Merry Christmas!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I pray that we each can truly remember the reason for this glorious season! I promise to be better this coming year in posting updates and pictures! Here's our Christmas card picture as well as some others from our "photo shoot" taken by my wonderful Dad at Market Square in downtown Knoxville!

Adventures in the mountains

As I mentioned in the last post, Chris had fall break this past week so I decided to take some time off work to hang out with him. We had hoped to go visit friends in NYC for the week but plane tickets were super expensive and we've had a few unexpected expenses lately (new tires, fixing the roof in the new house...) that we decided to still take a little vacation but keep it budget friendly. We decided to go to a bed and breakfast and got the recommendation from my mom's friends of this great one in Waynesville, NC. It's called the Andon-Reid (www.andonreidinn.com) and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick get-away! It's only 1.5 hours from Knoxville too! The Inn is great...we had a suite the first night and do to internet-booking problems spent our second night in another room.

The owners, Ron and Rachel, were very nice and have maintained the home very well. The house had 5 rooms and we stayed in two...the white sulphur suite and the mountain view (due to internet-booking issues the suite got double booked for one night we were there!) It also had a great game room (pool, shuffleboard, darts, etc) and a great workout area...this was the selling point for me!! =) Rachel is a great cook too...our breakfasts were 3-course meals! Monday we had a yogurt/fruit parfait, blueberry waffles, eggs, sausage, and dessert was a grilled lemon pound cake topped with strawberries. We were so full we didn't have to eat lunch!! Tuesday morning we had a baked apple with cranberries and cinnamon, homemade cinnamon rolls, Smoky Mtn eggs, and dessert was a strawberry-lemonade frozen pie. It was soooo yummy! She also had homemade snacks out at 5 every night for happy hour! We ate dinner Monday night at this great restaurant in town called The Sweet Onion which we also highly recommend!! We plan to go back to the Andon Reid for sure!

Our main source of "entertainment" was hiking since we are blessed with such beauty so close to home! The weather forecast for Monday was cold (high 52) and rain so we decided to do our big long hike on Sunday on our way to NC. We chose Mt Cammerer which is a 12 mile round trip hike to a viewing tower on the east side of the Smokies. The trail was pretty deserted due to the fact that the Cosby campground was closed to paving. There were only 2 men on the trail slightly ahead of us and they turned around about halfway up the hike. About 5 minutes later Chris and I came around a bend and we heard this loud noise and saw a bear running!!! We were both startled and Chris immediately said we had to turn around. Now I've hiked with bears around before because usually they aren't aggressive and they go on their way. I think we startled this one and he fell from the tree...he wasn't that big which meant Momma bear was close by! We turned around and I was not happy at all because we had almost made it to the AT where the hike would get a little less strenuous. But with no one else on the trail and a bear sighting, along with the sign posted at the trailhead saying a campgroup on the AT was closed due to aggressive bear activity...we headed back down. We never saw another bear but heard one close to us for awhile which was pretty unnerving! We made it back down the trail and decided to head on over to NC and hike Mt Pisgah off the Blue Ridge Parkway. This hike was not easy either but the views were great at the top! The weather was starting to cloud up so pictures didn't turn out awesome but what we saw in real life was still really pretty as the trees were starting to change colors! After hiking that we went and checked in at the B&B...enjoyed the hot-tub and free wine and headed out to dinner in town!

Monday was our next day to hike and the weather was cold and rainy so instead of hiking to views of the mtns, we chose to do some waterfalls instead! We went back to the Blue Ridge Mtns and hiked Graveyard Fields which had two waterfalls...upper and lower. Both were pretty and the hike wasn't too strenuous compared to Mt Cammerer! It misted but never rained hard so that was nice! It was very very very foggy up on the parkway also so no good views that day but it was cool in its own way! We went back to the B&B and rested before dinner at the sweet onion. We had an absolutely wonderful time on our little getaway and can't wait to go back either...we think it would be alot of fun to go with a group of friends and rent the whole house =)

If you want to see all the pictures from our trip, just click on the slideshow above to the right of our favorite pics and it will take to you our picasa web albums. Enjoy!

UT v Auburn

We had another great Saturday tailgating and going to the UT/Auburn game last weekend. This was the start of Chris' fall break as he had the whole week off...which prompted me to take the week off with him! =) Our tailgating "theme" this week was grilled chicken and burgers and alot of other yummy foods! Our usual tailgate spot was full due to all the Auburn fans in town for the game (ugh) and it was a night game w/kickoff at 7:45 so the lot filled quickly. We had to set up shop down the hill from the church and it turned out to be a decent spot to tailgate. The game itself was not so hot....this is a rough season for the Vols but we still had a great time and I got to wear my orange UT overalls so it was worth it! Here's a few pics from tailgating and the game! We even found Will and Alicia....we love you all even though you are Auburn fans! =)

It's football time in Tennessee!

