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So last August I started a new monthly series called “Let’s Have Tea”…and then proceeded to not publish any more blog posts for about six months. (insert shamefaced monkey emoji)
Here’s What Happened
Last August my husband was beginning his third and last year as an Internal Medicine resident. (To answer some common questions: he is a doctor with a medical license and he is not in school any more, but in residency he is practicing under supervision.) In July he had applied to gastroenterology (GI) fellowship programs all over the country for three more years of more specialized training, and we were waiting – hoping – for interviews.
What is gastroenterology?
I ran this post past my husband before publishing it and he said I should tell y’all what gastroenterology is, so I’ll give it my best shot. Gastroenterology (GI) covers the digestive system from top to bottom and also includes care of associated organs like the liver and pancreas. Endoscopies and colonoscopies are the GI doc’s bread and butter, but a GI doctor will also cover things like celiac disease, IBD (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), and IBS.
A GI doc like Ryan will have done 4 years of undergrad work, 4 years of medical school, an Internal Medicine residency (3 years, in our case), and a gastroenterology fellowship (also 3 years). We currently have about five months of residency left before starting fellowship.
I’ll take care of you (figuratively speaking, with my healthy recipes) before you get to the hospital, and Ryan will take care of you afterwards. 😛
(In case you didn’t get a good look at this picture at the top of this post, I’ll show you again. This was the picture we took while visiting my family in SC in November to send along with an update letter to family and friends. The cows posed perfectly, nursing calf and all. Most of the pictures in this post were taken on the same trip to SC.)
Here’s how the gastroenterology fellowship match works:
Residents apply to fellowship programs. Those fellowship programs receive applications from nearly a thousand applicants and send interview invitations to maybe thirty of them for maybe three spots. (The numbers depend on the size of the program.) Those thirty residents interview at the program on a specified date.
Before the national fellowship match (December 4th, for last year’s GI match), each resident ranks the places he interviewed. In a hypthothetical situation, let’s say our resident interviews at five programs. He’ll rank them from #1 to #5, from his top choice to his lowest choice. Say the programs at which he interviewed each interviewed thirty applicants. Those programs will rank the residents they interviewed from #1 to #30, with their favorite resident at the top of the list and their least favorite at the bottom.
At the fellowship match, a computer takes all the rank lists from the residents as well as the programs and matches them up as best it can. (This is a very simplified explanation of the process.) On match day, you find out where you matched, if you matched.
Yeah, I said “if.”
Some fellowships are fairly easy to get into, but some (like GI) are very competitive. I think the GI fellowship match in 2019 had around a 60% match rate, which means that only 60% of the resident doctors applying actually matched into a GI fellowship program.
If you don’t match, you try to “scramble” into a program that didn’t fill all its spots, you do a gap year somewhere (maybe staying on as a fourth year resident in your current program), do research for a year somewhere, etc. And then go through the application, waiting, interview, and match process all over again the next year if you choose to reapply.
There are so many qualified people applying! You’re going up against the cream of the crop. We fully realized that we might not match, but we prayed very specifically from the beginning of the process for TEN INTERVIEWS. Having a lot of interviews doesn’t ensure a match, but your chance of matching increases with your number of interviews. We knew that ten interviews was a long shot – a miracle! Well, guess what?
We got TWELVE!!!
That was so very clearly the hand of God at work. Of course we had to wait over a period of months for these interviews to trickle in, and the unknown weighed on me subconsciously more than I realized at the time. All along I had the tremendous blessing of peace knowing that God would work things out in some way, but the wait was still heavy.
(At the beginning of our journey together. CLICK HERE to see more wedding pictures!)
September
In September I had the amazing chance to go on a study trip to Israel with a group of around sixty people (none of whom I knew ahead of time) under the teaching of Ray Vanderlaan. I hope to write more in detail about this later on and share some pictures, but I can already tell you that pictures are not going to do the experience justice.
The entire two weeks was one of the best experiences of my life. I had forgotten how much I enjoy learning, and being able to “check out” from life (and the uncertainty of the fellowship match!) for two weeks and focus entirely on better understanding God’s Word and the history and culture and geography of the Bible was so refreshing – albeit physically exhausting. (We did lots of what I would consider fairly strenuous hiking.) Unfortunately Ryan wasn’t able to go along because of his work and interview schedule, but I dream of going back with him someday.
