Welcome to Chris and Kara’s life in
2006. It started off in January with
Amy’s awesome opera performance at
Wheaton College (please reference
Amy’s page for further details and
pictures).
Summer was a fun and busy time for
us. I graduated from medical school
on June 4th.
With
all of the family in from out of
town, we were able to enjoy a lot of
Chicago’s attractions. Here we’re
taking a tour of Chicago on Lake
Michigan (it was a very windy day).
We also visited the Lincoln Park Zoo
and got another great view of
Chicago’s skyline from the
paddleboats there (thanks to Amy for
the pictures).
I had
a few weeks of vacation after the
end of medical school, so Katie
Detwiler (best friend and roommate
from Wheaton College) came to visit
from North Carolina. It was a crazy
hot summer in Chicago; we went to
the beaches on Lake Michigan and
tried to catch some of the spray
from the Buckingham fountain.
Chris
also had a short vacation between
his third and fourth year of medical
school so we took a trip to Niagara
Falls for our second anniversary.
Chris’s favorite part was the Maid
of the Mist boat that takes you
right underneath the falls (we went
twice!). I enjoyed the hike next to
the American Falls where you got
drenched with water.
We
also visited the butterfly gardens
nearby where Chris took this
award-winning picture of a butterfly
from the underside of a leaf (so it
might not be “award-winning” but it
makes great wallpaper for your
computer).
In July, Chris and I drove out to
Pennsylvania to meet his family at
the airport on their way back from
Togo. His brothers have definitely
grown up (please reference wedding
photos from Christmas card 2004)!!
After four years of serving as
medical missionaries there, they
will be spending a year of furlough
living in Wheaton, IL, before
returning next summer. Sara (2nd
oldest) will be graduating from
Wheaton College this next May.
Daniel (3rd) just started college in
North Carolina for missionary
aviation. Stephen (4th) is a junior
in high school, and Nate (5th) is a
freshman in high school.
A
lot of my summer was spent training
for the Chicago marathon. I only had
one minor injury (stress fracture of
my foot in August) and managed to
finish the entire 26.2 miles on
October 22. While the summer was
ridiculously hot, October 22nd was
around 30 degrees. This is where I
would like to thank my fans for
battling the frostbite to cheer me
on (Chris, Amy, John, Ann – thanks!)
And, if you’re ever looking for
great warm-up clothes, just follow
behind the runners at the start of
the marathon. I was tempted to pick
some up…
Things have returned to normal since
all of the summer excitement. Chris
is in the middle of his fourth year
rotations and will be taking step 2
of the boards in a few weeks. I have
been working as a research assistant
in Loyola’s Department of Preventive
Medicine and Epidemiology. In the
meantime, Chris and I have been
traveling all over interviewing for
residencies. We’ll know where we end
up by mid-March. All applicants
nationwide find out at the same time
on the same day, the infamous “Match
Day.” At this point it could be
Chicago, New York, Michigan, Ohio…
we’ll let you know in next year’s
Christmas Card 2007!
I had
a few weeks of vacation after the
end of medical school, so Katie
Detwiler (best friend and roommate
from Wheaton College) came to visit
from North Carolina. It was a crazy
hot summer in Chicago; we went to
the beaches on Lake Michigan and
tried to catch some of the spray
from the Buckingham fountain. 
Chris
also had a short vacation between
his third and fourth year of medical
school so we took a trip to Niagara
Falls for our second anniversary.
Chris’s favorite part was the Maid
of the Mist boat that takes you
right underneath the falls (we went
twice!). I enjoyed the hike next to
the American Falls where you got
drenched with water. 
We
also visited the butterfly gardens
nearby where Chris took this
award-winning picture of a butterfly
from the underside of a leaf (so it
might not be “award-winning” but it
makes great wallpaper for your
computer). 
Things have returned to normal since
all of the summer excitement. Chris
is in the middle of his fourth year
rotations and will be taking step 2
of the boards in a few weeks. I have
been working as a research assistant
in Loyola’s Department of Preventive
Medicine and Epidemiology. In the
meantime, Chris and I have been
traveling all over interviewing for
residencies. We’ll know where we end
up by mid-March. All applicants
nationwide find out at the same time
on the same day, the infamous “Match
Day.” At this point it could be
Chicago, New York, Michigan, Ohio…
we’ll let you know in next year’s
Christmas Card 2007!