Yes friends football season is in full gear here in Knoxvegas! This is my favorite time of year not only because of the games themselves but the tailgating and cooking that goes into them as well! We tailgate with the same group of people before each game and always have a themed meal...italian, mexican, sandwiches and salads, soups, brunch...yum! I am hoping to put together a cookbook this fall of all our recipes because they sure are good! Here's a pic of Chris and I at the UCLA game and a few pics from tailgating...Since we moved out of the condo and Laura moved in, we got to go to the condo for Boomsday and have the annual cookout followed by the great fireworks! The weather was great, the food was great, and so was the company! Laura and I took our usual "you are a boomsday firework" picture so here we are as fireworks...

And the winner is....!

Sorry it has been awhile since our last post....we have been very busy lately! Chris' school and teaching are back in full swing now and actually midterms are this week! He chaired the annual Second Harvest food drive last week with his Key Club against Heritage...and they won again! Chris and students got to go onto the football field to accept the award and claim their $500 check, which he gets to use with his Key Club. His students are keeping him on his toes this fall, but it's a good challenge! He even got a few days off before labor day due to illness (flu/virus). We have been hit hard this late summer/early fall with the flu and alot of viral infections. So as Chris got to stay out of school for a few days....I on the otherhand was overwhelmed at work with all the sick kids! We really have been double and triple booked at each appt. opening due to all these sick kids....makes me worry for what real flu season will be like this fall!

Packing, moving, and unpacking...oh my!

I'm happy to say that we are officially in our new house and we are loving it! The packing of boxes before moving went well, the actual move was good, and the unpacking is complete! The move wouldn't have been so great if it weren't for good friends and family to helped throughout the week! It's been 2 weeks since we moved in and it finally feels like home! The last thing to do is decorate and hang pictures/artwork but everything else inside is almost complete! My mom and Chris did tons of painting in both family rooms, the guestroom, hallways, and our offices. Thanks Mom =). Chris' mom was here for the past week and they got alot of yard work done too and it looks great! We're ready to plant stuff this fall now!

Willie is loving his new big backyard where he can run and bark as he wishes...although I have to tell about his injury from the new backyard. He is very intrigued by the shed in the back which has the mower, etc and loves to sniff and bark at it. The other night we'd let him out and he ran behind it and (i was inside) all of a sudden heard him yelping/crying. I ran outside to see what was going on and he was silent and wouldn't come out from behind the shed. I thought some animal had gotten him or something! When he finally came out his left eye was full of blood. Scared me to death! Anyways, once I got it cleaned a little we saw he had cut his eyelid. Chris immediately knew it was from an old wire back there that he hadn't gotten to clearing out yet. We called the vet who said a stitch was probably not needed and to just clean and watch it. When I finally cleaned it well I saw he had torn completely thru his eyelid a few millimeters and he had a piece of tissue hanging in his eye. We got him an appt with the vet the next day to make sure a stitch wasn't needed since the cut was deep but he just got home antibiotics and eye ointment to use for the next week. I'm just glad he's okay and didn't puncture his eye! Poor Will!

Pawleys.....the best place in the world!

Sorry it's been a while since the last post...we've been busy with moving and traveling! We had a wonderful week at Pawleys and it came and went too fast! We go to Pawleys every summer so it's quite the tradition in our family! We stay with my dad's childhood friend and his family and always have a great time! This is the one week of the entire year that I am actually okay to sit and do nothing...read on the beach, walk, or play! This is the week I regain my sanity and just relax...so not me most other times of the year! We had our traditional "Jimmy Buffett sandburger cookout" where my dad grills our "sand"burgers on the beach and we have a big cookout. One of my favorite times of day is when the sun is getting low and we play corn-hole...and bocce ball during the day at low tide. I've gotten pretty good at both of these games, although Chris would say that my form is "entertaining to watch!" We rented Chris a surfboard for a day and he got pretty good at it considering the waves weren't too big!

I miss happy hour back here at home....we had some great happy hours/appetizers this year! We also ate at Franks one of my favorite restaurants. It was a yummy dinner and fun to get dressed up for a night! Chris and I cooked one night for the whole house and made some spicy shrimp tacos with fresh fruit salsa...oh they were so good!! Definately a recipe to keep! Robert and the girls came down on Saturday as their house rental was not the same week as ours--it usually is. We went to the 4th of July parade and this year Alan, Loretta and Carson were in it! =) Very hot but fun to watch! Here's just a few pics from our great week....and can you believe it didn't rain once?!? Not even at night! Crazy!!

Birthdays and celebrations!

This past week was a busy one in the Schmid/Taylor houses as we celebrated my dad's birthday, my parent's anniversary, Father's day and, most importantly, my birthday! (jk!) It was a week full of eating yummy food and waaaay to many desserts! My dad had to work on his birthday, so we ordered a big cookie cake to take to the nursery for everyone to eat! Thursday at work my sweet co-workers had flowers, a balloon and cake for me! Such a nice, sweet surprise!! =) Thursday night was Sundown in the City and The Wailers were the band for the evening...we met up with some friends and had a great night! Sundown is always a fun part of my birthday celebration and this year was different! Friday night my running group and spouses ate at La Costa on Market Square to celebrate our birthdays, as most of our happen in the late spring/early summer! We had so much fun and the food was great! Saturday (after our run of course!) Mom, Dad, Chris and I headed out to the lake for a bit to enjoy the nice weather...so relaxing! We then had our family celebration dinner at Foothills Milling Company in Maryville...this is seriously the best food in east tn. I got the grouper which was excellent! Sunday was my actual birthday and I was awoken with breakfast in bed! I shared it with willie because he is always hungry!! I came down to open my presents from chris--i got a big double shepard's hook and bird feeder for the new backyard as well as some movies. He was very creative in his display of my gifts! We went to church and then just Chris, Willie and I went to the lake for the afternoon. We got willie to swim after his ball in the lake and he actually had fun!! He was super tired until Monday from all of his swimming! Sunday night the whole Schmid family came over to mom and dad's for bday/father's day celebrations! It was such a good week of being with friends and family and I am so blessed with such great people in my life! =)

On another note, we head to Pawley's this Sunday for a week and I cannot wait! I love work but I love having a vacation even more!!!! Looking forward to a week of relaxing! After we get back, we close on our house july 9th and movers come that Saturday! So life will be busy when we get back, I've already started packing the house...which is not fun!!!

And our new address is....!!!

We are super excited to announce that we have found and bought a wonderful home! Pending inspection (June 9th), approval on the loan and appraisal, we will officially be home owners! It did not take us too terribly long to find the right house for us but it sure did take some work! We looked through about 300 houses online, spent an afternoon driving thru neighborhoods in knoxville to do "drive-bys" of potential houses, and then actually looked at a few. We were able to rule out alot based on neighborhoods in that they were the newer subdivisions where you don't have much privacy and your back yard is on top of your neighbor's. They were some cute houses but no outside space! We got daily email listings of houses new to the market and this one at first really didn't catch my eye as I was not sure on its location. I remembered it when we were out that way and Chris and I drove by it...it was cute from the road and a good location/neighborhood. So we scheduled the viewing with Bee, our realtor for last Weds (almost 2 weeks ago). We fell in love with the house right away...Chris was ready to buy it that night! I needed time to think about it and we checked comps on the neighborhood and did a little research on the area. I wanted to see it again, Chris did not as his "mind was already made up!". Since my parents wanted to see the house, I took them back last weekend to see it. With the holiday weekend and such, it was Weds. until we were able to put an offer in. After our first offer and some counter-offering, we agreed upon a price Friday afternoon!! Yay! We go to sign the contract tomorrow to make it official! =) We plan to close July 7th after we return from Pawleys and move furniture that weekend. This will give us time to clean and paint! The house is in great condition though with a brand new kitchen (yay!) and new carpet. The backyard will be great for Willie too! If anyone wants to see pics email/comment on here and I can send you a link...its the MLS link with the address and all that stuff that I don't want the whole world to see/know! =) We are so grateful to God who clearly was in control of this situation and it was (of course!) worked out perfectly!

In other news...Chris is off for the summer and I'm still working. Sad I don't have a summer anymore but grateful for an upcoming week at Pawleys! We went hiking last Sunday with my parents (Memorial Day weekend) and spent time at the lake and pool as well! We also went to a cookout at some friends from church house which was a blast! Here's a few pics from hiking...we did Hen Wallow Falls and it was a really nice hike. The rain held off for the most part and of course it was sunny on the drive back home! Oh well! Chris was great and very patient with me (my knee) as I have difficulty with hiking downhill...and of course the only time I fell was on flat ground! Ha!

The sweet by and by

I realize it's been awhile since we've updated...sorry! Life has been very busy here in the Taylor household lately! This past weekend we kept Sammy again while the parents were out of town. I love this dog so much so I thought I'd share a pic with him! This was before we went to the Rossini festival with friends from our Life group.

I have been at my job for 6 weeks now and still love it. Yay! I cannot imagine doing anything else for a job and feel so blessed to have found this calling in my life. The doctors and staff I work with are all super nice and wonderful and the kiddos are too cute! Most of them I seriously could play with all day and I love when I walk in the room and get a big hug along with the child yelling my name! Too cute! With this recent "swine flu" episode in the news, we've been even more swamped at work lately as everyone thinks their child has it. Not so much and while I do understand their concern, I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion at this point. Not to say things won't get worse, but seriously if you have just a sore throat you do not have the swine flu!!

