Last week my wife and I took our summer vacation and stayed in a wonderful, little cabin in Sevierville, TN. I must say that I was pretty proud of myself for how much I allowed myself to actually "vacation"! I have a very hard time letting go of work and work related activities. In fact, if it weren't for my wife, I probably would forget about taking vacations entirely. She has a healthy understanding of how important it is to leave everything sometimes and just relax! We had a fantastic time at some attractions like the Ripley Aquarium and Dollywood and ate at some fantastic restaurants! The corn fritters with maple butter at the Old Mill will have me talking for a long time!!! We also went up into Cade's Cove and took a 8 mile round trip hike to some beautiful water falls! It was exactly the time away that I needed.
On Friday we headed over to Knoxville, where my family lives, for my sister's wedding. For those of you who don't know, Sharon, my sister, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer on her tibia a little over a year and half ago. The remedy for this was a very intense tibia transplant surgery which she had done a year and a half ago in January. Fortunately, all the cancer was able to be removed during that procedure. However, the recovery process has been indescribably difficult. Her leg kept rejecting the cadaver bone and she has needed several corrective surgeries since the first procedure. She is just now able to walk a little on her own, but she still has a long way to go. All of this made her wedding day so much more special. It was great to see her so happy, walk down the aisle, and dance her first dance. Will, her now husband, has been so good to her through out all her health difficulties, and I pray that they'll find much happiness together!
Overall, it was a fantastic week away! But I will admit, I am crazy excited to be back home, and I'm ready to tackle a great year of teaching and performing! I have a lot of exciting ideas and goals for my students this, and I can't wait to see what comes of them!
On Friday we headed over to Knoxville, where my family lives, for my sister's wedding. For those of you who don't know, Sharon, my sister, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer on her tibia a little over a year and half ago. The remedy for this was a very intense tibia transplant surgery which she had done a year and a half ago in January. Fortunately, all the cancer was able to be removed during that procedure. However, the recovery process has been indescribably difficult. Her leg kept rejecting the cadaver bone and she has needed several corrective surgeries since the first procedure. She is just now able to walk a little on her own, but she still has a long way to go. All of this made her wedding day so much more special. It was great to see her so happy, walk down the aisle, and dance her first dance. Will, her now husband, has been so good to her through out all her health difficulties, and I pray that they'll find much happiness together!
Overall, it was a fantastic week away! But I will admit, I am crazy excited to be back home, and I'm ready to tackle a great year of teaching and performing! I have a lot of exciting ideas and goals for my students this, and I can't wait to see what comes of them!