Author: Doctor in Denim

small boat in water full of ice
When Adventure Turns Scary

When Adventure Turns Scary

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The summer travel season is just around the corner, and so I’ve decided it’s time for a confession.

Let me preface this by saying I have always enjoyed a moderate amount of risk and a high amount of adventure in my life. I’m pretty well-adjusted and emotionally stable. I tend to not dwell too much on the past or think too hard about things that I can’t control.

And yet, a little over a year ago, I completely lost my mental and emotional $#&! because I spent an hour positively sure that I was going to drown in the Straight of Gibraltar. …

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coins of different international currencies
Used Biking Gear and Other April Spending

Used Biking Gear and Other April Spending

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Holy cow it’s mid-May! So it’s well past time to sum up what we spent in April.

A quick reminder: these spending reports are an effort to keep myself accountable to the idea that doctors do not have to spend a totally ridiculous amount of money to live well and love life. And while many people are happy to acknowledge that doctors over-spend, very few doctors are actually up for sharing their personal spending (not that I blame them – putting all this out there in public is an odd experience). That being said, we’re big believers in transparency. As a bonus, looking at our spending this critically makes us really have to evaluate if we’re putting our money where our values are. …

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boys in front of fountain pool
A Letter from a Foster Mom

A Letter from a Foster Mom

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I am very excited and proud to present the following guest post. Zella Kintsugi is the biological mother of three, the adoptive mother of two, and the foster mother of two.  She and her husband have been involved with foster care and adoption since 2014. 

A Letter from a Foster Mom

I do not have it all figured out. I lose my temper. I use words I should not at times that are likely not appropriate. I am not kind, loving, and generous in every situation in which I find myself. …

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two adults and two kids on pier in the fog
Everything You Want to Know (But Are Afraid to Ask) About Our Experience With Foster Care

Everything You Want to Know (But Are Afraid to Ask) About Our Experience With Foster Care

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I totally get it. You want to ask about our foster/adoptive family, but you’re not sure how. You’re not sure what the appropriate terms are for whatever is going on. Or if you’re allowed to ask if we couldn’t get pregnant and tried a bunch of fertility treatment and this is the fallout of that not working. Or if you can ask about the money involved. Or the race of the kids. Or where they came from. Or whether I’ll give you vague and semi-patronizing answers that will make you wish you’d kept your questions to yourself.

We are big believers in honesty and we love it when people show interest in our family and ask us questions about foster care and adoption. So below are some Q & A about our experience – with questions we’ve been asked before and questions I suspect you want to ask because I always wanted to ask tons of questions when I met foster/adoptive parents before I was one of them. I’ve done my best to answer these in the most straightforward and honest way possible.  …

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sunrise on snowy mountians
Tips for Visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Flagstaff (In 1000 Words or Less)!

Tips for Visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Flagstaff (In 1000 Words or Less)!

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This time of year I start hearing: “We’re planning a trip to see the Grand Canyon and (other things near there)! What do you recommend???” This is awesome, because in my opinion everyone on the planet should have the chance to see the Grand Canyon and surrounding region. I’ve been living, adventuring, and raising a family here for over 10 years, so I’m declaring myself qualified to dispense travel advice for this corner of the U.S. …

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Two people in mountains
The Financial Life of a Computer Engineer

The Financial Life of a Computer Engineer

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Our guest post today is from an awesome computer engineer who agreed to share some interesting financial, schooling, work, and investment details from his life so our young people can have a real-life story to consider when contemplating career choices. 

In case you were concerned that our guest-poster is a boring and out of shape nerd who spends his days indoors hunched over a keyboard, you should know that in addition to already kicking ass at personal financial management at the tender age of 28, Mr. Computer Engineer has completed over 10 long-distance running races, summited every single one of the 54 14ers in Colorado, and traveled all over the world to hike, climb, and ski. The photos in this post are his.  …

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Why You Should Say “Yes” When Friends Invite You to Visit Their Hometown

Why You Should Say “Yes” When Friends Invite You to Visit Their Hometown

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We all have the best intentions when friends move far away, don’t we? “Come visit me!” our friends say, and “Of course we will!” we say back. And we mean to, but we don’t. And then years go by and we have friends that fade into acquaintances all over the place… and we sort of wish we had gone to visit at least once. …

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bikers on mountain trail
No-Car Days

No-Car Days

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Fun fact: we Americans each spend an average of 293 hours in our vehicles every year. That’s 12+ solid days out of 365. I don’t care how good the music is or how fancy the upholstery is, that’s just way more time than I want to spend sitting in a car during my waking hours.

The hubs and I honestly did pretty well at minimizing our use of cars during 2016 and the first part of 2017 (our oldest has been a decent biker for years, so that helped). …

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