Out with 2013, In with 2014

It seems that I'm already starting 2014 behind! I woulds say that one of my resolutions is to keep up with my blog a little better... but I'm a realist...

Just like everyone, December was busy for us. It was my first month of being on call. You never know that you're superstitious until you go on call; not TRULY superstitious, but don't-call-it-a-quiet-night, don't-take-you're-work-clothes-off-until-you're-ready-for-bed, have-your-phone-with-you-at-all-times- itious or your setting yourself up for a call. Overall I was very fortunate and received no late night calls. There it goes again...my eye started twitching as I typed that...I'm sure I've set my self up for when it's my turn on call again. :) One of my most memorable calls was to sew up a horse. It was my first "stitch by headlight" situation. As the client's two and four year old children played in the cab of my truck, I couldn't help but smile at the reality of my life. Eventually it will be my two children playing in the cab, spilling Cheerios everywhere and making dirty diapers before the call is done. It was a sneak peak into the future and I loved it.

This fall I had decided that we didn't have room for a Christmas tree and had given in to the thought of not putting up Christmas decorations. However, as the 25th got closer and closer, I was missing some of my Christmas spirit. So we got a little tree that we can plant whenever we decide to buy a house. A tree, the Nativity, and stockings- I think that covers the basics.

There were lots of events the weeks leading up to Christmas: the Staunton Christmas Parade, the Young Farmers, Riverheads FFA Chapter Officer, and Westwood Christmas parties. Fortunately, we were able to head to NC on Sunday the 22nd and stay through Christmas afternoon. Monday night we took my grandmother and her cousin, Nancy, out to dinner at Porky's BBQ, one of our local China Grove favorites. It was good to spend some time with my Grandma and see some familiar faces in our old community. Tuesday we rode to Hiddenite to spend most of the day with my family.  We had fun cooking and wrapping presents for the upcoming family gatherings. I was in charge of two items: 1) Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescents and 2) Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodles. The crescents are one our FAVORITE recipes. To make it even more cheesy, we normally add around 1 and`1/2 cups of shredded cheese. Do It. You won't regret it. The Snickerdoodles were a new recipe for me. I found the idea on Pinterest but the link was botched. So I used the Betty Crocker Snickerdoodle Recipe (which I had used before) and simply put a Rolo in the middle of the dough ball. They turned out really good and are definitely something I'll make again.

Tuesday night we headed to Berea Baptist Church for the Christmas Eve Service. The service is always a great time for believers to come together and focus on the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of Christ. After the service we headed over to my Aunt Cindy's house for the Bunton Family Christmas. Unfortunately, not everyone could attend because my cousin's kids were sick. We will certainly have to see them soon though! After three boys, my cousin and his wife just welcomed a little girl into their family this week!

Christmas Day was a food marathon! First was breakfast at Clark's Aunt Carolyn's house. Then was lunch at my Aunt Beth's, followed by lunch #2 back at Aunt Carolyn's. We were stuffed! Poor Clark had to drive back that evening so I could be at work the next day.

New Year's was quiet. It was a pretty stark reminder that our lives have changed. In former years we would have spent NYE with our friends in China Grove then met with my Silliman family on the first. But this year it was just the two of us. We debated on making the trip to NC again, however Clark had to work on the second...and it would be another 8 hours on the road...and MAYBE we would come up with something to do here... We are so blessed. We love our life here and have no doubts that's this is where God wants us to be. However, the move is still revealing to me things I might have taken for granted. Our family experienced loss this year and there are so many families I know that have also suffered loss or major illness. So my current challenge is figuring out how to I spend time with and let our NC friends and family know they are cherished while cultivating our new life here...