If you’re interested in getting a glimpse of what we studied, check out the That the World May Know DVD series published by Focus on the Family. These DVDs contain footage and teaching from trips like the one I went on, led by Ray (aka RVL).
October
When I got back, I promptly spent much of the month of October on my own because Ryan had interview trips every single week of that month. He really racked up the air miles, but since he’s the frugal and ingenious person that he is, he planned a lot of the interviews back to back and drove budget rental cars and rode buses in between some of the interviews to save money.
Needless to say, I was very glad when October was done (along with all of the interviews). I was able to go along for the last Ohio interview and did some sightseeing with my husband, so that was fun. The interviews were done…but the wait wouldn’t be over until December 4th. Gastroenterology fellowship match day.
Ryan had interviews all over the USA, from Texas (down on the Mexican border), to Las Vegas, to Vermont, to Ohio (multiple locations), Pennsylvania (multiple locations), New Orleans, right across the river from New York City, and probably a few more than I’m forgetting. We could end up ANYWHERE. Many of our options were closer to family, and we ranked these high on the list, but some were even further away than we currently are in Louisiana! All we could do was wait – and pray.
I knew that God had it all under control, but truly submitting the results to His will was definitely a daily battle. The result I dreaded most was not matching, both because I knew it would be a blow to my husband and because I selfishly didn’t want to have to repeat the whole application process the next year and go through the uncertainty all over again.
Me being the optimistic soul that I am, I was pretty sure that God was going to teach us a lesson in patience. I know I still have a lot of rough edges that need polished, so I wouldn’t have been surprised one bit if God decided to do that by asking me to wait another year and go through the refining process all over again! That wouldn’t have been a bad thing, and I knew He would see us through it, but if I had a choice I would humanly pick an easier option.
November
November brought more travel because Ryan had a prescheduled vacation the beginning of the month (which we spent in Central Florida visiting his old friends from med school days) and we went to see my family in South Carolina for Thanksgiving at the end of the month. Other than my trip to Israel, our SC trip was the highlight of my year! This was actually only the second time we’d been back to SC together since we got married. (I’ve been back more often on my own, since Ryan’s work schedule doesn’t usually allow him to make spontaneous trips.)
It was so good to see my family and get in on my mom’s extended family’s Thanksgiving dinner and fellowship! And of course attend church at my old church of twenty years, and spend time with both sets of grandparents, and take family pictures (with assorted farm critters), and give Traveler some attention.
My baby…
December…and The Match
And then it was December 4th. Ryan was at work checking his email regularly. 😛 A little before noon he called me. I promptly sat down because I’ve read that this is proper protocol when one is expecting shocking news. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was happy about something, so I was fairly certain he had matched and the weight began to lift.
But when he told me he had matched in Ohio…I almost couldn’t believe it! We had ranked the Ohio programs fairly high on the list because of their proximity to family and friends. Not only did God match us, but He truly gave us the desire of our hearts. Wow. Wow, wow, wow.
I never doubted the goodness of God or the fact that He was in control. But I also knew that what might seem good to God might not automatically scream, “This is a good thing!” from a human perspective. The fact that He deemed good the very thing that we were hoping for – that was really neat. We are very grateful and excited for this opportunity.
So, we’re moving!
Yep, we’re moving to Ohio in June! We’ll be there for three years, and once fellowship is done we will be free to move wherever we please (well, wherever God pleases!) for the first time in our married lives! By the end of it all, Ryan will have completed fourteen years of school and training after high school. Pretty proud of this husband of mine.
I know a lot of you are curious where exactly in Ohio we’ll be moving, but Ryan and I prefer to keep our exact location private. Thanks for understanding. 😉
I know that Ohio will bring its own share of challenges, and fellowship probably won’t be a walk in the park, but God is faithful wherever we go. Experiencing a “real” winter for the first time in my life will be a change for sure, but I’m excited about it! I’ve always enjoyed cold weather and these summers in Louisiana are brutal. Hey, I can put up with anything for three years, right?
Coming Back to the Blog
With all the travel, and anticipation of the match taking up brain space, and then the holiday season which always brings its full share of extra activities, I only really got back to spending more purposeful time on the blog in mid January. The break was nice and much needed, and at times it felt SO good that I wasn’t sure I would ever want to come back!
