Boards

Taking the oral boards in Dallas last Thursday was one of the most stressful experiences of my life. It started with snow in Seattle (seriously, how often does it snow in Seattle?) and an hour delay which meant normally I would've missed my connection in Denver, but we had an "unusually strong tail wind" and made-up over an hour of time in route. Then Laura's Aunt Judy graciously met me at the airport in Dallas and showed me the highlights of the city and took me out for BBQ and a souffle. I don't think I've ever had souffle before and it was exquisite. Nothing like an amazing salvatory experience to distract from a test. After a near sleepless night, followed by a morning run, I put on the suit and shoes on the my friend Jill lent me (I'm so lucky to have a friend with good taste and a suit my size!).

The next part was 3 hours of gruelling questioning. Some questions I anticipated, most I did not. Naturally there were questions I thought of much better answers too after the test which ate at me for the next 5 days.

I boarded a plane that night and went to Denver to visit Ana for an extended weekend. Ana did everything she could to distract me from the obvious question: did I pass or fail? We had a great time eating-out, attending a canvas and cocktails class, running, shopping and generally just being together. She was patient with my perseveration on several board questions.

After returning to Seattle Jill brought me to the ferry and Dad drove me home. Amelia had waited-up and greeted me with chatter about all the fun they had with Nana and Papa and the exciting weekend staying with Auntie Laura, Uncle Dan and Si. Meredith was asleep and only said, "I'm too tired to pray tonight."

As much as I tried to concentrate on other things the only thing that eased my anxiety was reading this morning the word "Passed" on my ABOG page.

Reflecting on the studying, travel and test I see how many people supported and encouraged me in this process... perhaps you see a bit of that in reading this. I know also that there were many people, not as obvious to me, but just as important praying for clarity, calmness and confidence as I took the exam. Thank you.