In other news, we've officially begun house-hunting. We've talked with the bank and know how much they are willing to loan us, which by the way is $100,000 more than we are even considering! No wonder this country is in such a financial mess! Oh well, we are smart enough to know not to borrow that much! We've got a great realtor who is going to be great to work with. We've been to a few open houses and had a private showing last night of one house. We've given the realtor our specifications which have been plugged into the MLS system. Chris and I sat down at the computer and went thru at least 200 listings online and narrowed them down to some we were considering. This past Sunday we drove around to do "drive-bys" of the houses and neighborhoods to see if these houses were homes we really wanted to spend time looking at. We've narrowed it down to 5 houses but honestly I'm not sure if any of these houses are the one for us. We'll have to wait and see once we get inside them! I am big on having property/not right on top of your neighbor like all these new neighborhoods are building. So that rules out a lot of potential areas/homes. We're going to stay patient and wait for God to lead us to the right home, in His time!!!

Chris and I chaperoned William Blount's prom last weekend...it was quite interesting! I enjoyed seeing all the dresses and outfits! We worked the coat check area for a shift and then just walked around, visited with teachers and students, and ate a little. Chris did not allow me to dance even though it was super hard for me not to dance when good music came on! He was afraid he'd lose his job if I danced! Ha! We got our picture made at the official prom picture set-up for free...soon we will have a 5X7 and 8 wallets of our prom pose! Hahaha!


Here's a few pics from Easter weekend with Laura and then me, Chris and Will. Both Mom and Dad had to work Easter so it was just us kids but we still celebrated with brunch at Copper Cellar! =) We had Easter dinner that Monday night with Mom, Dad, Laura and of course Sammy, Tyson and Will were invited!!

On the road again...

Running that is! I am so excited to say that I am back to running at just 6 weeks post-op! Saturday mornings are our running morning with the gang and I have missed that time each Saturday! So this week I decided to try running, figuring I'd run about a mile or so and then head to the gym to finish up my cardio. I met Tara and Debbie (mom didn't run bc of the half marathon on sunday) and we began our usual run on the blvd. My knee felt a little odd/unstable and the very beginning, but these were the first running steps I'd taken in 6+ weeks. Soon I had no pain/uneasiness feelings and ended up running the whole blvd (5.2 miles). YAY!!! I was so proud of myself (my knee to be exact!) as I knew I had the endurance from hours at the gym but was unsure about my knee's strength. But I did it and I didn't hurt at all!!! =) As I mentioned, the Knoxville half and full marathon were this past Sunday (today) and I had registered last fall for the half before knowing I'd be having another knee surgery. My first plan was to simply walk the 5K portion of the event simply because I'd already paid the fee and wouldn't wear the shirt without participating! When I discovered that I could run some, I decided to run part of the half today! The course went through my parent's neighborhood so I met Mom about halfway on the course. I felt like such a cheater though, hoping in the race at halfway! But I know it doesn't matter and I had a good reason to, but that's just the way I think/compete! My knee was a little tired the first half mile since I ran yesterday and had gone up in weights at body pump on my squats of Thursday since I never dreamed I'd be running this weekend! But soon the uneasiness feeling was gone and I was ready to go! The course was not too bad and I enjoyed the uphills as those are easier on my knee than the downhills! I waited a little for Mom so we could cross the finish line together and get our names called out at the same time! We finished on the field at Neyland Stadium and were on the jumbotron as we crossed the finish! Chris was there as the photographer/crowd support so that was great! The postrace party was decent, nothing to brag about as far as food, but it was okay! I am just so glad and blessed I was able to run yesterday and today and am looking forward to getting back on the road and training for something this fall!

In other news....Chris and I went to Atlanta last weekend for shopping (for my new job!) and to see the Georgia Aquarium. I got some great deals on clothes and shoes (everything I bought was on sale even at the outlets!) and the aquarium was amazing! We had a great time seeing all the fishes, whales, sharks, and everything else! I would highly recommend the aquarium! We had a great dinner that night too! Sadly, on our way out of town we were involved in a minor wreck...we were all safe but my poor new car sustained damage! She needs a new back door and alot of touching up of paint, etc. The wreck was not our fault and the guy who hit us was really nice...we had to wait 45 mins for the atlanta police to arrive to file the report so that delayed our getting out of town. At least where we got hit was in the nice area of the city (buckhead) and the guy who hit us drove an infiniti and has insurance...it could have been worse! But all in all it was a great get-away weekend and I'm excited about all my new purchases!

I start work full-time this week and am looking forward to it! I did 2 days last week at the office with one of the docs just to get a feel for how they do things, but this week I'm on my own! My APN license came through so I think all the paperwork is now done! Yay! I pray this week is not too overwhelming and that I can keep up with my schedule!!!