These are things I know the Lord will reveal to us. We have attended a new church the last two Sundays. Before last Sunday's sermon I had a mental list of "resolutions." I even had thoughts writing them down, hanging them up in my closet. I BRIEFLY entertained posting them here on the blog. But after that sermon I decided that my only true resolution was to draw closer to the Lord, wait on Him, and let Him reveal His plan in His timing. 2013 taught me a lot about this, but I know I have a long way to go. Sure, I know what I would like to see done in 2014, but my goal is sit back and see what He has in store.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build, 

a time to weep and a time to laugh

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend, 

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil- this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 

Over the last week and a half we have learned that there really is a season for everything as we commemorated life, death, marriage, and Thanksgiving. Last Thursday I got a call that my Uncle David had died unexpectedly. It seemed impossible at the time and the fact that he's gone still hasn't become a reality for me. As the word spread and people began to share their memories of and condolences for David, it quickly became obvious that he meant so much to not only his family, but his church and community as well. David was full of life and love and spread that joy with everyone around him. He always let you know that he loved you and that he was proud of you- in word and deed. He was always there, with an abundance of hugs, to support you in your accomplishments. As a matter of fact, I was still paying off a debt of several hundred thousand hugs for his help chopping BBQ at my high school graduation party. As with all deaths, there was a time to weep, mourn, love, and embrace. But because of David's fun-loving spirit, there was also a time to laugh. You just couldn't help it as you looked through pictures of him in silly poses and goofy costumes and think about all the good memories. His Earthly absence has certainly left holes in our hearts and family, but through Christ we have hope and assurance of being reunited with him again. 

On Saturday we traveled to Flat Rock, NC to celebrate the marriage of our friends Philip and Lindsay. They are great individuals and a wonderful couple and we're so glad they found each other. Their wedding was certainly a time to laugh, dance, love, and embrace! The wedding was held at the Bonclarken Conference Center. Lindsay's father is a Presbyterian minister and her family has spent a lot of time there. Everything was beautiful; the chapel, the bride, her dress, her father's words, and Philip's smile were all very lovely. The message even included the passage this post is based off of. It was the perfect timing for me to hear those words.  The wedding was at 5 so we planned ahead to stay the night. Our little Rowan Country Crew stayed at the Mill House Lodge which was basically just across the street from the Bonclarken campus. We each got a room in the Dogwood Lodge. It was perfect and so much fun to walk out onto the porch and right next door be your friends. Everyone agreed that we should come back when it's warm to enjoy all the amenities. We really enjoyed catching up and hanging out with everyone. We wish Philip and Lindsay a lifetime of love and happiness!

                          

The services for David were Sunday. Monday was spent catching up with friends. That morning we went over to West Rowan High School and were able to see many friends and students that we miss. After a couple hours there, we headed to Kannapolis to have lunch with Daniel,Tabatha, and MaryLynn at our old standby- El Amigo. We used to eat Mexican with them almost weekly so it was great to fit in our old tradition. MaryLynn is growing up so fast! I'm so proud that she already loves chips, queso, and quesadillas! I can't wait to help teach her little sister (coming next year) to love it too! That afternoon I went to handout with my friend Devon and her son Miller. He's such a cutie and at that wonderful age of discovery and amazement. Monday night was the first WR home basketball game. We grabbed dinner with Bob, Deona, and Marion at Mario's Diner then headed over to the game. It was great seeing our friends and living our old life but also bittersweet knowing it would be Christmas before we could see any of these folks again. We'll never have regrets about moving to Staunton, but we sure left a lot of good people behind in Rowan County.

Tuesday we headed to my folks in Hiddenite to hang out and prepare for Thanksgiving. I helped by making a few desserts. The first was a recipe my Dad found- Elvis Presley Pie. Basically all you need to know is it involves peanut butter, chocolate, cream cheese, bananas, and bacon. Yes, you read correctly- bacon. There are many variations out there, but this is the one we used. It is so rich and delicious! There were a lot of steps in the recipe but it was so good that I'll likely be making it again. One thing to be aware of- you definitely need a deep pie dish. We used the deepest one we had and still couldn't get all the filling in. It was still delicious though! The other dessert I made was the Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars that I made for the potluck at work last week. This time I used a metal pan (instead of glass) and did not put aluminum foil in the bottom. Overall the crust did better but I think I overcooked it. The dessert was still pretty good, but slightly overshadowed by the Elvis Presley pie and other delicious desserts.

