Being a Medical Student's Wife

When Matt and I first married I heard horror stories about how awful medical school was. I lost sleep over hearing stuff like that, but I've definitely decided that it's not as bad as everyone made it out to be. (I know Matt's not very far into his schooling and that I may live to eat my words, but for now it's not too bad.)

Here's some of the ups and the downs of being a medical student's wife:

First the downs:

1. Matt not being able to go with me to Orlando because he has to study for a test. (My work is sending me and it'd be so cheap to bring Matt, too…and it's right around our anniversary. I shouldn't complain, though. At least I get to go, right?)

Now for the ups:

1. Visiting places like Chicago, Nauvoo, and Kansas City that we wouldn't go to otherwise.
2. Living in the mid-west. I love Des Moines for the most part.
3. Having more missionary experiences.
4. Making friends that become like family.
5. Having more personal free time to pursue my interests.
6. Living far away from family has given me and Matt opportunities to establish traditions and unify our own family.
7. Learning useful information. Most of the time what Matt learns isn't helpful to me, but every once and a while I'll ask him a question and he busts out an awesome answer.
8. Moving around the country. It's been an adventure so far.
9. Gaining more appreciation for Matt. I watch in awe at how well he handles everything on his plate. There are many late nights and early mornings for him (we're talking going to bed at 1:00 a.m. and getting up three hours later), and he diligently studies all day on Saturdays. But he never complains, and he's good about keeping his life balanced. He's willing to help out if there's a need, and each week he spends some time with me.
10. Calculating how much Matt owes me. :) You bet he's going to pay me back every cent we're spending on his tuition!
11. Knowing that there's no where to go but up (hopefully). I don't think we'll ever be any worse off financially than we are now.