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In some ways this was a pretty normal week – no travel, no crazy deadlines at work, nothing abnornal around the house. In the realm of small enjoyable happy events, however, it was a pretty good week.

• March Madness (the NCAA Div 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament) began. Brian has moved into Dan and Nate’s guest room so he doesn’t miss any games in HD. I’ve been spending significant non-work hours in front of Nate’s TV in Arlington. We’re trying to pull our weight by cleaning and providing sustenance and entertainment so they don’t kick us out before the end of the first two rounds. We love the tournament.
• March 15 was Match Day, when medical school graduates are matched with residency programs. Sarah and Dan were eager to learn where they would be living for the next few years. Verdict: The Sheldons are moving to Chicago! It was Sarah’s 2nd choice, they have 24 hour day care, it’s close to her parents, so all around it’s great news. Nick and Peg were in town to celebrate and meet Theo. Now there will be house hunting, packing, and preparing to move before Sarah reports to work on June 14.
• Theo came home on March 16. One of the nurses was concerned that he couldn’t breathe well in the car seat, but the regular nurse who cared for Max and has been caring for Theo, was able to prop the little guy up to pass the test. Dan reports “Ok, 2 kids is much harder than 1.” We’re poised and ready to help out now that the Sheldon/Bridges family tour is waning.
• We got real snow! About 8 inches in Arlington, we think about 14 inches in Newburyport. It might be the biggest storm of the season. We sat by the fire, watched Bball, and glanced happily out the window to check that it was still snowing. It’s starting to melt already, but it was nice to have at least one good winter storm.
• On Sunday the small crew who share season tickets will get to choose which games we want. The tickets arrive in big sheets of 14 per page, really impressive. I personally like checking out what graphics they put on the tickets. The year after the world series, it was the world series trophy on every ticket. Most years, there are pictures of the players. This year the pictures include many favorites – Varitek, Ortiz, Wakefield, Youkalis, Timlin, Papelbon, Manny – and of course one of Daisuke Matsuzaka, as well as some vintage photos of Robinson and Williams. I’m plotting my strategy.