Long Absence

Well this is the first writing in nearly 2 months!! Honestly we have nothing new or exciting to post as of yet. But thought at least a "Hey how are ya" was due. :-)
Christmas we spent with my family (Becca) family in WV and was a great time as usual; but an odd time as well. Greg, my dad, and Joel, my brother, had both had a tooth removed prior to Christmas - so the holidays were happy but consisted of some mouth pain for them. I had a reappearance of my kidney stone, which we thought I had passed on Christmas Eve (after spending the evening in the ER Dec.22 when I was diagnosed with one). Turns out it just found a hiding place that didn't cause me pain.......so on Saturday after Christmas it decided to reappear with a vengeance! We drove home January 2 after doping me up with painkillers so I could make the 8 hour drive. I slept most of the way in the back seat of the car while Nate sped home, going way too fast :-). That evening we were back in the ER in TN getting me even more doped up on IV pain meds. The next day I was in the urologists' office, and the day after that (Jan 4) in surgery to remove the kidney stone.
Yay it was finally gone - only it was followed by a week of working with a stent keeping my ureter open b/c I was so swollen. So that week crept by but the work load of patients didn't waiver.........it's our busy season....FLU SEASON - it stops for no one! I finally was stent free a week after the surgery and struggled to completely get better when the whole ordeal left me with an infection. Happy to say, and so is Nate, that's all cleared up now
Nate and Carl have been keeping busy as usual. They never slow down. Nate has also been working for a couple in our church, helping them remodel their new home, getting it ready to be moved into. He's really enjoyed having that "on the side" to do in the evenings and the weekends (that I've been laying around whining about not feeling good :-) ). He always enjoys sharing his expertise and talent with friends and acquaintances from our church. He finished up that job monday, but they've asked him to completely paint the downstairs now......now that they see how good he is :-).
Nate continues to coach soccer for the brentwood soccer club U-14 Crew Navy team. It's "indoor soccer" right now, but they're gearing up for the spring season. He's already signing up for tournaments and rallying for certain fields and times to practice during the week. He still enjoys coaching, but sees now how much work it takes, and time. The kids are all good kids, and the parents, luckily, are easy to work with for the most part
I, Becca, continue to work at "AFD" (America's Family Doctors.... www.afdclinics.com). It feels like I'm running myself ragged most days, but I keep reminding myself it won't always be like this. It's just the flu season :-). I see on average 25-30 patients per day and about 20 patients on the weekend days (we're only open 9-12 on the weekends but it's just one provider and we don't get out usually until after 1pm). It's a big patient load, and a tiring job - but rewarding. I've been praying that God will help me see that "one patient" each day that I can tell really needed to come in, really needed to meet me, and hopefully really needed my help. Sure there's plenty of the "I've got a sinus infection" patients, considering the time of year, but it seems like God has sent a patient just about every day, that truly has needed my help in one way or the other. It's enough to keep me going in each room, even when I know that behind the door is another head cold :-)..... sometimes I get lucky and behind the door is someone in true need of guidance that I can give. Those are the patients that make the day worth it :-)!! Today it was a fun patient.....not a heart wrenching case.... but a "Yeah; this is what I love doing" case.......... a big..... LACERATION in need of stitches!! WOOHOO :-)heehee - Nate thinks I'm sick - I think it's awesome!
Well that's what's been going on in the past 2 months..... sick and working :-).... if you catch us on an off day "sick of working" :-)heehee. But we're both doing well, happy to be here, still loving our home and careers and still keepin on :-). We've got some friends and family coming in for visits soon, so we're gearing up for that and anticipating their arrival.
Hope you all are doing well. As life gets more interesting........ we'll keep you posted ;-)