In the fall of 1997, about the time I got re-married to a wonderful guy who goes by Himey, another opening came along at the clinic. There was a new nurse practitioner starting in women’s health. I don’t remember all the details, but I ended up working with the new provider as well as another nurse practitioner who had been there a while.

Barb and Sue were great to work with, and I thrived on the constant chaos of having two providers to answer to. On a regular basis they would travel to the satellite clinics in Crandon, Eagle River and Tomahawk to see patients. I can’t say that I enjoyed Crandon or Eagle River a whole lot, but the monthly stay in Tomahawk was always welcomed. It meant a short day and a short drive time. Overall, though, the long hours were not a lot of fun, so it did work out well for me when another assistant in the department became available to work with Barb.

Since leaving my first MA job in Colorado and moving to Wisconsin, it was the first time I worked one on one with a single provider. It was my daily personal challenge to always stay one step ahead of Sue, to anticipate her every request, to know her patients as well as she did. It was also the first time in many years that I got a regularly scheduled afternoon off.

I went through a lot in those two and a half years that I worked in women’s health. The best thing had to be marrying Himey. He’s a man, so of course, he is far from perfect, but if there is such a thing as a soul mate, he would be mine. On the downside, my sister Pat began to lose her valiant six year long battle with cancer. (I am soo sorry, Jenny, to have two sad ones in a row!) On June 18, 1999, she slipped off to be with Dad, to a place where there is no Alzheimer’s and no cancer, only endless days of sunshine and puppies and ice cream.