A North Carolina Homecoming!

On the whole this work week was much better than last! All except a minor glitch on Tuesday when I got bit...well more liked nipped in the face by dog. Not fun, but certainly could have been worse and I'm really blessed that I had just a few scratches and didn't lose my top lip!

As always, my day off was spent cleaning and preparing for the weekend. However, since the past week hosted both Boss's Day and National Veterinary Technician Week, I wanted to make some treats for everyone at the office. I made this recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles. They were pretty time consuming, but worth it since everyone seemed to enjoy them. The recipe didn't really indicate home many to expect, but I got about 45 cookies out of one recipe in case you're thinking about making them. And all 45 were gone by the time I left work on Friday :)

Friday seemed to go by slower than normal because I knew we were hitting the road to NC after work! Fortunately, one of the small animal vets and I traded favors and she closed for me so I could get away from work earlier. The day was pretty forgiving for a Friday- except my very last case. Yet again, I diagnosed a big, sweet loving dog with bone cancer. It was very sad but we're going to work to make him as comfortable as possible until it's time to let him go. Clark and I got on the road about 6:15 and pulled into the La Quinta in Cary just before 10 pm. Quick side note: Clark and I are a pretty big fan of La Quinta. They're not super fancy, but they are usually reliable, clean, and have a pretty good rewards system. Keep them in mind when traveling!

Saturday, the day I had been anxiously waiting for, finally arrived. The day full of Family, Friends, the Fair, Fun, and Food!! We first picked up my Mom and Sister. I'm so thankful I got to spend some much needed time with those two! The theme for the fair this year is North Carolina's Homecoming. It was so fitting for Clark and I since it was the perfect place to see aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's kids and many other friends. My family is really involved in showing sheep and goats so I was glad we got to see their hard work and dedication pay off at the State Fair. I have been in Raleigh for the past 8 years and usually have more than one day to indulge in my favorite fair foods. But this time we only had 1/2 a day and had to prioritize which foods to get. FYI the list was:

1. Mini Donuts- they are fresh, hot, and covered in cinnamon-sugar goodness! 

2. Ribeye Steak Sandwich from the NC Cattlemen's Association

3. Wisconsin Fried Cheese- Cheddar nuggets with Jalapeno Ranch

Normally I would also work in a corn dog, some "new" highly publicized deep fried food, and NC State Howling Cow Ice Cream. 

Saturday also happened to be Open House at NC State and my Aunt Cindy, Uncle Jason and cousins Tristan and Grey were in Raleigh for that. Once they finished up on campus we met up with them at Amedeo's, a definite Raleigh staple. It was so great to see them and catch up! I was seriously lucky to be able to see members from both sides of my family this weekend. 

The fun continued Saturday night when we got to celebrate the engagement of my good friend and classmate, Nikki, and her fiance, Justin. They are big Harry Potter fans and the bridesmaids planned a so-themed event. I'm not familiar with the movies or the books, but it really seemed like the ladies put in a lot of hard work into good food and little details that made the night a blast. It was SO good to see Nikki; June was the last time I had seen her. I also got to catch up with one of my favorite vet school professors and his lovely wife which was a great, unexpected surprise. We're so happy for Nikki and Justin and can't wait to celebrate their marriage next fall. 

After a fun-filled day we rested well and woke up with the intentions of taking my sister to breakfast at the NC Farmer's Market Restaurant. She has been in Raleigh for over a year now and somehow hasn't been there yet. However, when we pulled in the line was out the door- way out of the door. So unfortunately Molly's first Farmer's Market Restaurant experience has been put on hold. But that gave us the opportunity to introduce her to Big Ed's. Big Ed's is another great option in Raleigh for a big, country breakfast. 

Sisters rockin' the flannel! 

After brunch, we dropped Molly off at Meredith and hit the road back to Staunton. As our tradition has been, we made an obligatory stop at Bojangles before we reached sweet-tea-chicken-supreme-honey-mustard-buttery-biscuit barren land.

As usual, there's lots on on our calendar this week and more excitement planned for the upcoming weekend. Please be in prayer with us this week as a very special young lady waits on and hopefully receives some test results after some pretty scary medical events. The Lord knows the need and situation. Thanks and have a great week!

Wet but Wonderful Weekend

I'm not going to lie...this week wasn't great. But there were some high points! For instance...

First thing Wednesday morning I was trying to deliver a calf at the office. I was dressed in rubber boots and coveralls and covered in...well...the things you are covered in when trying to pull a calf. A small animal client came up to the barn saying she needed to speak with me. I had seen her and her dog the Friday and Saturday before and while working the dog up we discovered that her platelets were REALLY low. They came back in Wednesday for a recheck- the dog was feeling much better and her platelets were back up within normal limits! The client was determined to see me so she could tell me the news and thank me. She even gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek- me dressed in OB gear and all! It was a much needed confidence boost, especially during a tough week. It was one of those moments that is giving me hope that this whole being a vet thing is going to work out after all.

Thursday was my day off which was spent cleaning the house and preparing for the weekend. I finally got to put up the wreath I made last weekend...

Like everyone else, I love fall! We've got some mums and pumpkins out on the front porch steps too, but it's been too wet to snap a pic of them.

