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!

Headaches & Chiropractors

I get a lot of headaches. I'm not really sure when exactly they started or why, but they are frequent and not much fun. So recently when I won a drawing that I thought was for a free massage, I was also given the opportunity to have a couple free consultations with a local chiropractor & I decided to give it a shot. I'm pretty sure that most everyone "wins" those drawings, but hey - I got some free X-rays & a free massage! Anyway, after those 2 consultations, he convinced me that he could really help me with my neck problems & headaches, and now I'm visiting the place quite often. It really seems to be helping, too! In the last 3 weeks, I've probably had 3 total headaches - a MAJOR improvement from my 2-4 a week I was getting. So I'm hopeful that this is really going to do great things for me - I'll keep you posted.

But the real reason I'm blogging about this is because today he sent me home with this lovely piece of equipment:

WHAT THE HECK?!

This, my friends, is the Dakota Traction. Supposedly it's suppose to help me stretch my neck properly.

But tonight, it just made me laugh :-)

Somewhere in the middle - Casting Crowns

Some food for thought today...I just love this Casting Crowns song and thought I'd share it with you. It challenges me every time I hear it, begging the question of where exactly I find myself. Am I a fearless warrior, or would I rather stay safe inside the picket fences I've created for myself? How much reckless abondon do I allow myself without "taming" it with common sense? What about you?

"Somewhere In The Middle"

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control?

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,
reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end
and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences,
the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His
or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle

Finally....Some Wedding Pictures!

Rather than rattle on about how beautiful the wedding was, I thought I'd just show you instead. Unfortunately I don't have any pics from the actual ceremony or reception, but you'll get a pretty good idea from this! What a beautiful and strange thing it is to watch your little sister get married.

Grandma & Grandpa spent countless hours getting their beautiful place just right for the wedding. Here's Kelsey & Grandma putting some finishing touches on the back patio.

Kelsey giving some instruction to Grandpa & her groom.

Break time! And of course you can't just drink boring old water at Grandma's house....we had yummy Italian Cream Sodas instead.

Mom, Grandma, & Micah (another bridesmaid) checking out the ceremony site.

The lingerie party..."Kali, why are you taking a picture?"

The big day finally arrived! Kelsey getting some royal treatment from Micah (bridesmaid) & Beth (Brent's sister). We transformed Grandma & Grandpa's bedroom into the brideroom :)

The bride & groom share a moment together before pictures begin. Aren't they lovely?

The wedding party - and yes, that little guy on the end was really a groomsmen! That's Brent's nephew.

Money shot of the beautiful dress.

You're never too big to sit on your Dad's lap!

Our new & improved family - Dan finally got his brother!

With our other "sisters" Paige & Torri.

America's next top models...or at least Dekalb County :-)

The former Carroll bride & her groom of 2 years.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Brent Irwin! I love you both dearly and pray that God will richly bless your union.

Quick Update

Just thought I would throw up a quick update since it has again been awhile. I am currently at my parents' in Missouri preparing for my sister's upcoming wedding on Saturday! Things are certainly in place for the big day, but as everyone knows there are lots of "week-before" preparations, so that's what I am here for. And to hang out with the bride-to-be of course :-) They are planning to have this wedding outdoors, so please pray for lots of sunshine & no rain!

I just got back home this evening from a wonderful few days with my dear friend Shelby. I flew into Kansas City on Saturday morning and drove up to Lincoln to spend a few days with her as she is newly engaged and planning an August wedding. It was so fun to spend some time with her and her fiance, getting to know him a bit and of course enjoying lots of wedding details. I even got to see her beautiful dress, which was very fun.

Dan is still at home in Nashville as he has to work until Thursday evening, and I must say I'm ready for that guy to get here! Even though I'm "home," things just aren't quite the same when he's not here. It's funny how that happens, isn't it?

Okay, I really must go to bed now. Mom just gave me the best head-rub known to man (sorry Dan), and we enjoyed a nice chat for a bit. It's so good to be here. And now I get to sleep in the darkest, most quiet place in the world - something I have come to appreciate more than ever before now that I live in the city. Hope all is well for you out in blog land :-) Good night!