Honestly, it felt like I haven’t really had a break from big projects and life changes ever since I started the Necessary Food cookbook project in 2016. After that my life was very full with singing groups (3 week trip to South Africa in February of 2017), dating (April/May of 2017) and getting married (February 2018), and then jumping right into the Convenient Food cookbook project after getting married. My brain needed a rest, and I wanted to reevaluate my priorities.
I started dipping back into the blog (and the dreaded social media…haha) in mid January, and I soon saw that it wasn’t time for me to give up this part of my life yet. I had forgotten how much I really enjoy the creative aspect of blogging…how much I enjoy trying to help people in this small way…how much I like writing, and planning, and even bookkeeping. How much I like fine-tuning a recipe and photographing it.
(Rocky, the farm stallion)
The Future
I don’t know what this blog will look like in a year’s time, or how far behind I’ll get when moving, or how much time I’ll have for it once we have children. These unknowns scare me sometimes, but more and more I’m coming to peace with the knowledge that there are seasons for everything. Right now, I’m having fun blogging. I’m not blogging as regularly as I did a few years ago, and that’s OK. I’ll probably blog even less a few years from now if I have toddlers to attend to, and that’s OK too. But I can always come back to it if and when and however often I want. That’s pretty cool.
Kudos if you’re still with me. 😉
So, are we back to a monthly series?
In all honesty, this “Let’s Have Tea” series will probably never be a truly regular monthly series based on past performance. However, you will hopefully see slightly more regular life update slash bits and pieces of life posts in future. Not all as long winded as this one, I hope.
I was planning to include a lot of other actual recent life tidbits to this post, but it’s gotten rather long so I think I’m going to post those separately in a Part 2 post next week. Stay tuned, and sign up for my email newsletter if you want to be sure to see it!
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Margaret Heilman says
I appreciate your posts, especially hearing about your spiritual walk. I am also a Christian, of a conservative persuasion, and have been since 1951. I sense your thrill when God gives you the desires of your heart. I lived in Kansas for mover 50 years, but am now in Ohio, close to one of my daughters. You have beautiful children. I am also very intentional with healthy eating. Wish I had understood being a good steward of my health years ago, but God has been good to me. Three different doctors have told me that I am in good health for my age, and that I don’t look my age. I was born during the depression. May the Lord bless you both as you move to new surroundings. Let His light shine through you to our hurting world.
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
Thanks for your comment, Margaret! You probably have a lot in common with my beloved grandmas!
Linda says
All of this is so exciting. Bless your family and stay safe.
Love, Linda
Ursula Hillukka says
Congratulations to the new parents! May God bless you and bless your little girl throughout her life!
Carlene says
Congratulations on your baby!! She is beautiful!!
patricia nay says
I enjoy reading your blogs so much! Thank you for sharing. Love your pictures also. You are truly a blessed couple.
Amanda Duggan says
Thanks for sharing your story! I live your recipes and cookbook, but I love hearing about your life, too! And guess what! My husband is a GI doc! He’s actually the program director at his hospital, so he’s in charge of 9 GI fellows and the whole match process. Such interesting stuff!
Hannah says
Thank your for the update, Briana – and congratulations! I’ve been checking back occasionally for posts and was hoping that you were ok, so it’s good to hear from you.
All the best,
Hannah
Ginger says
Briana,
So glad to see an update from you–I so enjoy your writing and in a funny way, it feels like reading a letter from a friend. What a true gift you possess.
It is encouraging to see God’s hand in your life and the wonderful trust and strength between you and Ryan! I will continue to keep you and Ryan in my thoughts.
Thank you for your update and congratulations on your upcoming move. I think you will very much find Ohio a wonderful place to be! My time in the midwest was some of the best times in my life!
-Ginger
Diana says
Congrats on all of the exciting updates! Wow, what an adventure you are living!
Gastroenterology has been a big part of my life for the past two years, as my father is dealing with stage 4 colon cancer. They’ve chosen to do both traditional (Western) and naturopathic treatments at the same time, so we are learning a LOT about both systems of treatment.
I hope that the fellowship is an awesome experience, and that your move is an easy one!! I love reading whenever you have time!!
Diana
Libby says
Briana, I have just now found your website (thanks to a friend of mine!) and have enjoyed reading your posts. They are educational, inspirational, and just fun to read. Thanks!
Rebecca G says
Congratulations! As a fellow Ohioan, I welcome you to the Buckeye state, even though I know you are well familiar with it. 🙂 My mom’s GI specialist is nearing retirement in Dover – hint, hint.