In memory of April

The entire Schmid/Taylor/Tidwell has had a rough past week with the sudden death of my aunt April. She has valiantly and courageously battled lung cancer since last August. Her strength, disposition and faith in God proved to be a witness to all who knew her. I was so lucky to have been able to visit her last week just a few days before the events surrounding her death took place...Mom and I visited for well over an hour when she was still in the hospital due to her skin infection from radiation to her brain. She was experiencing awful headaches and high blood pressures which were determined to be due to increased swelling in her brain. Friday afternoon she was moved to the ICU and Saturday AM to the Neuro ICU. Friday night she had a massive stroke and much bleeding in her brain. We never got her back. Saturday and Sunday were spent at the hospital visiting her and grieving as the prognosis was grim. Sunday afternoon with her family at her side, the ventilator was removed and she was able to leave her weakened, battered body behind and enter into God's Kingdom.

I still cannot believe she is really, truly gone. Her radiant, smiling, laughing personality are the images I immediately think of when I hear her name. The service was moving and my uncle Robert gave an amazing eulogy. My heart grieves for her loss, for her children (my cousins) for Robert, her parents, her sister and family, and the entire Schmid family. We lost an amazing woman and while we don't understand why God took her, I find so much comfort knowing that she is no longer in pain and is with her savior whom she loves so deeply. I have way too many memories to write, but I will cherish them all in my heart forever. I was the flowergirl in their wedding 20+ years ago and still remember that day like it was yesterday. I only wish that I can live my life just even a fraction of how April lived hers...full of energy, laughter, and most importantly an unwaivering faith. We love you April!

Operation Job: Complete!

I am so happy to announce that I have accepted a PNP position with Pediatric Consultants, a group based here in Knoxville. I did my last semester of clinicals with Dr. Harrison who works for this group and loved it! I am going to be split between their North office (off Merchants Dr.) and their Halls office and will be working with the same group of 4 doctors (2 men, 2 women) and another PNP. I could not be more excited to start this new phase in my life as I am no longer a student but an actual practitioner! I am a little nervous about starting, it seems so long since I finsihed up clinicals in December but feel sure I will quickly revert back to that way of thinking!! I took my lab coats to get monogrammed this week and will orient next Tuesday and start seeing patients on Wednesday! God has blessed me with this job and I am continually grateful for him to fulfilling this need and prayer request(s)!!! This job offer initially was to start out as part-time and be full-time by August. I really struggled with whether I should take this job (I didn't really want to start part-time) or take the offer in Sevierville which was full-time but 45+ minutes away! What was going to be my decision point was if PC could offer me 32 hrs/week to start I would take it and if not, I'd take Sevierville. Well, I heard back from PC and the most they thought I could start at was 20 hrs/week. When I was talking to their manager on the phone with her offer, I felt this great sense of joy and peace rush through my body...God was telling me this was the job for me regardless of the hours they were able to start me at! After a quick discussion with Chris, I called them back and accepted it the next day. A few days later they called with my schedule, and guess how many hours I am starting with....32!!!! God is so good and has shown me again that if I trust in Him and follow His will, He will provide!!!!! I will oreint next Tuesday and then start seeing patients next Wednesday!!! I am super excited and very much looking forward to this, although a little nervous to start! I cannot wait to see what else God teaches and shows me in this new journey!

Beach, snow and job interviews...what a past few weeks!

Last week, I got to spend a week at the beach my mom and laura...we had a great time and enjoyed the warm, sunny Florida weather! We got to hang out, read silly books, shop, walk on the beach, and of course lay out! We were blessed with great weather, except it was super windy the first day! Our evenings were filled with yummy dinners, happy hours, and an interesting/entertaining dinner and show! My knee continued to heal while we were there, and I could tell its improvements in that the first day I could only walk about 10 minutes on the beach and by the end of the trip, about 20-30 minutes! Walking on the sloped, sandy ocean edges is tricky with a gimp knee! We were sad to have to leave and come home to...SNOW!!! Such a reality check..in less than 2 hours we had left the beach and were back home in Knoxvegas!! I was excited to get home and see Chris and Willie though, Chris had cleaned the house before I came home and was oh-so-proud of himself!!! =) Chris had had a busy week with his fundraiser at school, in which his Key Club raised $4300 for St. Judes. What a great week for him and for us at the beach!!

This past week I have had two more job interviews, both with groups here in town. The first interview would be a great option except that it is for part-time until probably August. I am not really open to part-time work right now since I have no kids or other major committments that would prevent me from being full time! My interview today was with my dad's group at UT seeing well-babies and attending deliveries at Blount...again, sounds like a great learning opporunity, I just really have to decide if that is the life/job-style I want...working nights/24 hour calls, varying schedules, etc. I'm not opposed to the idea by any means, it's just a lot to consider! And, as luck would have it, the Sevierville office callled me after my first interview this week to see what I was thinking. Again, I told their office manager that the drive is a huge negative for me but the rest of the job is exactly what I want! I think God keeps throwing that one back in the mix...maybe that's where He's telling me to go even though I am hesitant!!! You know, we ask God to show us the right answer/choice and maybe he keeps showing it to me and I'm not completely open to it! I need to remember it is His will be done, not mine!!!!! I just keep praying about the whole situation and know that I will end up where I am meant to be! I told Sevierville I'd tell them in a week my decision, so this weekend I'm going to make a pro/con list of each of the three jobs and then really make a decision!! I feel so grateful that each of these jobs are available to me as so many people in this country right now don't have any options! I'll keep everyone updated!!

