Gracie

Things had calmed down around here after the holidays which was so nice and needed. Kevin started back to school a couple weeks ago and is putting in long hours there. He has the same class load and now is expected to be in outpatient clinic several hours a week to see patients. So we are taking any time we can to spend with each other.
The latest thing though is our dog Gracie. Friday night a friend of mine and I noticed her limping really bad on her back leg. I tried to check it out to see what was wrong (yes, two nurses assessing the situation...believe me Gracie was well checked!). I could tell nothing was wrong with the paw or muscle. I was pretty sure it was her ACL (knee) and sure enough after a visit to the vet that is what it is. Unfortunately the only way to correct this is to have surgery. Kevin and I are so sad that she will have to go through weeks, maybe months, of pain and very strict activity restrictions. We are still researching a couple options for which surgery to do. It will likely be sometime next week. Fortunately our Chiropractor agreed today to check her out and adjust her if needed this weekend while he is at a seminar 5 minutes from our home. We believe that will help her during surgery as well as during the recovery period. We'll keep you posted.

One More Christmas and Happy New Year!

To finally conclude the Christmas season we drove to Birmingham to celebrate with my brother and his family. My sister-in-law is too pregnant to be traveling so we all headed west! I couldn't stand the thought of mailing Christmas presents to them yet. Unfortunately that day may come but not yet! We had a wonderful day being with them and my parents and grandma. Kevin and I always have a blast playing with the kids and chasing them around the house! Allison, my sister-in-law, made an amazing dinner which we all enjoyed a little too much! Overall the day was wonderful!

And for the new year...Kevin and I enjoyed a nice quiet night at home with a couple friends. We played guitar hero, watched the ball drop, and headed to bed. Real exciting I know! I had to work New Year's Eve so I was tired anyway and didn't really feel like fighting the crouds. So our new year started out quiet and uneventful which in all honesty the whole year can continue on like that after the year 2007 was! Not to say 2007 was bad by any means...just eventful. We had ups, we had downs, and everything in between. That's life though and we find ourselves beyond blessed through it all!!! Blessings to you in 2008!

Tis the Season!

Kevin and I have had a wonderful first Christmas together. We traveled down to Florida for 5 days and spent that time with his family. We were able to see friends as well which was awesome. I was able to spend a couple days with his sister and shop which was so fun. All of us "kids" (kevin, me, his brother george, sister wendy and her husband andy) played Wii Mario Party which was rather funny. Kevin's dad got a kick out of just watching us. Overall we had a blast down there and wished we had more time there. We also celebrated at my mom's house and still have to go to Birmingham to celebrate with my brother and his family! It has been wonderful.
I had to work Christmas day which was not bad at all. I enjoyed being with my two patients and their families. While I worked Kevin relaxed and spent part of the day at my parents. We then enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner of Chinese food. Ha! It was just fine with us. Since Christmas we have also added a new addition to our house...an XBOX. Yes I caved and Kevin got a great deal on one. So now we spend our free time playing Guitar Hero. One day we will be able to afford other games but for now we have fun with that. The dogs get a little hyper when we play...either its the music or us jumping around...not sure. So December has been great and our first Christmas together has been perfect! It has been nice having family not too far away but also have room to make our own new traditions!!!

Another quarter gone?

I can't believe Kevin is yet again in the middle of finals. He said last week that he would need to be studying a lot this week to which I asked...why? I can't believe quarter 9 is one week from being over. Time is flying! As of thursday Kevin will have four very nice weeks off from typical school stuff. However he is beginning his outpatient clinicals so he can see patients right after Christmas. So, things are great with us. We are finally settled it seems. Last weekend we bought a Christmas tree, decorated the apartment, and decorated Christmas cookies. It really made the apartment feel like Christmas. Our tree is only about 4 feet tall but we love it. As we admired the 8-10 foot trees we laughed and said "one day". And fortunately the dogs don't seem to care that the tree is there.
As for my work it is going ok. A couple weeks ago was a tough week but I made it through and learned somethings about me that I didn't know. I am patiently waiting for a position to open up that will allow me to work on the more intensive care side of the unit. But for now I enjoy going over there whenever they need me...which is usually 1-2 times a week!
Well I'll try to get some Pictures up soon of the holidays! Until next time...

Halloween

Kevin and I didn't do much on Halloween but the Sunday before we decided to get festive and carve a pumpkin. It was Kevin's second pumpkin to ever carve!!! We went the the traditional place of getting pumpkins with my mom. Kevin picked out the PERFECT one! Yes it was a mission of his to find one that was somewhat clean, nice and round...and upon my request had a nice stump on top! And we found it! So we came back to my mom's and carved it up. His goal was to have a pumpkin with squinty eyes and a big mouth. As you can see from the pictures he achieved just that! My only role in the event was (as it has been my whole life since my older brother was the master carver) was to clean out the gunk inside. I didn't mind since that is my job! On Halloween Kevin lit the pumpkin but unfortunately we had no visitors. Not many kids around here. I was working but he was ready to give out RiceCrispyTreats if any kids came...lucky for them they didn't show up! ha! All in all we had a fun first halloween together! And yes I now begin my count down to the BIGGEST SHOPPING DAY of the year and all the holidays!!!! Can't wait!

The Results are In!!!!

This is about a week overdue, but KEVIN PASSED HIS BOARDS!!!!!!!!!! We are so thrilled to say the least. For about three days after we found out Kevin would just randomly state "I passed boards"! The relief is huge! As you can imagine I am so beyond proud of him! He worked so hard to prepare and then take the 660 question, two day long test! And not only did he pass but he passed with flying colors. Not one section (six total) was close to a fail. So now we are gearing up for 2 and 3 in March! And since he has decided to go into Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic he also has a different curriculum to study (outside of 30-35 hours at Life) and a test to get certified in that! But he has it under control and when you are doing what you love and what you know God has called you to do it eases the pain! So as you can imagine we are rejoicing in Board 1 being behind us as he prepares for what's to come!!!
Other than that fantastic news, we are enjoying being married and it being fall! Yesterday we headed to "north" GA and went to the corn field maze! As Kevin put it...we are lost in a maze of corn...sure we are having a blast! It was fun though and a beautiful day! So life is going great! We are praising God for the blessings in our life!

It's Official!!!

Well we are officially Mr. and Mrs. Lin!!!! The wedding was perfect!! Kevin and I felt it went so well and was exactly what we wanted it to be. We had so much fun being with friends and family. The week of the wedding was a little nuts but still fun!!! We thank everyone who was a part of our special day and are so grateful for them!! We got home from our Honeymoon Sunday night after thoroughly enjoying our time in St. Lucia! The resort was simply amazing. Kevin and I both said dozens of times "Yea this place is perfect". We enjoyed time together after having such a hectic quarter. We went scuba diving three times (definitely my favorite thing we did), snorkeled, walked some beautiful trails, went sailing, got a massage, and more! It was truly a fantasy island.
And now that we are home we are back to reality. Kevin went straight back to school yesterday for his 7AM class...rude awakening. Luckily there are no boards this quarter but he has to increase his patient load and he has a pretty big test in a few weeks. I know he will do just fine with it all! And I was greeted with five loads of laundry, grocery shopping, unpacking, reorganizing and dinner preparations!! I enjoyed doing all of it yesterday though. I was kinda nice to be here when he came home for lunch and then later have dinner together. I am back to work tomorrow. I am ready to get back to those babies though. I have missed taking care of them. So...for now the Lin family is rested and doing great!!! Oh and I will post some pictures once I get them on the computer!!!