We got to spend time Thursday with both Clark and my families before hitting the road back to Staunton. Fortunately, traffic was light and we made it home in good time. Work went well on Friday and that night we bundled up to go support the Riverheads Gladiators at their last home playoff football game. It was cold, but we stuck it out and it was worth it! Riverheads pulled out the win in the last few minutes of the game. Next week they will play away at Giles High School in hopes of winning and advancing to the State Championship Game.

The weekend has been full of rest and recuperation from our travels. I am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with: a wonderful husband, loving and supportive family, an awesome job, and amazing friends. I was starkly reminded not to take these this for granted because things can change so fast. Regardless of what happens, it has all been appointed by God and part of an ultimate plan that we don't always understand.

This week brings some changes- I go onto the large animal on-call schedule this week so I'm excited/petrified of what might drag me out of bed into frigid temperatures. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and has a wonderful week to come.

Full-Swing Into Fall

Fall has certainly set in here in the Valley. The color peak has come and gone, but boy did we have beautiful views for several weeks!

A picture just doesn't do the view of this farm justice!

Most of the leaves have been shed at this point, warning that it won't be long before winter is here. There's even a chance of snow this week!

Monday, October 21st was the local Young Farmers Round-Up. All of the Augusta and Rockingham County Young Farmers Chapters met at the Mount Crawford Ruritan building for a delicious dinner. We then had the opportunity to visit the Mount Crawford Creamery. This farm started bottling their own milk earlier this year and we got to see the pasteurizing and bottling equipment. The best part- free samples which prompted us to come home with loads of chocolate milk! It was also interesting to hear the owners talk bout their experience. While they don't seem to regret their decision to bottle at this point, there was a sense of disappointment as they spoke about the community response. As they mentioned, their seems to be a big push for local foods in this area; well, at least according to bumper stickers. The owners shared with us that it has been much harder than expected to get into local stores and restaurants than they expected; even if they promote that they carry local and fresh products. I can imagine that after a huge investment that it would be just as hugely disappointing to not receive the community support that is advertised. We wish them loads of success and will try to buy their product whenever possible!

The following weekend we had visitors! Bob and Deona Blake, our good friends and Clark's former co-workers, came up so that we could all go to the UVA vs. Georgia Tech football game in Charlottesville. West Rowan has former students playing on each team, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to go see and support each young man. They arrived Friday night and we took them to our dinner go to- the Bistro. The next morning we grabbed brunch at our breakfast go to, Kathy's, then headed over the mountain. Our tickets were with the Georgia Tech Fans, but having no real allegiance to either team, we just rooted for each player to do well. In the end, GA Tech won 35-25. It was a beautiful day and UVA has a beautiful campus.

It was so good to see Bob and Deona so that we could catch up on all the happenings at home and give them a glimpse of our new lives up here. 

The next week Clark got to travel with the Riverheads FFA to the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Clark is technically not an Ag Teacher at the moment so we were very thankful that he got the opportunity to travel to Convention. He is trying hard to serve as a second advisor at Riverheads, so not only was it good for him to go and bond with his new students, but he also got to see and support his former students as well. NC's Dairy Judging team was from West Rowan that he had helped to coach and another former student was recognized on stage for being in the top four nationally for his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Like I said, I was very glad he got to go, but I missed him while he was gone. Particularly on Halloween night. We may have lived apart for the first nearly three years of our marriage, but I have gotten fond of being with him every night. Being in a more "urban" area I was pretty excited that we would get a lot of Trick-Or-Treaters this years. I invited my friend Erin over (she lives more out in the country and wasn't expecting any visitors) and we sat with the porch light on and a big bowl of candy (the good stuff might I add!) anxiously waiting. We only had about 13 kids but we enjoyed the polite and gracious ghouls and goblins that rang the doorbell. For supper that night I tried a new recipe, Ultimate Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes. The website for the recipe is weird, so watch out for that. Also, in true southern fashion I must say, they could use more salt and butter. However, the recipe did halve pretty easily. 

