The Final Graduation!!!

Ryan is finally done with "education". Ryan is finally an attending for good!! (Technically he's already been a general surgery attending since last June, but he is now a qualified critical care attending too!)

Congratulations to Ryan A. Lawless, MD, Trauma Surgeon.

(No, he does NOT work in the ER....!!) ;)

I can't begin to tell you how many years this has been in the making.

Oh wait, yes I can!

Undergrad......4 years (St Lawrence University, Canton NY)

Medical school.......4 years (SUNY Upstate Med School, Syracuse NY/ Binghamton, NY)

General Surgery Residency.....5 years (Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA)

Surgical Critical Care Fellowship.....1 year (Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, TX)

That's right folks, 14 YEARS of post high school education and Ryan is finally DONE!!!

And I've been there through it ALL. Yes, please pat me on the back and congratulate me too! I've had to put up with it all ;)

I can't find a pic from Ryan's SLU graduation though I know we have one somewhere...... but anyways:

Med School Graduation:

Residency Graduation:

Fellowship Graduation:

We survived it all!!

-The crazy frat years at SLU (oy vey Ryan)

-The crazy studying/exams/rotations in Med School

-The INSANE hours and schedule of residency (Did you know Ryan had to work the days both boys were born? And they were scheduled C-sections, not surprise labors? Yup, and he still had to work "hey, my wife's having a baby that day." "Aw, sorry, tough shit man, ya still gotta work".)

-The also insane hours of the Fellowship and stress of moving from PA to TX last summer, which definitely took its toll on us this past fall.

I often wonder how neither of us has lost their mind yet...Ryan, with working insane schedules, and me, dealing with the kids/house/work by myself 90% of the time since they were born.

Yet here we are.

In our dream home.

Putting down roots in Houston, TX...a place we've grown to love.

Ryan starting as a partner in the practice July 1 (on paper anyway...we leave for Disney for 8 days that day, heehee).

Me having the desire to meet people and start friendships now that I know we're staying where we are and I won't just have to say goodbye again!! (and LOVING our neighborhood and neighbors!!!)

At his Graduation Dinner he was presented with a really cool photo. It's of the life flight helicopter for his hospital. They are the only trauma center in the city with a helipad, so if you get airlifted, you'll be going to Memorial-Hermann. The matting is signed by co-workers and it's just such a cool sentiment!

Oh yeah and this pretty cool certificate as well!

I was going to bring my camera with me to the graduation dinner, but completely forgot it at home after I had Sam snap a pic of Ryan and I before we left, so I had to steal these from Deanna (who is going to be Ryan's secretary when he starts in July) from her Facebook page. Photo credit duly given!

Dr Cotton did a mini-"roast" of each graduate (there were 3)....and somehow our ugly christmas sweaters from around 2007/2008 made it into Ryan's. What?? Payback's a bitch, BC. Just saying.

Ryan, the 4 fellows (one graduates next year, not with these guys), and 2 of their attendings.

 Dr. James & Brittany are headed off to Phoenix, while Dr. Matt and his wife Mandy are also staying here in Houston (he's already a pediatric surgery attending at the hospital). We look forward to spending more time with friends now that we are settling. We'll miss Britt & James, but I'll never forget our year of survival together as fellowship wives!!

Congrats Ryan!!!!!