It's beach time baby!

So this time next week I will be soaking up some warm, Florida rays down in Ft. Lauderdale. Mom, Laura and I fly out next Tuesday and come back Sunday...I am not cleared to fly for 3 weeks after surgery, but I'm cheating by a day =). Plus we're flying Allegiant Air and it is a direct flight so travel time is not too long. I'm looking forward to simply relaxing and enjoying some time away from Knoxvegas for a bit. Sadly, the men (chris and dad) have to stay home and work the week! One criteria for where we stayed was that it had to have a gym for my knee rehab. As I've been cleared to run on the eliptical and have added a few weight machines, I must have a gym to exercise in! I'm not a huge shopper, but I've googled and found that there is a DSW (dallas shoe warehouse) store near our resort...yay! So I'm looking forward to next week...what better place to relax, recover, and rehab than at the beach!! (This pic is the Schmid ladies this past summer at Pawleys!)

When we get back, the folllowing week I have one scheduled interview and another in the works of scheduling a time. Yay! One is with Pediatric Consultants for their North office and the other will be with the NICU/my dad's group to see well-babies in the hospital! We shall see...!!!

On a random note, this Sunday is National Margarita Day...so everyone enjoy one (or a few!) so you can celebrate appropriately!!!!!

It's raining men!

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my knee/recovery. Not sure why I chose to name this post that, but I'm bored and in an odd mood! Anywho, I started PT on Monday and did surprisingly little while I was there...I'm not completely convinced that this guy knows his stuff. I know that is harsh of me to say, but with my knowledge and education... Anyways they only want me 2x/week to start and told me to just do my exercises at home. I'm not allowed to ride the bike yet, but as of yesterday I've started going back to the gym and riding the bike one-legged!! I know I'm a sight to see, but I've got to get my cardio fix! =) Hopefully in 2 weeks I can be back on the eliptical and actually running in 3! And I've focused on doing my arm and ab weights, so perhaps I'll be ripped pretty soon! Haha! I'm looking forward to a beach trip with mom and laura at the end of february--we are heading down to ft. lauderdale for a week! Anyways, I'm down to one/no crutch and am getting around fairly well. Laura and I went to Target yesterday and she wanted me to get in the motorized cart, but I declined! I'm not that disabled!! Still have my stitches in but I think I'll be taking them out soon! PT said to wait till my f/u appt. with Dr. Mathien, but that is not until next Weds. and no one keeps stitches in for 14 days! (Again, questioning the knowledge of the PT guy!) I am dying to go running again, and the Knox half marathon is in 7 weeks! I still have hope and am very determined, even if I have to run/walk it!

Still no progress on finding a job...kind of put that on hold for a bit. However, I have sent my resume/info to the children's hospitals in louisville, ky and cincinatti. I feel that knoxville, in the medical sense, is far behind in their utilization of nurse practitioners, especially pediatrics. So I've put some feelers out there just to see...opportunities in bigger cities are very appealing! I specifically applyed for a diabetes position as well as surgery, pre-post op, and a few others. I've already received a call from Cincinatti but seem to be playing phone tag with them! Figures! So I'll keep everyone updated on what happens with the job...I don't know if we even want to consider thinking about moving away from Knoxvegas!

Operation: Success

My knee surgery was this morning and it went actually pretty well! I had to check-in at 7 this morning, and Chris came with me. We met my parents in the waiting room a little after 7 and soon after they took me back for pre-op. Our good friend Grant is a cRNA at UT's day surgery and, although he wasn't able to work today due to his surgery last week, he had his good friend do my anesthesia. Chris asked me how it felt to be a VIP patient, as the anesthesiologist knew my dad, our good friend Mike (another anesthesilogist) stopped by to check on me, and they had the room schedules switched a little so Grant's friend could take care of me =). I was a little anxious about the process of the day and it was nice to know I was being well taken care of. Dr. Mathien came to chat before the surgery and I had to write "yes!" on the correct leg being operated on. I said good-bye to mom and chris, and dad a little earlier because he had a meeting to attend. Chris tried to leave without giving me a kiss...the nerve!! And, bless his heart, he kept asking me questions I didn't know the answer too---what time did I want to go home, what did I want for dinner, etc! Mom made him chicken pockets so he will survive! Typical guy...worried about food! Ha!

