Vaillant Family Update 2018

Whenever we have big news I try to share it on the blog so I can remember our thoughts and feelings in that very moment in time.  In a previous post I mentioned we found out some news while we were on our Singapore/Thailand trip.  Eric decided to apply for an Ortho fellowship specializing in Sports Medicine.  Initially this was just an application to get a sponsored Air Force spot.  He found out they were offering 3 spots in Sports for the 2019/20 year so it was a good time to apply.  He turned in his application in October, and we knew we would find out on December 19th while away.  As we were about to board a train in Singapore, he logged in to find out he was selected for one of the spots.  It was kind of an awkward congrats and hug in that moment because while we were both happy he was selected it meant a variety of things.  For him it meant applying to civilian programs and interviewing over the next couple months.  For me it meant the very real possibility that we would ask to stay in Japan an extra year since the one year fellowship is for 2019. If we chose to move as scheduled it could mean 3 moves within 2 years not knowing where they would station us before and after.  I had prepared myself for this but it definitely weighed heavily on my mind the rest of vacation. 

Eric decided not to travel for in-person interviews and just ask to do them all over the phone or via skype.  Some programs declined to do phone interviews but he ended up having interviews with 5 programs....Richmond, San Diego, Baltimore, Wake Forest, and Orlando.  With the time difference some were at 10:00pm and a couple were at 5:00am!  He did them all at our house so it was hard for me not to listen in.  :)  I was happy with all of the location choices but obviously pulled for Richmond to be closer to family and friends.  I told him to choose based on what programs he liked first and then based on location.  I prepared myself for any location and prayed he would match at one of his top two. 

In the meantime, we told our parents after Christmas and New Years the news and what it meant for us staying in Japan.  They were sad of course but also happy for Eric.  Its taken me a while to get in a a positive place about it personally but knew it was the best decision for the boys and our family.  The boys do love it here and they will get to stay at their same schools and even go to school together next year.

Match day was yesterday, April 5th in the states.  We didn't know what time they would post the results so I stressed out from 1:00pm (midnight EST) until finally at 10:00 pm we got the news.  Eric matched at Orthopaedic Research of Virginia in Richmond!  We were both surprised and excited that he got his first choice.  We told Hayden while Eric was home for lunch today and he was beyond happy.  Lincoln was just excited that we will get our dog Georgia back.

We recently confirmed they would extend Eric's orders in Japan until July 2019.  Me and the boys will make a trip to visit family and friends in Virginia this summer for a couple weeks.  Eric will join us for a week after taking his oral boards in Chicago.  We will then all travel to Florida to see his parents and family before heading back to Japan in August.  Another positive to us staying in Japan is we are already planning more fun adventures for the next year.  The travel we get to do here is great but I will still be counting down the days until Summer 2019 and our return HOME!