Susan says
Thank you so much for posting your update! You have a way with words that makes one feel we are there and we haven’t missed a thing. I’ve followed you since you were working on your first cookbook and just love the person you are! Grateful to read your blog anytime, so never worry about taking time out for what God and life brings you.
Rene’ says
I didn’t miss a word and I thoroughly enjoyed reading and “hearing” from you! Congratulations to both of you on your much deserved and long awaited news about the fellowship in Ohio! That is wonderful! Fourteen years of studying so hard, is exhausting to even think about, but it definitely seems to be Ryan’s calling! Briana, as much as I love your updates, recipes and encouragement, I really do understand needing that break. I just hope that somehow you feel encouraged by your readers, because this one appreciates you very much!
Happy Valentine’s Day! 🌹💐💝
Jill Warren says
Briana, congratulations on your good news of being matched. I love how you included that sometimes God has a work to do in us that includes waiting. Happy for you both that God saw fit to place you in Ohio.
Blessings, Jill
Gail Ford Welick says
Dear Brianna,
I am excited for you and your Dr. Ryan. My family is filled with medical professionals so I kind of understand. As a resident and native Texan, I had hoped ya”ll’s choice would be East Texas. I use a GI specialist regularly.
I do not comment often, however, I have followed you for a long time. You are a wise young woman and I admire you and your choices. I attempt to follow THM, but I tend to fall on my face a lot. I am a twice-widowed senior. I do have a son who resides with me. This is difficult at best and indeed requires much prayer! I want to wish you and Dr. Ryan many blessings going forward. I will continue to keep you both in my prayers and ask the same for me. I want to purchase your cookbooks when I can. Up until now, I have gathered as many recipes online. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic and have heart issues. May God continue to always watch over you and your family.
Lynn says
Hey, thanks for updating! Nice hearing your story! Love your cookbooks, my husband and I use your recipes the most for dinner 🙂
Cathy says
So thankful for God’s wonderful provision for the coming move to Ohio! I was so touched by the end of the blog, I was crying and thanking God for answering your prayers. What a wonderful God we serve! Thanks for sharing your good news!
Lisa Suit says
Oh it is my DREAM to go on a trip to Israel with RVL!! Trying hard not to be super jealous, lol! So happy for you and Ryan that you were placed close to your family in Ohio! Also, glad that you’re back to blogging, I missed your posts!
Jacquelyn says
Me too! I did a few studies with his DVDs 20 years ago in college and My husband and I have always wanted to go. Congratulations on your trip and your placement!
Michelle Stewart says
Congratulations and welcome to the Midwest (well, in June 😊). I’m in Indiana!
It’s been fun to read your updates.
Blessings to you! 🙏🏼😘
Carrie says
Yay God! I’ll admit I was super hopeful it would have been VT. Congratulations to you both!
Gail Golden says
I’m so happy for y’all. Praise God that he gave you the desire of your heart and quickly! I hear that Ohio is a wonderful place to live – and especially for gardening.
I’m glad you’re not giving up on blogging because I love reading your post and new recipes you share.
I’d love to hear more about your trip to Israel and see photos, too. I’ve made aliyah twice and long to go again (with my husband this time). It’s truly a life-changing experience. Please share it with us.
Best wishes and blessings,
GG
Emily says
Congrats on the match! I recently became faculty for a psychiatric residency (I’m not a doctor, but am teaching some classes) and have been surprised by the complexity of how people become practicing doctors. We also watched the RVL DVD series in Sunday school and loved it. I imagine that was an amazing experience!
Nicole says
Wow. Love the trip highlights. RVL was my Bible teacher at HCHS and married my husband and I 20+years ago. Small world😉
Shelly says
Congratulations to both of you!! I love it when God works things out in a special way like that. As the mom of a child with a rare genetic disorder (FAP) that requires the care of a gastroenterologist, I am very thankful for the wonderful people who work so hard and train for so many years to take care of their patients. Praise God for doctors like your sweet husband and you for being so supportive!
Susan Van Valkenburgh says
What a great story – always enjoy your writing. 😉 Congrats on the fellowship!
Leah says
I so enjoy your writing and it is awe inspiring to see your trust of God’s will for your lives. I will always read as long as you write!
Kathleen says
Congratulations to you and your husband ! Ohio is a pretty great place to live (lifelong resident of SW Ohio ! ) and we have had a very mild winter so far. I hope that you find a great community in whatever corner of Ohio you find yourself !
