Days of Summer

This has been quite a summer. It is longer than usual since the boys will not go back to school for another few weeks. Last year they started back this week. It has been a very good summer.

During the last week of July I had several girlfriends in town, they came from far and wide, what a time we had! We shopped, ate, traveled to Van, TX for breakfast (90 miles each way) and talked and talked wore tiaras. We marveled at the strange Texas weather and amazed our friend from Western Washington with our spectacular thunderstorms. My family enjoyed the extra attention and I am mourning the fact that it had to end so soon. We will try to get together again at another home next summer.

I have found what I think is my dream job. I knew if i held out long enough that I would find the perfect fit. I will be working part time for a small family medicine clinic that is only 9/10 of a mile from my home! I will be working with a family practitioner that actually sees families! I have learned throughout my professional life that I am not a geriatric health care provider. I will start on September 6. I will continue to teach and i will continue to do colposcopy for my current employer on Tuesdays. Yes I will have 3 jobs.... but it will actually give me about 6-9 hours a week more with my family since I will not have the extended drive times!

When I interviewed with the Dr. I was quite honest of my wants and needs in a position. I told her about my family and the need to be more available to them in the evening, she said "of course you must be". I said that I really enjoy teaching and wished to continue, she stated that it is an asset to her practice to have me continue in that role. When I told her that I would like to continue doing colposcopy for my current employer she said that it is such a specialized skill and that I would lose my expertise if I stopped, so I should continue to stay up on that, she does quite a bit of women's health care but doesn't have the volume of abnormal Pap Smears to even consider offering that service.

I had a working interview to see how the clinic runs. I felt right at home and comfortable with the staff and the patients were quite accepting of having a Nurse Practitioner as a provider in the clinic. I have allot to learn since I have done exclusively women's health for ten years but the she is quite willing to teach me what I need to learn.

The boys are gearing up for the school year. We are working to get back to the school day routines, evenings have been a bit of a free for all since we have had company and no real pressure to be too alert first thing in the morning. The daycare has been a good time for all three and they have made good friends and grown up so much. They will continue there during the school year.

S. will be in 5th grade. This is the last year of elementary school for him. I really hope that this year is his turn around year so that he is better prepared for middle school and all the stresses of that. A. will be in 3rd grade, first year for actual grades in our school district, and then the TAKS tests are another stress. We are still struggling with handwriting, it is improving but is still not at a 3rd grade level. J. will be a first grader, my baby is growing up. We will see how things go, I anticipate more problems this year because of more demands in school now for him. He is still really struggling with communication and allot of sensory issues.

I hope that your summer has been a good one. Thanks for reading!