November 1st we celebrated the return of one of the small animal veterinarians from maternity leave. To show her how much she was missed and give her a hearty welcome back we brought in food. Since I was off the day before, I made two things. The first is one that has become my pot luck go to: Crack Dip. It is so delicious and always a hit. The other recipe was a new one for me, Apple Pie Bites. They are very good and fairly easy. Unless you are using GIANT apples, I recommend you do as I did and half your crescent rolls length wise so that the apple is overpowered with breading. Now I have to tell on myself.... I made the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture up early and was keeping it the microwave. Later I was baking something in the oven and used the timer on the microwave to countdown...so I thought. Clark asked me if I was making tea. I let him know that I wasn't. A little later he asked, are you sure you aren't making something in the microwave. I walked into the kitchen prepared to assure him I was not when I saw the light on in the microwave. OOPS! Rather than using the timer feature I had hit the cook time. This is what happens when you microwave brown sugar and cinnamon for nearly four minutes: 

No worries, after a lot of soaking and little scrubbing, it came right off! :) 

That weekend the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrells (I'm not kidding) hosted a volleyball tournament and visiting teams included the Meredith College Avenging Angels. That meant that my family came to town! Mom and Dad drove up Friday and we had wonderful dinner at The Depot. The next morning we had breakfast at Kathy's and then headed to the campus to watch Meredith take on Greensboro College. There was a pretty big break before the next game so we ventured downtown and grabbed a snack at Cranberry's Grocery. Cranberry's is a little more... earthy... than our typical restaurant choices, but the muffin and cake that Dad and I had were very delicious. We went back to campus to see Mary Baldwin and Meredith take the court. Meredith won and Molly got to play so it was great all around! Even though Molly came to Staunton, she has yet to see where we live! She was required to stay with the team the whole time. I'm dying to get her back up here and show her around! After the team headed back to Raleigh, Mom, Dad, and I grabbed dinner. First, we went to Luigi's Pizza. From the outside, it looked like it could be a great little hole-in-the-wall place. Once we got in there however, we realized it was just a hole-in-the-wall. Yes, unfortunately I have to give my first bad review for a place in Staunton. I'd say if you're looking for a place to get alcohol, you'd probably be in luck. But if you're looking for tea, sodas that do not come out of a flat 2 liter bottle, more than one person serving as waitress, bar tender, and cook, or something that requires the use of a fryer even if it's on the menu, Luigi's is not for you. We quickly realized our first stop wasn't going to work out so I quickly guided us to a place I KNEW we could get good food and service- Shenandoah Pizza. Our meal there was awesome and Mom and Dad seemed impressed. They headed back to NC and Clark got home from Convention later that night. 

The following week week we made a new addition to our family...

The Altima has been a great and reliable car for me. However, we have moved north where winter weather will bring the need for four wheel drive. Not to mention that ever since I left my first vehicle which was an SUV I have been dying to get up off the ground again. I am loving the Tahoe and we were so blessed to make a good find! And the best part is we were able to quickly and easily sell the Altima! 

On Friday evening, my landlord, Julia, and I went downtown to the Sparkles and Sweets event. That night a lot of the shops in Staunton stayed open late and had refreshments as a way to kick off the Holiday Season. It was so fun having a girls' night with Julia! 