Dr. Mathien came out after the surgery and spoke with my parents, Laura, and Chris. He said that he found some "pot holes" on the back of my patella (knee cap) and smoothed them out and filled them in. He said this is what was causing my knee to catch and not be able to fully extend. I think he called it a speed bump! There was minimal scar tissue which was to be expected, but nothing overwhelming. So hopefully smoothing out this speed bump, per say, will allow me to get this knee back into working condition! I start PT on Monday although I'd like to get started by Friday. So I plan to call back tomorrow to see if there are any cancelations. I'm ready to get started on this rehab!! Plus, 8 weeks until the knoxville half! and, 3 weeks til we head to florida for the week! what better place to relax and rehabilitate then at the warm, sunny beach with a drink in hand!! =) I am so glad the actual surgery is over and done, and now I can concentrate on therapy. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts, I truly appreciate them and feel loved. =)

Sledding at The Bluff

So we had a good day of snow on Monday which froze Monday night, leaving perfect sledding conditions for Chris, Willie and I go to play in! I really wanted to sled on Monday but the snow was too moist and we didn't have the plastic type of sled that you would need. By Tuesday morning on my way home from the gym I decided we needed to go try the hills up where we live! Since we still didn't have a plastic sled, I remembered we had a cheapo aluminum cookie serving tray that would be excellent for use! After getting bundled up and Willie leashed up, we headed out to the hills! We had so much fun, and willie loved eating the snow and running around like crazy! He was too cute and had a blast! I even sledded and only wiped out once! Since I was having my knee surgery the next day, I figured what the heck, if I hurt it worse it's already getting fixed tomorrow! Here's a video from yesterday with an almost near-collision with willie... my camera takes great videos! =)

My new title is...

Well, it's official! I am now Rachel Taylor, C.P.N.P.!! I passed my nurse practitioner boards today and boy does it feel GREAT!! Such a relief has been lifted off of my shoulders, and I actually don't have to study anymore! Like, ever again that much!!! Such a wonderful feeling! And, Chris is excited because he won't be banished from a room where I'm studying and he doesn't have to be quiet =). He's been such a good sport through all my studying! The test was allotted 3 hours (175 questions) and I finished in 1 hour and 20 minutes! I am not a speedy test taker, but some of the questions were super easy and obvious! While I am extremely grateful that the results are available after completing the test, the following shows how spoiled we are in today's world of instant scoring, etc. After finishing and submitting the test, I had to complete a survey before viewing my results. So I've got in earplugs and I can literally hear my heart pounding! After I did the survey, the screen says thanks for taking the test, and your results will print. Well, the place I took it at is a H&R Block office, so they're busy with tax season. So I had to wait about 10 minutes before someone could get my printed results. I thought I was going to die!! However, I survived!! Thanks to everyone for their prayers, well-wishes, and brain power sent my way! I truly appreciate it!

And the doc says...

Well it seems like the current journey I will soon be beginning, again, is that of yet another knee surgery and rehab! My left knee has never been the same since my first surgery back in 2001, and recently it has become so unstable that I've fallen, with no warning. It simply gives out. After a visit to ortho and a MRI, I am having (just) an arthroscope to remove any scar tissue, adhesions, and if there's any little cartilage. This will also allow the doc to "play" around with my knee cap more and test it, since I will be knocked out I won't feel the pain or discomfort. While I am by no means looking forward to this surgery, I hold onto the hope that this will alleviate some of my plaguing problems and allow my knee to rehabiliate more completely. I am bummed about it, especially the fact that I'll be out of running for a bit as well as my daily morning trips to the gym. I do plan to still lift weights, so I can make use of my monthly membership dues at the gym! I feel that this is the best time to have this surgery as I have not yet found the right PNP job. This way I have the time to let myself heal and rehabilitate without the stress of a new job! Hopefully by March I'll be back to normal (whatever that is!) and life can continue! I know God has this all planned for me, and I'm continuing to trust His will and timing! Chris will be here to help when I need it, but I'm sure he'll miss my homecooked meals for awhile! And, having to sleep on the sleeper-sofa since I don't want any bed partners for a while!! The surgery is Weds, Feb. 4th so say a little prayer that day for me, the doc, staff, and my recovery!

What a week!

This past week was my first week of "no school" and I hoped things would settle down and I would be able to begin studying for boards, which are looming over my head! However, that was not the case...

Monday Chris started back to school after his two-week vacation. He seems pretty excited about his new classes and students, and is working hard on the fundraiser he is sponsoring thru his Key Club. He working on getting a Sadie Hawkins dance approved....I wonder if I am allowed to "invite" him to go with me?! Tuesday was his first day with his new students and he is pretty pleased so far! He's teaching US History and Geography (which he taught last fall) and Government. So he really only has one class to totally prepare for and he is editing lessons from last fall for the other classes. We've had some pretty crazy weather here this week, and Wednesday his county was closed due to flooding! This would have been wonderful news for Chris, if we had had power that day! A huge tree fell at the bottom of our hill and we lost power for around 12 hours! And, as Chris spends his free time watching movies/playing xbox or wii/playing computer games, what was he to do without power?! Well, he decided to watch movies all day on our portable DVD player, and when the battery died, he moved to the car and used the car charger to continue his movie marathon!! Such a nerd!!