Vicki says
Wow awesome. Welcome, I live about 40 minutes from where you worked at your family’s peach farm prior summers! If close to there, I’ll be praying you get side work in bakery, so we can have our first THM treats at a bakery! Lol! We haven’t have a real Ohio winter so far this year -so I’m sure next year should be!
Carol says
Congrats Ryan+Briana on matching in Ohio for his GI Fellowship. God is with you both and He’ll continue to lead you every step of the way in this journey. Blessings, Carol Lukaszewicz in NYS.
Mary Ritter says
Thanks for sharing, I actually made tea, and have been reading and sipping! I am from Pennsylvania, and I can honestly say that having all four seasons makes the year pass quickly! This has been a more mild winter, so next year will probably be more snow! I hope when you move in June you will be able to plant a few things in a garden, if not, head to a farmer’s market for all the locally grown produce! I wish you the best, and congratulate you on getting your heart’s desires in this fellowship match! Our God is faithful!
Deb Mc Clain says
So excited for you as you obey God. He truly loves His children and blesses us with His extravagant love.
Thank you so much for sharing your lives with all of us.
Blessings
Deb Mc Clain
North Fort Myers FL
Kathy Gill says
Your “Let’s Have Tea” post was thoroughly enjoyed & is not too long!!! I LIKED the details of the matching process & REJOICE with you & Dr Ryan for God’s wonderful answer to your faithful prayers. I will miss knowing you are in my state of Louisiana, Briana 🦋 So glad LA had y’all for short time. Enjoy the next phase of your journey.
PS Years ago I had the privilege of watching the Ray Vanderlaan series of which you wrote.
Starla Fogleman says
Blessings to both you and Ryan on this new Ohio adventure! I’m a real fan of Holmes County, OH and try to visit there at least once a year. I’m sure to find a few treasures in all those antique stores, thrift shops and fabric stores! And then there’s the cheese factories too! Wishing you many joy-filled days on this new pathway!
Eileen J Kosloski says
What a wonderful heart warming story. I look forward to Part 2 and all you’re other posts.
Donna says
How exciting! So thankful God is being so obvious for you and Ryan. It certainly does help! Glad to hear your hearts desires are being fulfilled. It is so awesome to watch God do his mighty work. God bless you!
Stacie says
Welcome to Ohio! In June! 😀. It’s a pretty good place to live. There are a lot of great hospitals here so you could be anywhere. I’m in tuscarawas county or Ohio’s amish country area.
Pamela Pearson says
That’s awesome! I live in Ohio…actually met you buying peaches in Holmes County. I remember you saying your family went to BJU and my husband and I did also. So..hoping I dont need a GI, but if I di, going to look up your hubs for care! Lol. Congratulations!
Amy says
Well no matter where you end up in Ohio….WELCOME! I am from Kettering, Ohio and our family currently lives in a suburb south of Columbus.
Janice Chandonnet says
So glad to hear from you and read the story of your fellowship match. Congrats! How exciting! I’m a retired nurse from Michigan and my married daughter( who is an ICU nurse) lives in Ohio. I feel our weather is much the same. We really enjoy the four seasons, winter included. We have several inches of snow right now and my husband is taking the Michigan grandsons ice fishing tomorrow. Hopefully you will adjust and enjoy the four seasons too.
Lisa says
Beautiful. I am so happy for you. Gastroenterologists saved the life of my baby with down’s syndrome. He has a feeding tube. His tube was placed in a teaching hospital where he was treated with utmost respect.😊
God bless you and your wonderful hubby. We love your recipes😊
Dorothy says
Thanks so much for sharing your story!! I can only imagine how long the wait seemed!! I just remember the wait , for a new chief at the fire station!! I was exactly where you were trusting God in all this and was at peace !! But the wait! And he did become chief!!
Katrina says
Excited that you got where you guys wanted! Congrats and best wishes!
Alicia says
Yay, yay, yay!!! Soooooo happy to have you back! I noticed you were missing and was hoping nothing was seriously wrong. I love your recipes and always point “newbies” to your blog! Praise God for answered prayers and giving you two the desire of your heart!
I look forward to new recipes you create to share with us in the future!
God bless you and your husband in your new location!!!
Sara says
I enjoyed this so much! So thrilled for your match and we will gladly welcome you to Ohio ❤️