In the ARMY!
Well, who'd have thought that this journey would bring me here, but as of Friday, I am an officer in the US Army. I was commissioned to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, and have now entered into the Health Professional Scholarship Program. First to alleviate some concerns, I want to let everyone know that I will still go to medical school (most likely at IU School of Medicine) as planned. I will still get an M.D. and enter into a residency program to become board certified. The differences are that 1. I won't have to pay for medical school. (In fact, they will pay me to go.) and 2. the residency program will be at an Army hospital instead of a civilian one. In return for the scholarship, I will have a four year service commitment to the Army, during which I will be working as a doctor in Army hospitals, serving soldiers and their families.

Let me assure everyone that our family has been praying about this decision for quite some time now, and we are excited about the opportunities that we know God will have for us as we continue on this adventure!

So, now, I thought I'd share some pictures from my commissioning ceremony. I just had a small ceremony, but my mom and dad came up from Tennessee (surprising me!) and our friends Kevin and Mindy (along with their little Cora) came to witness me taking my oath.

Here is a picture of Mike pinning my rank on me. (When he was in the Army, I pinned his specialist rank on him at his promotion.)

Mom and Dad with Mike and me:

Me with The Flicks:

Captain Moore, me, Mike and Sergeant First Class Vanover:

They give you a cake when you join the Army...how about that?

One more picture of Mike and me...If there were those puffy thought bubbles over our heads, this is what they'd tell you we were thinking:

Shannon: Mike has been so supportive, I am so blessed!

Mike: This is great. I am SO retiring in four years!

OK, just kidding. He has been very supportive ;)

Well, that's it for now!
-shannon