Congratulations Aimee!

It seems like just yesterday that Aimee and I were sitting at a bittersweet graduation dinner at the Chicago Yacht Club for the outgoing Rush neurology residents.  Surrounded by trusted colleagues, all products of a world-class program, Aimee was soon leaving them (and it) to train with the very best in neuro-ophthalmology.  This past weekend, we had another such bittersweet evening.  We celebrated the accomplishments and honors of this year’s fellows and residents of the Emory Department of Ophthalmology.  The year is not quite over, but as Aimee prepares to leave an excellent program, armed with a wealth of clinical experience and new relationships (both professional and personal), there’s no doubt we will both miss many elements of our life here.  It is with gratitude and anticipation, however, that she begins anew with the world-class program back at Rush.  And it is with pure admiration, respect, and awe, that I say “Congratulations” to Aimee for her dedication, work, and tremendous growth this past year.

The program from the evening is listed above.  When Dr. Newman got up to say a few words about Aimee and Daniela, I didn’t expect to be included.  However, when jointly addressing the “strengths” that Daniela and Aimee shared, one strength was their respective spouses.  I think it came naturally for Matt and me, but the support we gave evidently did not go unnoticed.  Below is a picture of Aimee and Daniela from that night as well as a shot of their foursome from the annual golf outing.  Aimee even came home with the “Closest to the pin” prize!

Lastly, we crossed off another restaurant from our list:  4th and Swift.  We actually went for brunch with Jordan and his wife Skylar and it was fantastic.  Aimee had “Briôche Egg Toast, Red Wine-Poached Pears, Mascarpone, Hobb’s Bacon, and Mint” and I went pretty basic for once, with “2 Eggs, Heirloom White Corn Grits, Thick Toast, and House Sausage”.  It was good stuff though!  We closed the weekend with mass, and then dinner and “spirits” with Michael, Jeff, and Patrick.  It was the last time we’ll ever “eat sushi followed by oddly strong liqueur, and auditioning recordings of revised mass settings” with them!

Well that’s it for now.  Work continues to be a challenge for us both, especially as we sort out logistics of getting ourselves back to Chicago.  Till then, dinners and brunches with friends continue to be a fun diversion.