Friday I was in Small Animal and I was anxious for the work day to end- my in-laws had arrived and we were heading to the Riverheads Homecoming football game. It had been a while since we had seen Ray and Georgia. And who doesn't love a high school homecoming game!? Unfortunately, the wet weather continued Friday night so Georgia and I left the game after they crowned the homecoming king and queen. The fellas toughed it out and stayed through the end. Saturday morning was #4 out of 4 working Saturdays in a row. I'm quite relieved that little marathon is over for a while! After finishing up at the clinic, we took my in-laws to Country Cookin for lunch then headed to Mt. Crawford for the Green Valley Book Fair. Clark, Ray, and Georgia all love to read. I will pick up a book occasionally. I thought it would be great fun for them and a chance to do some Christmas shopping...and it was! There were thousands and thousands of books for pretty great prices. We got out of there with a couple of sacks of books and just a small dent in our wallets. Later that night we went to a late dinner at The Depot. The food was delicious, but the wait was longer than expected and, sadly, very sadly, they ran out of praline pumpkin cheesecake! Oh well, guess that means we will have to go back soon! :) 

Sunday morning we debated a bit about where to have breakfast. We decided you can never go wrong with Cracker Barrel. After a late breakfast we stopped by Sunspots Studios so Ray and Georgia could see the glass blowing and beautiful pieces of art. You can't help but wish you had a few extra hundred dollars lying around when you go in there. This visit they had BEAUTIFUL glass pumpkins- and I wanted a whole patch!Wishful thinking! And probably not a logical investment for a house full of animals; but a girl can dream! Ray and Georgia hit the road around lunch time and we spent the afternoon watching football, catching up with family and friends, and resting up for the upcoming week.

I'm anticipating a better week and hope you all have a great one as well! 

Just a Little Behind...

Life has been more than a little busy lately and I'm a couple weeks behind! So let's see...

September 20th was our first Riverheads home Varsity Football game! It truly was a community social event. We had always been curious about the lack of seating in the stadium. We learned that night that lots of seating is not necessary for a Riverheads football game- their fans are content standing and congregating all around the field so they can socialize and cheer on the Gladiators. Riverheads won and we had a great time, especially since my friend and colleague Nikki and her family were there too. The next day was busy for both Clark and I. Clark had to take the Praxis for technology on the campus of University of Virginia in Charlottesville. What was even more complicated than the exam was the fact that there was a home football game that same day. Poor Clark had to park over a mile away from his building and navigate the campus without his cell phone (not allowed in test room). That totally would have frazzled me before a big exam, but Clark rarely looses his cool. We're still waiting for the results of the test, but overall he thought it went well. I had to work in small animal that morning and then that afternoon was Open House at Westwood. It was so much fun to let folks in behind the scenes to see where and how we treat their animals. Not only was there hospital tours, but also demonstrations on sheep herding, search and rescue dogs, and a farrier shoeing a horse. Other features included face painting, cotton candy, and Chic-fil-a! The weather was pretty dreary, but we still had a great turnout and a lot of fun! 

The next day we went to the Fields of Gold Festival at the Frontier Culture Museum with the Riverheads FFA to help promote Shenandoah Valley Agriculture. The Augusta County FFA Chapters were responsible for the childrens' area that included a petting zoo, fake cows to milk, a corn "sand" box, and crafting your own wooden sheep by gluing real wool to it. There was even a kid's pedal tractor pull. The weather was much better that day and the festival was very neat! I had the chance to go explore other parts of the Frontier Culture Museum. It's a really cool place that has old farm scenes set up from all over the world. Definitely a place I want to check out again!

The following week was pretty standard except for I had two dinner meetings. I enjoyed them- free dinner plus learning more about the latest techniques and new medicatons- not too shabby! Friday night was another home football game ending in another Riverheads win. The 28th was another Small Animal Saturday and Clark helped cook BBQ chicken for a joint FFA-FCCLA fundraiser. The rest of that weekend was spent relaxing and trying out a new church.

This week was a bit different. With the change from September to October, I was scheduled to be in Small Animal Monday and Friday. On Tuesday, one the full-time small animal vets called in sick, so I worked in the clinic so that they too so they wouldn't be swamped. The best part was that Erin and I got to work together! Right now our schedules our opposite- when I'm doing large she's doing small and vice-versa. We had a blast both being in the clinic! Fortunately, Mike, the other mixed animal vet, was in surgery and available if we needed him, but for the most part we were self sufficient and got along great!

I had several firsts this week. For the first time I had to tell a client that their pet had cancer. It was definitely one of, if not the most difficult thing I've had to do so far. I had to spend some time composing myself and planning what to say before starting the conversation. Fortunately, the client was fairly prepared for the news. But the really bad part is that I had to do it two days in a row. The next day I had a patient whose abdominal X-rays looked pretty concerning. I caught somewhat of a break in that I referred the patient to a specialty center for an ultrasound and it was there they confirmed my suspicions. However, even having to speak those suspicions made me nauseous and broke my heart for the owner and her sweet dog. I know these are just the first two of many throughout my career and I doubt that sharing the news will get any easier.

Yesterday was Small Animal Saturday 3 out of 4. Normally we are not scheduled 4 weekends in a row, but I needed my originally scheduled Saturdays at the end of October off. The switch up just happened to put my September and October weekends all in a row. What was great about yesterday is that after work I got to travel with some of my coworkers to The Spa at Massanutten for an afternoon of pampering. That massage was just what I needed after this week! And the best part...it was free! This summer we met a production goal and were rewarded by the pharmaceutical company with a Spa Day followed by a steak dinner at Outback! It was great to spend some quality time with my coworkers away from the hospital!

Photo Credit: Laura Lane

Today we tried the early service at the church we found last weekend and then had brunch at Kathy's. I've had the crafting bug to make some fall decorations so this afternoon I've been working on a wreath. Can't wait to get it finished and show you all!

Whew....I'm going to try not to get behind anymore. I'm you're just about as tired from reading as I am from typing! Have a great week!