#21: 14-8 Civic Center Dr East Brunswick, NJ

#21

14-8 Civic Center Dr
East Brunswick, NJ

September 1988 - July 1991

Rented apt

Fred and I lived in this second floor one bedroom apt.
I worked at my second internship (psych) at The Delaware House in Burlington, NJ, about an hour away.
I also worked weekends at Treasure Island to bring in some income, and we lived on that, wedding gift money, and my savings from when I was in college.
When my internship ended, I interviewed for a few OT jobs and was offered all the jobs I applied for.  I accepted the one at JFK Medical Center in their in-pt rehab unit.  Marybeth and Lori both worked there, as well as another friend or two we had gone to school with, and it was only about 15 minutes from the apt.  Perfect first job.  I started there in January 1989 and had a starting salary of $30,000!
Fred continued medical school at UMDNJ and did medical student rotations through a lot
of the local hospitals.
We had a second hand green L-shaped sofa, and I remember Fred practicing his stitches on the back of the sofa.
We did a lot of "playing house" in this first apt of ours.  We enjoyed cooking together, even going to the grocery store together.  We felt like such grown-ups! I remember a lot of day trips to Allaire State Park, apple picking at a nearby orchard, etc.
We took a road trip to Baton Rouge to visit the Bigs.
We had Kaya and my cat Daniel, and at some point made an impulsive pet store purchase of a long-haired Akita puppy we named Kuma Senshi (Bear Fighter).
Towards the end of our stay there, Fred had to apply for residency, and we made some road trips out to visit some of the programs so he could interview. On a trip to New Hampshire, the car heater broke and we were so freezing, and afraid of breaking down in the middle of nowhere.
The next morning we got back into the car to drive the car to a mechanic before Fred's interview and found that the sodas left in the backseat had exploded, and there was frozen soda covering everything. We dropped the car off and then walked about a mile through snow and ice to the hospital for his interview.