You live in a BARN??

Did your parents (or was it just mine) ever ask when you left the door open "where you born/raised in a barn"? Well, do you think I can use that excuse now? In three months I will be living in a barn....and LOVING it!

I am on equine ambulatory rotation right now and have visited several homes that are under the same roof as the horses. Rennovated barns or barns that were specifically built to include the stalls and the home. I would have said you were crazy if you told me that a home like that would be nice enough to live in. Well, I will get my chance soon enough!









The barn in the foreground of the picture actually butts up to a mountain and contains the house, the barn next to it is an indoor arena.

Jimmy was supposed to meet me on Friday morning, but I managed some begging (and apple strudel for the doctor) and was able to leave Thursday morning. Jimmy took a vacation day and was going to surprise me (he couldn't hold it in), but told me he would meet me there on Thursday afternoon. I dropped TalTals off at the boarding kennel and made it down the road quickly (imagine that). We met up at Bass Pro Shops at the Gatlinburg TN exit. We browsed around there for awhile and then I followed Jimmy around while we walked around Smokey Mountain Knife Works. He bought us dinner at a yummy rib place, then we made it on to the hotel in Morristown, TN about 20 minutes from Rogersville....the future site of 'us'.

Thursday night I reviewed some stuff about negotiating, contract stuff, and a buncha crap that Kristi would be proud that I re-read prior to meeting with the doctor. Went to bed...a very tired and skeeeeered puppy dog. