Bye bye Car!

Sold my car today. It had served me pretty faithfully on my commutes for the last 3 years. But it didn't make sense to continue paying insurance and upkeep on two cars, since we'll hardly be using them in the next year. Plus, the money will help with the travel expenses.

I thought I would be mourning its loss more (I probably will later) but it is nice having the extra room in the garage. I feel like our lives just got a tiny bit simpler.

Cherokee Health Systems/Professional Goals

CD here. The past two months working at Morristown have been a great experience for me. The clinic is called the 5th Street Clinic and is part of Cherokee Health Systems. One of my professional goals for the next year is to observe the operation of different practice models. Cherokee's model is an integrated approach - mainly integrating medical and psychosocial issues in healthcare. There is also a focus on serving impoverished people. Most of the clientèle at 5th Street have no health insurance or TennCare or are on Disability.

The advantage of integrated care is the team approach. One or two people (a doctor and nurse) do not have to manage all the aspects in the health care of some of these very complicated patients. There is a Behaviorist that I can consult down the hall at a moments notice. Or a psychiatrist. Or a case worker. At 5th Street we have weekly "team meetings." All the disciplines in this model are represented and we go over complicated cases to insure coordination of care.

I have really loved the environment here. My colleagues and staff have been very friendly and I get the sense that people really enjoy working here - it's more than "just a job/paycheck." So, have I made my point that Cherokee has impressed me?

Another professional goal is to become fluent in Spanish. 5th Street gets a large Mexican population, many who work picking tomatoes. Practicing the Spanish I have been learning has been one of my favorite things about working here.

One of the only drawbacks about working in Morristown is the nearly 50 mile commute. My consolation (other than having a nice job) is getting to listen to several audiobooks. Perhaps I'll start a blog one day that reviews audiobooks...

Anyways, to all my 5th Street friends: Hasta luego! I hope our paths cross again one day.

Simplified Itinerary

I decided to post our itinerary in a manner that might be easier to follow:

9/25/07 - CD finishes job in Morristown

9/27/07-10/1/07 - Travel to Ohio

10/3/07 - Flight to Las Vegas

10/4/07 - Flight to San Diego

10/6/07 - Pam and Craig's Wedding

10/7/07-10/19/07 - Sightseeing in San Diego

10/20/07 - Flight to Seattle, Moving into apartment in Redmond, WA

10/22/07 - CD's job begins at King County Community Health Center

12/30/07 - CD's job ends

Getting Started

In only almost 3 weeks we will be on the road! Still a lot we have to do and setting up a blog for posting our travel adventures is one of those things. So far setting this up has been too easy. I am hoping that there will be a easy way to create links from this blog to pictures from our photo albums, as well.

To summarize where we are and where we are going: I (CD) left my practice in Knoxville this past spring after 6 years. Most of you know that by now and many of the details surrounding it. We were planning a move to Ohio, but that plan has been put on hold due to a job for me not materializing and the poor market for selling our house. Now, we are still at home in Knoxville. I have been doing a temporary job with a community clinic in Morristown, TN and Karen has been developing her own curriculum for home-schooling Natalie and Oliver (I will let Karen fill in the details on that front). We are going to Ohio at the end of September for a short trip for Karen's 20th high school class reunion, and shortly after returning we are getting on a plane WEST. A day in Las Vegas and then on to San Diego, for my cousin Pam's wedding. After the wedding we will be staying in San Diego to take in the sights, until the 3rd week of October. Then we will be travelling up the coast to our home until the end of 2007 - Redmond, WA. There I will be working a temporary job with a community health clinic. After that... well that's what we know so far. Most likely we'll need some time back in Knoxville by then. Our house and cats? We are making arrangements with a trusted house sitter.

More as we approach crunch time...