Dave’s first day at his new job…

Today was my first day working as a staff psychologist at the Salisbury VA Medical Center.  I worked at the facility before from 2000-01, but was a pre-doctoral intern at the time.  I still know a number of co-workers at the facility (especially in the psychology department) and am thrilled to be joining such a great team of people.

For the next week or so, I won't really get to do any work as a psychologist.  I will be filling out forms and going through orientation.  I was fingerprinted today and was sworn in as a federal employee.  I am really looking forward to getting past the orientation to the actual work of serving veterans.

During orientation, some of the class asked some questions about safety issues with violent patients.  Someone brought up the shooting that happened several years ago at this facility.  The shooting happened one week before I started my internship (I was already living in Salisbury), so I was familiar with the incident.  While accidents can happen when serving individuals with special needs, such events are very rare.

Jason and Grace coming to visit

Dave, Jason and the girls



Julie and the girls

One of Amanda's close friends from Spring Arbor, Michigan is Grace Archer.  Grace's mother was very busy taking a college course, so her father, Jason, thought it would be fun to take Grace on a trip to see us.  They broke up the 13 hour drive and stopped to see some friends on the way.  They arrived to see us on 7-19-07 and left on 7-21-07.

 The girls had a great time together.  We spent the day on Friday at an amusement park just south of Charlotte called "Carowinds".  Later that night, the girls went the premier of the new Harry Potter book at Barnes and Noble.

It was great to see Jason and Grace.  We were very touched that they drove all the way from Michigan to come and visit us.

New North Carolinians

We arrived in High Point, North Carolina, on Monday, 7/9/07.  It was about a 13 hour drive and we broke it up over two days.  We will be living with Dave's parents while we wait for our house in Spring Arbor, MI to sell.

Julie and Amanda are a little homesick for our friends in Spring Arbor, but we are all adjusting to the move.  Dave will be starting his new job at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in about a week.  We enjoyed attending the Shady Grove Weslyan Church today.  We are going to carefully try several churches before making a decision on which church we will attend.



Amanda attended a three day horse camp from 7/11 to 7/13.  She is pictured here with her favorite horse "Tony."  She had a great time and learned a lot about horses and riding.  She went to the camp the day after we arrived.

It has been a good first week in North Carolina.

Dinner with Friends…Saying Goodbye

We only have a few more days until we move from Spring Arbor, Michigan to North Carolina, and are looking forward to getting settled.  At the same time, we know we will miss our community and our friends.  We are glad we have had opportunities over the past several weeks to visit with friends.

This evening, our family enjoyed dinner with our friends Jim and Marvelle Vannest at their home.  The power was out, but Marvelle prepared a wonderful meal for us in spite of this challenge.  Marvelle served on the board at Eden Family Counseling and has been a big encouragment to me in my work here in Spring Arbor.  We are hoping to stay in touch with our friends in Spring Arbor, and may come to visit from time to time as we celebrate Christmas each year in Lansing, MI.

Brent and Dave Enjoying Another Breakfast in Spring Arbor

Brent Smith and I and enjoyed a "last Breakfast" together this morning.  We met once per week for breakfast from 2001-2005 and about once per month 2006 to now.  Brent is a psychologist in Michigan and provided supervision for me while I was completing my independent license.  Brent has been a great friend and help to me in my work as a psychologist in Spring Arbor.  I have appreciated all that I have learned from him and will miss our meetings at the Spring Arbor Cafe.

Trip to the Zoo

Today, we enjoyed a trip to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan with the Buratoavich family.  Our two daughters have been friends with Mike and Carolyn's 3 daughters for about 5 years.  It was a lot of fun today.


Mike and Dave and the bird make...three Dodos!

 I have always found the history of the Dodo Bird interesting and sad.


Five Friends

The girls had a great time today!





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tortoise

While we saw many interesting animals, the giant tortoise was especially interesting.  Some of the animals were difficult to photograph because they were moving quickly or were behind glass.  The Tamarin was very cute and fun to see, but unfortunately I could not get a good picture the small primate.

It was a great time for us all and we are glad to have good friends like Mike and Carolyn. 

Family Bike Ride

One of our favorite family activities is biking.  Our home in Michigan has been a good place for riding because we live near trails.  Here are some pictures of today's ride from start to finish.



Amanda Getting Ready to Ride



Julie and Emily getting ready to go

Getting our bikes ready to ride takes almost as long as the ride itself!



Here are Julie and Amanda avoiding the mud!



We are in the home stretch now.


Julie, Amanda, and Emily

We take a quick stop by the pond behind our home.  We were suprised to find that it is full of fish.


Dave and the Girls

It was a fun ride!  We will look forward to new adventures on our bikes after we move to North Carolina.