The next morning Clark and my professional world's collided at the Market Animal Show Steer Nomination Day. I've mentioned it before, but showing livestock is a huge past time for the youth of this area. The Market Animal Show is not until May, however the steers have to be registered in November. Clark went as an advisor for Riverheads and I volunteered to help tag, vaccinate, and deworm the steers so we got up bright and early to be at the Staunton Stockyards. By lunch time we finished up and 126 steers had been tagged, weighed, and vetted. It was great to spend time with the the students and other folks passionate about supporting youth involved in agriculture. We're so happy to be a part of this community and look forward to being a part of the Market Animal Show for many years to come. 

This week Ray and Georgia brought us a very special visitor...

...Cathryn, our youngest niece! She has grown so much since her last visit here and is talking up a storm! They arrived Tuesday night and I had Wednesday off so I got to spend a wonderful day having fun and making memories. We made several stops that day including Pufferbellies Toy Shop and Riverheads High to have lunch with Uncle Clark. This little girl is so funny and we miss her already! We can't wait to see her (and her Mom, Dad, Sister, and Brother) soon we hope! 

I had to work yesterday morning, but after finishing up I headed to Riverheads for their first playoff football game where the readily beat the Arcadia Firebirds. We can't wait to see how far the Gladiators go in the quest for the state championship!

Well, that should get us caught up for now :) I hope to not fall so far behind again! Everyone have a great week! 

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!

Highland County Adventure

Hello and Happy Labor Day Weekend!

It's hard to believe that we've been in the valley for six weeks already! Things are going to so well and we are really blessed that God has provided great jobs in a awesome, welcoming and supportive community!

The biggest highlight of my week was driving over to the Highland County Fairgrounds to inspect the animals at check-in. I was very excited to represent Westwood in my first official fair duties. My first interactions with a veterinarian were as young showman, so it thrills me that showing livestock and youth participating in agriculture are a big pastime here. Everyone kept telling me to be careful on the trip from Staunton to Monterey. At first I wasn't sure why, but after about the 12th hairpin turn going across the mountains, I understood why. Just think Grandfather Mountain turns for about a 1/4 of the drive! It was a beautiful drive, but my trip there was blurred by concentrating on the road and a growing dread as I realized I might have to be the bad guy and turn away someone's show animal due to disease. Thankfully, it was a safe trip, and most of the inspections went great. However, I did have to decline two lambs due to sore mouth. One parent was very understanding and knew that it was a strong possibility the lamb would be turned away. The other parent... not so much and bristled up as soon as I even looked at the sore. It made me sad for the children that I had to reject those lambs, but medically I was confident in my decision; especially since sore mouth is contagious to humans! Overall, everyone was grateful for my presence and appreciated my being there. It was a lot of fun crawling in and out of trailers and truck beds looking at animals and meeting the families that raised them.

On the way back I was a bit more relaxed and really got to enjoy the scenery. One particular pull off caught my eye.

I'm not gonna lie, the name intrigued me. Fortunately, there were lots of signs around to educate me on just what the breast works were.

                               

I knew that the area had a lot of Civil War history, but it turned out that exact spot served as Fort Edward Johnson for the Confederate Army and that one of the towns I drove through, McDowell, had been the location of a battle. Apparently, breast work was the term for the actual fortification itself since it was breast high. As you can see, the view was gorgeous and I hope to get back and hike the trail sometime!

On the way back I also noticed a few other things that made me chuckle. On my route I crossed over Bullpasture Mountain, Bullpature River, Cowpasture River, and Calfpasture River. The whole cattle family was covered! I also saw a few deer on the way there and back and was keeping my eyes peeled for bears. Yes, bears! We haven't seen any yet, but they are pretty populous in the valley!

Other great features of the week:
- Watched over 100 ewes be ultrasounded for pregnancy. I was able to do the scanning myself a few times in vet school, but not enough to stage pregnancies and count babies well. I'm really hoping to pick up this skill so that we can offer the service to our clients
- Clark attended the Riverheads Crop and Vegetable Show. That's right, a crop and vegetable show! The students brought in the biggest and best of their summer garden and were rewarded for their efforts!
- MUCH better small animal day Friday
- Great dinner with Erin Friday night while Clark was attending the Riverheads football game with some of the administrators. It was good for Erin and I to be able to chat about work and realize that we're having the same experiences; just another great reminder of how blessed we are to have each other on this new adventure!