Here is Willie in his raincoat...love it! But he actually will walk in the rain now and with as much rain as we have had, he needs it!! =)
I had a busy week as well...I had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon regarding my knee. Long story, but it has become increasingly unstable these past few months and it has given out on me a few times. Usually I am near someone/thing and can grab on. But last month I fell all the way down our stairs after it gave out--I call it a sniper attack because I had no warning signs! It was not fun, I twisted my ankle and it scared me to death. So I called Cameron Sears (who did my 2 previous knee surgeries) and he said to come back into them to have it re-evaluated. After much manipulation, my new doc said he thinks there is cartilage in the knee joint and that can be causing the instability, popping, grinding, and give-outs. I've got a MRI this coming Monday and if that is what it shows, I will most likely be having arthroscopy to clean out the knee and get rid of scar tissue. So not what I want to do, but if it needs to be done then I need to do it!

We had some friends and family over on Thursday for the big OU/FL national championship game. Obviously, the game didn't end as we would have liked, but it was fun to visit with everyone! I made some yummy foods and sugar cookies and the food was gone pretty quick! Guess I didn't make enough, or plan on Chris eating half of one of the dishes!!! =)

I had another interview yesterday, this time in Sevierville, TN. (Close to the mtns). I really liked the doctor, the job/work I would be doing (including rounding on newborns at the hospital, and learning to resuscitate newborns, and seeing pts. in the office). The pay and benefits are great, the only downside is the long drive. It took me 45 mins to get there, and I really need to decide if that much driving, everyday, 5 days a week is something I can handle. Otherwise, I think I would take this job in a heartbeat. I am still trusting and praying that God will place me where I need to be...this potential job seems a little fuzzy as to whether it is right or not! I've got a little time to think about it and get back with the doc in a few weeks...so time will tell!!

Holiday Happenings!

Christmas has come and gone, and again, I feel like I missed the most important reason of the season! I get so busy in preparing the house, shopping, and everything else that I tend to forget the real reason for the season. We did an excellent sunday school class, The Purpose of Christmas, at church this December and it definately helped remind me the true purpose. But I feel that the last week leading up to Christmas I let that purpose slide right by me! Things got a little hectic and busy...

Chris' parents and older brother came for a week...they drove in from Oklahoma the Saturday before Christmas and left the day after Christmas. Seven days of house guests can get a little overwhelming, regardless of who they are! We did have a good time visiting with them however. We went to the Biltmore for a day in Asheville and I loved seeing the house all decorated for Christmas. I would have loved to see it at night on the candlelight tour, but maybe another year! After a day at the house, we went to the winery and tasted/bought some wine. We then went to my favorite art gallery, New Morning Gallery and I found some fun pottery for Mom for Christmas! We ate a yummy dinner at a cute restaurant in Biltmore Village before heading back to Knoxville. It was a long day but worth it!

Christmas Eve, mom, chris' mom, and I spent an afternoon baking sugar cookies, cakes, and more cookies! We had our traditional "mexican fiesta" dinner at Tim and Anne's for the Schmid family Christmas. The Taylors came and were able to see our crazy traditions and gift giving! The big hit was the Wii...all ages were playing downstairs before dinner! We took a great Schmid family picture this year, and I've already got it framed in the house! We got home about 10:00 and I helped Mom put together our casseroles for brunch on Christmas Day! Chris and I went to the 11:00 Christmas Eve service at Westminster, then came home to wait for Santa to come!!!!

We slept at my parent's house, since Chris' had our bedroom for the week. We woke up, took our traditional picture by the tree and mantle in our pj's, then headed to our house to do Christmas with the Taylors. My dad had to work days at the ICN, which worked out so that we could do Christmas with Chris' family in the morning, then have brunch with Mom and Laura back at their house. We hung out and waited for Dad to get home from work before doing Christmas there. We got lots of goodies from Santa, including a new (small) digital camera, and Chris got a new flat-screen monitor for his computer! I guess we were pretty good this year...!!! =) After presents, Eric, Chris and I went with Laura out to the barn to take care of the horses (feed, bring them in, etc). We came home and had Christmas dinner and then hung out a little more! It was another long day, but it was a good one! The Taylors left the next morning to go back to Oklahoma, and we were on the road to go to KY to do Christmas with family up there! By the time we got home Sunday night, I was exhausted....after not being in my own bed for a week and a half, I sure was ready to curl up in bed and sleep!


It was a busy week leading up to Christmas, and, as much as I love the Christmas season and all the celebration and traditions we have, in a way I am glad it is all over and life is beginning to return to normal!