interest rates are soooo low), wife can keep her job and work remote at least until the new year, and i will stop working at the end of june. we’ve already begun to pack and we are very excited to get on with our next phase as well!
Wonderful news on all fronts! Glad for you!
Kate
OH. My. Goodness.
I have tears of joy for you, Switz–I know what a burden selling your house has been. It looks like everything is falling into place and will work out with a happy ending after all! Now you can just get on with the business of moving and being excited about the next chapter! (And just WOW about your husband’s news… amazing…)
Shawn–awesome news for you, too! We jumped on the new construction bandwagon almost 3 years ago and do NOT regret it one bit. Such a fun experience!
Enjoy every second, you guys… jumping up and down for you! =) =)
things seem to sort themselves out. These are excellent news. Now, you can enjoy the ride.
Well I have some good news to. The wife and I signed a lease on an apartmetn in Des Moines so our great housing search is over. (The Des Moines RE Market is a little crazy there). Found a place within 10 min dive of the school and close enough to greceries ect for Mrs. Baileypup. Also found the best dog park I have ever seen for the Baileypup.
bailey - that’s great news. amazing to think how we were having dinner not too long ago and now we are getting ready to move to our schools. my new house is also near a great dog park for my furry buddies. i like reading how things are working out well for all of us.
on a more serious note, i just received my first shipment of USMLE Step 1 books. bought a couple First Aid books and BRS for path and physio and it is just wow… can’t believe we will have all that info in our brains two years from now. just when i threw out all my MCAT books, i have Step 1 to replace them. here we go again…
This is my favorite thread. Love that everyone’s hard work is paying off and everything is falling into place.
We found a perfect house to rent in WV, 10 minutes drive from the school. Since it has 3 bedrooms, husband and I get our own, totally separate offices. I am ridiculously excited about this. 
And, in 18 days we start the drive across the country, taking only what will fit in the car. We’re still packing, storing and selling or giving away furniture right now, but we’re ahead of schedule and everything’s looking great.
- BaileyPup Said:
Also found the best dog park I have ever seen for the Baileypup.
Is it the one with the hay bails and doggie-level water fountains?
I didn’t see hay bails, but there is like 10 acres of off leash area and a dog beach.
I am so excited for all of you…
Bailey–I think I know exactly where you are talking about. I love that park! There’s also a great park for walking/jogging over off of Fleur Ave as well. When I worked with autistic toddlers in college, one of them had a puppy…and our favorite “break/reward” from therapy during the summer was to take the puppy and go to the dog park. SO awesome!!
You’re hitting DSM just in time for their phenomenal thunderstorm season… some of the best ones I’ve ever seen. =) And the summer Farmer’s Market…which was always my fav. (And if you go to farmer’s market down in Valley Junction, there is this amazing Chinese restaurant where they make their own fortune cookies and hand-dip them in dark chocolate…Cafe Su, I think?) Aaaah, memories! 
Good luck on your moving adventures–all of you! I hope they are fun and painless, and I hope you get settled in quickly! Enjoy every second of your summer…
I will definately be PMing you in June, Carrie. I have heard about this farmers market since my interview so it must be spectacular.
Signed the rental agreement for an apt yesterday. It’s beginning to sink in how very difficult it will be to go back to renting - we’ve been home owners for the last 12 years. Graduated today, moving June 1. Experiencing quite a bit of FUD in the last couple days. Assuming this is normal? Hope it goes away soon 
Switzerland and Bailey and all others getting ready to start med school -
Its really not so bad. It takes a little getting used to, but you’ll be surprised by how quickly you’ll find your footing. As I finish my first year, I think about what it was like to be in your position just one year ago - nervous and excited and apprehensive and elated. It is normal to be nervous - its a big change. But - every single day I am so excited to be doing what I am doing. I am so thankful that I went to med school. The more medicine I learn, the more excited I am about my future career. So, let go of the FUD - and get ready for the ride of your life.
Switzerland-
It IS normal. But when something breaks during med school and you just contact the landlord and let them worry about it while you continue studying, you will begin to appreciate it!
Kate
Thank you for the encouragement somedayDrA and Kate Yes, we are quite tired of yard work and cleaning so much space - downsizing will be a relief in many ways. Everything has fallen into place at the very last minute and is happening all at once, which is probably best - in the words of Seinfeld, “You should just do it like a Band-aid. One motion. Right off!” Haha I’m really looking forward to getting settled and taking a week or two off before starting 11 weeks of anatomy torture!
Thanks for that guys. I cycle back and forth between being sickeningly excited to huge FUD. Glad to see that it goes with the territory.
I would be worried about all of you if you WERENT a little nervous at this point…
You made it this far for a reason. Stand on that ground, and run hard into the task at hand. You guys GOT this. You are strong, capable, brilliant individuals who are going to be incredibly wonderful doctors. This is simply another chapter.
You were nervous when you started your pre-reqs… you were nervous when you took your MCAT… of course you are going to be full to the brim with nerves about this final chapter. Give it a few months, and you won’t even have time to worry about it! 
I repeat-- you guys GOT this. Completely.
I sold “the house” and two of the three cars, and everything in a 1460 sq ft. three bedroom, full basement, 3 car garage in 2008. I went to live in a tiny one bedroom, alone for the first time in over 20 years. It has become incredibly comforting and comfortable. I can just take my “turtle shell” with me wherever I go and let the God of my understanding do with me what he will. Unencumbered, I face the immense possibilities that lie ahead…and sleep very well at nights. The whole experience was freeing! Nothing ties me down or holds me back…it is DELICIOUS!!!
Honestly, shedding all the stuff we’ve accumulated since we got married feels really good. Standing in the office, holding something, and asking yourself “Do I want to cart this in a small car 2000 miles” really puts things in perspective.
We have put a lot of mementos into storage, but so much more has been donated to Goodwill, friends and family. It’s freeing and exciting.
But after moving furniture this weekend I really don’t want to buy a single piece that weighs over 50 pounds, ever.
13 days until we drive across country. Excited, terrified, but so ready to start school and finally do what I set out to do nearly six years ago.