This weekend we've relaxed and watched football! After having something to do every weekend, I was ready for one that was more low key. This afternoon I tried a new recipe. We had four VERY ripe bananas on the counter. A little Pinteresting led me to this recipe and it's pretty good! I added a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and about 1/3 cup of raisins for more texture and flavor.

Tonight we're headed to a bonfire with new friends and tomorrow I'm on call for large animal! Thankfully Erin and I are double teaming so we won't be completely solo if a true emergency situation comes up. This week starts my new schedule of working small animal Monday and Tuesday, having Wednesday off, and working large animal Thursday and Friday. I'll have the opportunity to start doing small animal surgeries, so I'm looking forward to that! Hope everyone has a great week and a nice, relaxing Labor Day! 

God is Good!

I have a very good friend who often tells me how obvious God's movement in my life is. And it's true. Very, very true. And God's hand couldn't be any more obvious in mine and Clark's life than it has been over the last several weeks. First he blessed me with an awesome job and worked out a wonderful place for us to live. This week the blessings continued- Clark has accepted a job and we have renters for the house in North Carolina!

Starting this coming week, Clark will be the new technology education teacher at Riverheads High School. Technology Education? That's not ag. ed!? You're right. But this position is a great way for Clark to get his foot in the door at a great school. Everyone we run into tells us that Riverheads is a wonderful school in a great part of the county. This year Clark will teach courses that are both computer and shop based, so it won't be a big difference from the ag mechanics classes he was teaching before. His shop and classroom are right beside the ag classroom and shop, so he will have the opportunity work closely with the Ag teacher and maybe even help with the FFA chapter. If things go right and enrollment allows, the administration seems open to having two ag teachers in the future so we're hopeful that Clark be back to teaching ag in a year. One minor detail that we're pretty excited about- the Riverheads school colors are red, black, and white :) Being NC State grads, that color combo comes pretty naturally to us. We loved being WR Falcon fans, but honestly, wearing THAT shade of blue was pretty painful sometimes. We won't have to dig very far in our wardrobes to find the right gear to cheer on the Gladiators. 

AND we have renters for the house in NC! What a huge relief! We are so thankful that it's settled and that financial burden is alleviated for now. 

Other great things from this week....

Our landlord invited us out to have dinner with her, her boyfriend, and another couple. And this is her view. Can you say, WOW! It was a wonderful meal with even better company. Julia fixed her take on this Pioneer Woman recipe and I made these Carmelitas for dessert. SO. GOOD. I was so grateful for their outreach and the chance to meet new people and develop relationships. I look forward to hanging out at the farm more in the future! 

Friday brought more visitors!

We were so happy to have these munchkins with us for part of the weekend. Friday night we went to the Dairy Rite which proved to be a great choice for the kiddos. Each of them got a Kid's Meal that came in a little cardboard Cadillac tray and with a token for a kid's sized ice cream. The kids loved it and all of the adults enjoyed their meal too. Saturday morning we went out to the clinic so they could see "Aunt Jenna's work." Luckily there were some foals and a kitty for them to pet so they thought that was pretty cool. Next, we traveled down to Riverheads so they could see "Uncle Clark's Work." Afterwords we went to  Gypsy Hill Park so the children could play. Gypsy Hill is a big, wonderful park with lots of activities to keep kids and adults entertained. 

First we played on the awesome playground...

Then we went to check out the beautiful duck pond...

 Our last stop at the park was the train...

We wrapped up the afternoon with lunch at Kathy's (seeing a weekend pattern here...) where fortunately, they were still serving "breakfast"! After lunch Ray, Georgia, and the kids had to pack up and head back to NC. We were so happy that the kids were able to come see our "new house" and can't wait for them to come back and have more Virginia Adventures.