Happy Valentine's Day
to all our loved ones!
Was it really only a year ago that we wrote our
2013 Valentine's Day letter?!? We've had
so much happening since then - exciting milestones, new experiences, and many
blessings.
To update you, last March, after 8 months of
interviewing and travel, Richard "matched" at Tampa General Hospital (USF) in
the Emergency Medicine residency. We were thrilled to continue Richard's
medical education at such a well-respected institution (not to mention one that's
warm, on the coast, and near family - yay!).
In April, we celebrated Avery's 1st birthday
and Richard's last day of medical school. The entire Talbot family and many from the
Barber clan came to Ft. Lauderdale in May for Richard's graduation and a Florida vacation
extravaganza. It was a fantastic get-together
with family and friends, and a nice farewell to the city we called home the
last 4 years.
After saying goodbye to our visitors, we said
hello to Tampa - our home for the
next 3 years. We bought a home
- our first! - in South Tampa (only 10 minutes from the
hospital!) and love living here. It's
been a blast - and also a mess - to tackle a few renovations; each one makes the
house feel more like home. We're especially
grateful
to Jillian's parents (ie: willing skilled labor) visiting and
helping us capitalize on our makeovers.
This July, Richard will officially retire his
"intern" status and begin his 2nd year of residency. He makes intern year
look easy despite the long hours and extensive reading. He's a wonderful husband and father and Avery
and I can't get enough of him, but we'll have to learn to
share! We anticipate the arrival of a
new Talbot in July. We couldn't be
happier to become a family
of four! Avery
will be an excellent big sister as she's a warm, charming, helpful, and curious
girl. She adds so much fun and enjoyment
to our lives. When she turned 1, I
officially retired from paid employment.
It's been a wonderful blessing to stay home and support the crew full
time - it's the best job I've ever had.
More and more we realize it's our relationships
with family, friends, and our Father in Heaven that are truly the greatest
sources of happiness
and love in our lives, and
through these relationships our lives grow in meaning and purpose. We strive to constantly strengthen those
relationships and are so grateful for your friendship. We hope the rest of your year is filled with
love, and we leave you with ours.
Sincerely,
The Talbot family - Richard, Jillian, Avery, and
Baby Talbot
