Goodbye VUMC

My 2nd home for almost 7 years

Today was my last day at VUMC. Wow, I wonder when it will start to feel real. Will and I decided a couple months ago that the time was right for me to join them at home for a bit. Will has done a phenomenal job as stay-at-home dad, but he has been feeling more and more cooped up as the boys grow, and we agreed that they need to be able to get out and about more. In truth, this has always been my goal- I've wanted to be a stay-at-home mom for as long as I can remember. I know the decision we made is the right one for my family at this time. But it sure didn't make saying goodbye to my amazing coworkers any easier.

Instead of trying to explain my feelings, I'll just share the final email that I sent out this afternoon:

Friends,

I am terrible at saying goodbyes. I cry at commercials, anything to do with babies, and all those little Facebook videos about do-gooders in the world, so you can only imagine how bad I am at saying goodbye to a group of people that have come to mean so much to me. Oh wait, if you were at my party yesterday, you DID see how bad I am at it!

What I wasn’t able to eloquently say yesterday, I’ll try to say now. It will probably take a few lines to get this all out- bear with me. :)

Back in 2010 I was new(ish) to Nashville, needed a job, and thought it would be great if I could work at Vanderbilt because it has a reputable name and would look good on my resume. I had never worked in development and literally stumbled into this world as I tried to get my foot into Vanderbilt’s door. I don’t know why, but Rhonda took a liking to me early on and continually pushed to get me in the office (thank you Rhonda!!).  It took 3 tries over several months to find a position for me, but I was matched up with Eric and his grateful patient program, and what a match that proved to be (thank you Eric!!)! I am so proud of the program that Eric has created, and grateful (see what I did there?) that I was able to help play a role in building it up to where it is today.

What I have come to know during my time here is that yes, Vanderbilt is a great name to have on your resume. But more than that, Vanderbilt is great because of the people who work here. I am constantly amazed at just how wonderful this little development team is. We truly do work with some of the most generous, caring, and selfless people I have ever known. It was so difficult to leave my babies when I returned to work in October, 2015. But the blow was softened by the love and support I felt from my colleagues who have become some of my closest friends.

I never expected that my life would look like it does now. I have done some growing up in this office during my 6.75 year tenure! During my time here I became a first-time homeowner, a wife, a 2^nd time homeowner, and a mother (x3). So many of you were part of these milestones in big and small ways, and for that I’ll always be grateful.

Yesterday’s sendoff party was amazing. I felt very loved and still tear up thinking about how much I’ll miss this place, and most importantly, all of you.

While I know in my heart that I am making the best decision for our family, it certainly doesn’t make saying goodbye today any easier. Vanderbilt is forever a part of my family, both personally and professionally. I would love to stay in touch with you all- I’m sure I’ll need some adult interaction from time-to-time! Please don’t be a stranger- we’ll still be (relatively) nearby in Gallatin, and love visitors!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being the best group of colleagues a girl could ever hope for!

Lots of love,

Meaghan

Twinning with Allison

Even the boys spent quite a bit of time at my office!

Returning to work

These decorations stayed up until my very last day in the office. I loved seeing the boys' pictures all around me!

Office visit

Baby Will!

Baby Cooper!

Cindy and Shara

Christy

Beth

Ali (who now has a little one of her own!)

PACE Team (plus baby Mac)

Our boys grew up at the office, too!

Chloe

Nicole

Jan

Lots more twinning

Safta Allison

Laura, Kate, Adele

Audrey

Chloe and Dawn

Preds Pride day at the office

Like family now!

We Have a Social Life!!

Somehow, seemingly out of nowhere, we suddenly have very busy social lives! We've been on the go non-stop since the end of April, and we won't slow down until mid-June!

The busy weekends kicked off at the end of April when Will took a quick trip to New Orleans for his friend Ben's bachelor party:

NOLA weekend

That same weekend, our friend Jess was in town from Chicago and got to meet the boys over lunch one day:

Jess and her little boyfriends

Will attended the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was on hand when the Preds swept the Blackhawks in game 4 of the first round:

Sweep!

We took a boat on a test run one dreary Saturday afternoon. The boys weren't too impressed (by the boat or the weather):

Not impressed

We celebrated my birthday- I got a paddle board that I am very much looking forward to using on the lake this summer! All 5 of us got out in the morning to try out a local brunch spot that's been on my radar:

Then Will and I were able to get away that evening for a birthday celebration downtown. We started with a drink at Hotel Indigo, where we stayed for our wedding and then had a delicious dinner at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse. What a great spot- I was able to eat my 2 favorite meal splurges in one setting: steak AND sushi. Perfection!

Rare dress-up night

I was spoiled twice in one weekend since Mother's Day was 2 days after my birthday. My special request for the day was an Iced Coffee and donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. I think I know who enjoyed the donuts the most:

Mmm...

We love....

Donuts!!

Talk about spoiled, Will and I got to get out of the house, AGAIN, during the WEEK!!! We went to game 3 of the Preds/Ducks series with our friend Lizzie, who convinced us that #yolo and we should get tickets. So glad we did- it was a great time and totally worth the exhausted work day that followed.

Preds Pride

Fang Fingers!

We were WAY up there...but we were THERE. :)

The following weekend several of our good friends- Erika, Amy, and Kelly- flew into town for a girls' weekend. We saw them a couple times over the weekend- once for lunch with the boys, and the following night for a kid-free evening on the town. It was great to catch up with all of them!

Erika and Amy

Another date night?! So lucky!

Love these people

And finally, we wrapped up the month of May with a parents-only getaway to the great state of Pennsylvania for Ben and Shanay's wedding. Sue and Cari stayed home with the boys while Will and I drove up to PA for the wedding. We got in late Friday, but managed to squeeze in a date night at one of Beaver Fall's most happening night spots. Saturday we celebrated Ben and Shanay and caught up with friends Jake and Erin (who we just spent some time with in Hilton Head during Spring Break last month):

Ben and Shanay's wedding was held on Ben's dad's farm. It was beautiful!

CU Buffaloes representing at the wedding

With so much activity and coming and going these past few weeks, it should come as no surprise that the Mason party fell down with illness. Will was feeling pretty bad the week leading up to the wedding, and the boys and I came down with the same symptoms over the weekend. We came home from the wedding on Sunday with the intent of spending the remainder of the long weekend at the pool. Instead Griffin and I headed to Urgent Care on Memorial Day, and then spent Tuesday afternoon at the pediatrician's office. Will and Cooper both got breathing treatments and Griffin was x-rayed to rule out pneumonia. Thankfully, everyone is OK, just dealing with an upper respiratory infection that will hopefully run its course soon.

You know he doesn't feel good when he's content to lay on the floor with big bear.

Urgent Care on Memorial Day. Boo.

Wouldn't nap in his crib, but would sleep with his mama.

Cari and I are headed to Tampa tomorrow night for a belated birthday celebration- she got me tickets to see Jimmy Buffett this weekend! It will be a very quick trip, but I'm looking forward to going to a concert- I feel like it's been a really, really long time since I've been to one. Here's hoping I feel better and up to a proper day of Buffett tailgating and concert-going on Saturday!

I'll be home on Sunday afternoon, and then we will pack up and head out again later in the week. The whole party of five is headed to Wisconsin to meet up with my family to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. Whew! Like I said, somehow we are suddenly very busy. While it's been pretty fun to have a social life again and spend quite a bit of time out "adulting", I am actually looking forward to the middle of June when we will be back in town and without a single thing on the calendar for awhile!