Wow.

It's been a long time.

We've had our practice open for almost a year, as of July 6. We have registered approximately 1,800 patients in just that short time, many of them Matt's old patients from That Place. When you have an elderly woman in your office weeping tears of joy that her doctor has come back, you know you've done the right thing. Just as rewarding are all the families registering, familiar siblings along with the new babies of the family. 

My life as practice manager is not exactly glamorous. My job is to file claims, post payments, pay the bills, manage the nurses (although Lindy and Robin make this completely easy -- they are the BEST!), and the other miscellaneous chores. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Mostly it's not. But most of my time is spent trying to figure out why claims aren't being paid. I have a folder thick with unpaid claims dating back to November! Each of those unpaid claims translates to an average of 30 minutes on the phone, mostly on hold. There must be a better way. We have a blog that I actually post to more often than this one if you want to follow us. Or join our Facebook page!

Willa is thriving at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts. Her freshman year is almost over. This wasn't just her first year, but the school's first year as well -- she will be part of the first full graduating class in 2013. She's met lots of interesting students and the teachers and administration seem dedicated to the students' well-being as much as their education. The academics have been very challenging: they are all taught at the Honors level. In order to fit everything into the 9:30-4:30 day, a few of the classes are condensed so that, instead of being taught for 45 minutes every day for the entire school year, they're taught 90 minutes a day for just half the year. Or, in the case of algebra II, 45 minutes every day for the entire year. Only problem is, since the class is taught across the street at the University, it's not always 45 minutes. Anyway, this school is not only teaching Willa and the others academics and arts, it's also teaching them how to manage their time, and how to deal with challenges. This summer she'll be interning at the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown where I'm sure her world will be  even more enlarged.

My Phoebe is moving to Newburgh NY this June! She and Jonathan decided that their lives would be less stressful and hectic if they moved out of the city. They found a charming house that the owners had renovated to make the third floor a beautiful, huge apartment. The apartment has 2 bedrooms, a lovely kitchen with a balcony overlooking a yard full of old-growth trees and gardens, a large living room with views of the Hudson River, and a separate entrance. The owners are young people with 3 lively Laboradors. I think Newkie is going to be very happy in his new home along with his mommy and daddy! And Dewie will love sitting out on the balcony trying to catch the birds.... I'll be helping them move, so I can say good-bye to the city along with them. Phoebe is just now completing an additional Yoga certification in Restorative Yoga. She'll be just an hour's train ride away from her current clients, but I'm willing to bet that within a year she'll have so many new clients in her new home that she'll be spending more time there. And Jonathan is fortunate enough to be able to telecommute with his boss Wynton Marsalis most of the time. It's going to be interesting to watch their new life unfold.

What else what else. Well Berkeley Springs is still the place for me. As much time as I've spent now in Hagerstown (I spent 10 hours in the car last week back and forth!), and other places this year, I still feel a small sigh of relief everytime I approach town. There's the State Park with the gazebo, there's the Star Theater (I always look at the marquee to see what's playing). I'll almost always see someone I know on the street.

The May Day Fairie Festival was a huge success this year. We had 14,000 in attendance. The vendors were fabulous as always (I've been the vendor coordinator there for 13 years now). I'll always consider this event my second home, if only for a week out of the year. I have some photos on Facebook, but you can also go to Youtube and search for Spoutwood Farm, or Fairie Festival, to find lots of video. 

Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Maybe I'll post again in a month or two or three!!!!