Busy Busy!

Hi everyone! I hope all is well. May has proved to be a busy month so far, and I think it's just gonna get busier! The first big event in May (other than the flood) was Steeplechase in Nashville. My friend Ashley, who lives in Nashville, invited me and my friends to come out to her tailgate and enjoy some drinks, food, and horses. It was a lot of fun!

About a week ago, I found another lump on Casey. This lump is on her neck, directly on/in her throat. I took her in for a biopsy on a Friday, and got the results the following Monday. It's a FATTY TUMOR! It was very stressful and emotionally draining thinking Casey could have something worse than that, but thank the Lord it all worked out.

I've spent the last few days painting the extra bedroom--from yellow to gray. It's exhausting because it required two coats of paint. I'm not quite finished because I need to go back over the entire room for small touchups, but two coats on all four walls completed!

As you all may know, Chris's birthday was Thursday. My friend Anna came over, and we (along with Chris on a stick) had a cupcake in Chris's honor. Haha.

The girls and I just continue to keep busy and entertain each other. We did shopping damage in Nashville yesterday. I feel very lucky to have fallen in a company with such wonderful people. It's definitely not like this for everyone, so I'm very thankful, especially during this time. We are just a couple of days short of two months completed.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Clarksville girls L-R: Jill, Me, Katie, Anna, and her friend Lindsey (from Chicago)

Casey Lou in her dead bug pose.

The extra bedroom BEFORE. It was a baby's nursery.

The room AFTER. I haven't moved the furniture yet.

Chris on a stick and I and his birthday cupcake.

Shopping damage. Can you find Katie?

Tennessee Flood of 2010

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the thoughts, emails, and phone calls the last few days. Casey and I are just fine. Our new house and neighborhood are fine, but our old house and neighborhood is suffering. They were evacuated by boat on Sunday night. The old house looks okay from pictures, but the road is flooded and closed, so Casey and I would've been stuck!

The heavily flooded area begins about 10 miles down the road from our current house. The only way I'm personally affected is I can't work. My patients, for the most part, are either evacuated or unreachable at this point. I attached several pictures for you guys to check out. There are many more on my facebook page.

I've never been through anything like this. The city is panicked, and it's really weird seeing a place you frequent completely under water. I drive Riverside Drive at least twice a week, and some of our favorite sites and restaurants in Nashville are ruined. Some small businesses aren't planning on rebuilding. It just devestating no matter how you look at it.

As of two hours ago, the Cumberland River in Clarksville was still rising. Hopefully it has started to recede by now. They opened the Cheatham Dam and some others barriers to relieve Nashville, but its causing our waters to rise. The sewage treatment plant has flooded, and raw sewage is being dumped in the Cumberland now. They think our water supply will be okay, but we're supposed to be using as little as possible. We were on a county wide curfew last night! It's been really weird.

Downtown Clarksville.

Riverside Drive in Clarksville, TN. This is a major roadway connecting the River District to Ft. Campbell. I use this road a lot.

Hooters in Downtown Clarksville.

Our Riverwalk in Clarksville.

Our Riverwalk in Clarksville.

Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. Chris and I stayed in this section on our first anniversary.

View of Downtown Nashville, TN and the ATT&T/"Batman" building. LP Field (where our Titans play) and the Bridgestone Arena (where our Predators play) were also flooded nearby.

The old neighborhood either Saturday or Sunday.

Our old neighborhood, about 5 houses down from the old house.

The old neighborhood, toward the end of the culdesac.

We've been in Clarksville a year now. We've experienced 8 inches of snow, tornadoes in VERY close proximity, and now a flood. What's next Clarksville?? Haha.

VOLLEYBALL TIME!

It's that time again! Fudpuckers annual beach volleyball tournament in Fort Walton Beach, FL! This is definitely one of my favorite family things we do. Since Chris is deployed, I invited my friend Rachel, and we had a blast hanging with the family, sitting on the beach, and watching volleyball! I also got to eat dinner with my former coworkers in Destin...I miss them sooo much! And of course, Chris on a stick beached it with us all.

Dad's team had an unexpected cancellation from their 5th team member shortly before the weekend. Unfortunately, another team member was going to be coming in late morning on Saturday. So, if they were to have to play the first game--they only have three players and would be disqualified! Dad's team came up with a plan. My MOTHER was the backup plan. If they had to play the first game, mom would step in. Guess what? They got the first game! Mom was an amazing sport, and even scored two points with her serve! She looked awesome!

Dad's team placed 2nd, and beat some great teams to get there. The weekend was a success even with a little bit of rain. I'm already excited about next years tournament!

Mom playing volleyball!

Julie, Katie, Me, and Rachel. I used to work with Julie and Katie, they still live in Florida.

Rachel and I having some fun.

Chris on a stick having a Corona.