just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

So I still haven't posted those pics I promised...but that's because those pics are at home and I really haven't been there much lately. I leave for Music in the Rockies (affectionately called MIR around here) in 1 week and 3 days. That translates to not quite 6 work days left...and on the last day we load the truck. Typing that sentence just about gave me a massive heart attack right now...NOT QUITE 6 DAYS LEFT?!?! Wow, I've got a lot left to do......

I was here (in my office) until just after 10:30 last night filling in housing charts. And I've basically been a travel agent for the past month, booking flights for all of our artists and speakers. (side note...I just went through the terms flight attendant and stewardess before I could think of travel agent...I need more coffee I think) Oh the joys of event planning!

But it's not all sad and stressful...there really is a lot I look forward to about MIR. I get to meet lots of great people, hear lots of great music, work from an office that is actually a cabin, and of course, enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains:

I had a dream the other night that MercyMe's private jet landed at my Grandparent's house and I began yelling at them to immediately get back on the plane because they were going to miss their scheduled class time. I'm not sure what that means other than that I've been thinking about flights and schedules far too much lately. Oh, and Keith Urban was in that dream, too. I don't even know what to say about that.

I think I'll just keep looking at the picture and remind myself how wonderful if is to breathe deeply of fresh mountain air completely void of humidity. And it seems to help me to sing that catchy little song from Dori on Finding Nemo - just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....

Celebration!

As you've all probably read by now, Dan secured his first official job as a Physician Assistant this past week! He will be working at a Dermatology clinic in downtown Nashville as of September 3rd, and we could not be more excited. It's actually the same clinic he worked at during his last rotation, so it really is a blessing that he knows a bit about what he's walking into. He still has to take his boards next month, but after that, he's home free! I'm not sure who is more excited/relieved that we've made it through this process - me or Dan! But we are so incredibly grateful that God has seen us through, and all in all, it has really been quite smooth. God has provided more than enough every step of the way, and he has proved he is faithful yet again.

I guess I didn't fully realize how ready I was to know even a little bit more about our future until I got that phone call from Dan on Friday. This past year has really been lived in 6-week increments for us as Dan has moved from one rotation to another, with sometimes no idea where or what the next rotation might be. Now, starting September 3rd, he has a plan and a schedule and a routine...and yes, even a paycheck :-) What a huge sigh of relief to have that big piece of the puzzle filled in! And what a blessing to have a job in medicine with a fairly normal schedule, no nights or weekends, no time "on call", and even Holidays off! And another huge perk for both of us is that his office is only a few blocks away from mine...which means there will be plenty of opportunities for car pooling and lunch dates. Ahhhhhhh....thank you LORD!

We went out to celebrate this weekend, and I took some pictures specifically to share with you all, but for some reason they don't want to upload right now. Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow.

UPDATED: The pics finally uploaded!

King Dan enjoying the evening

A blurry nighttime vew of downtown Nashville after our wonderful dinner

By the way...I leave for Music in the Rockies 2 weeks from today...so things are a little crazy at work right now. Please be patient with me if my posts are few and far between for the next few weeks!

Say a Prayer...

I'm probably a little late in posting this, but if you happen to read this between 1:30 and 3:00 today (Friday), would you say a prayer for Dan? He's going to be talking to a Doctor here in Nashville who has offered him a position at a Dermatology office. It's actually the same clinic he worked in during his last rotation, and he really enjoyed it. They've been talking all week about the details and have all but shaken on this...with just one (hopefully minor) hang-up. The Doc really wants him to promise him at least 3 or 4 years...and Dan just doesn't feel like he can make that promise with integrity. So we'll see what happens! I'll keep you posted...

UPDATE: HE GOT THE JOB!!! I'll write more about the details later, but I just couldn't keep you all waiting like that :-) Thanks for your prayers - God is so very faithful!

(A Belated) Happy Fourth!

Have I mentioned on here that I am SO EXCITED to have Kelsey & her new husband Brent living so close?? I haven't?? Well, I am beyond thrilled that the new Mr. & Mrs. Irwin now live about 2.5 hours from where I sit, and we had the pleasure of having them here in Nashville with us to celebrate the 4th of July! Brent & Kels came down Thursday evening & were able to stay until Sunday morning, so we packed a lot in to those few days. Probably more than they are accustomed to...and probably less than we typcially shoot for...but that seems to be the difference between Irwins & Johnstons :-) Nevertheless, we enjoyed every minute!

On Friday, we headed up to Gallatin, which is a smaller town about 40 minutes outside of Nashville. We have a family friend that has a beautiful home there on some gorgeous property, and Dan periodically makes the trip out to help with some of the landscaping & upkeep. Anyway, they were out of town this weekend and we asked if we could borrow their back porch - seriously - because it's amazing. So we got out of the city and enjoyed the lulling of the waterfall in their backyard.
Dan & I decided it was finally time to invest in something we've wanted for a long time now - a Smokey Joe charcoal grill! So we grabbed one at the local Wannaberts (that's Walmart, by the way...I think my sister use to call it that when we were little) before heading out and decided shish-kabobs were appropriate for the innagural grilling.

I must admit - they turned out pretty yummy! We all enjoyed a great 4th-of-July picnic on the beautiful deck, soaking in as much peace & quiet as we could before heading back in to Nashville that evening.

After a pit stop at the Dairy Queen to try the new GirlScout Cookie Blizzards (AMAZING, in case you were wondering), we headed back into the big city & enjoyed a great firework display from the parking lot of our campus...a safe distance from all of the crazies downtown :-)

For some reason I seemed to abandon my camera for the majority of the weekend...I don't even have a picture of Kelsey & me together...but I swear we had fun! We were asked to house/dog-sit for some friends of ours, so we also were able to enjoy a little extra space than our "cozy" apartment has to offer. It was fun to be in a home for a couple of days - thanks Amy & Ben (& Scruffy!).

All in all, we had a wonderful time. It was fun to be with my sister on a holiday as we share many of the same memories and traditions. There aren't many people who feel like a 4th is incomplete without a shot from a musket & a tri-corn hat! We both talked about watching Grandpa light some crazy-big firework he had bought (because Grandpa always bought the biggest & best) & and run back towards us - me squeeling with giggles & Kelsey plugging her ears. Where does the time go? This year we sat hand-in-hand with our husbands, talking about years gone by and years to come. Times have changed, but at least I know this - we'll always be sisters :-)

We're so glad you guys made the trip - we had a blast!