The countdown begins

Merry Christmas!  No time for visions of sugarplums around here, we’re preparing for the big day that will arrive only a week from tomorrow.  I spent much of the day yesterday and the better part of this morning inside the biggest Christmas present I’ll ever receive, setting up our computer system, installing small equipment, and completing various other chores like filling soap dispensers.  Dr. Burns has been busy preparing our opening orders for drugs and supplies and making up the ever-important “to do” list for our last week before opening.  We are fortunate to have good friends and wonderful neighbors who were kind enough to invite us to their holiday gatherings and allow us a few hours of relaxation.  Thank you to Sharon and Keith for Christmas eve dinner and to the Shasteen family for a great meal this afternoon—your hospitality (and a chance to enjoy ourselves with no real work to do) was among the greatest gifts we could receive this year!

We enter the 2008 with a mixture of emotions ranging from excitement and satisfaction to uncertainty and nervousness.  Everything is in place (or will be soon!) to bring this dream into reality, but the big question remains unanswered:  “Will they come?”  All signs point to an affirmative reply:  Clint (our supervisor, remember?) tells us that several people have poked their heads in over the last couple weeks to see if we were open yet, Karin already has at least one long-term patient on the books for an appointment on opening morning, and every friend and colleague we know is plugging us to all the pet owners they meet from our neighborhood.  We’ve also made the rounds and visited our neighbors at Vista del Oro, from Dippin’ Dots to Basha’s and the First Bank of Arizona.  However, projections and guesstimates aside, we can’t help but feel like we’re throwing a huge party and haven’t received any RSVP’s—and, frankly, it makes you a little uncomfortable at times.  I’m feeling strangely compelled to add Field of Dreams to the top of my NetFlix queue, since the voices in my head haven’t started their own whispered affirmations yet…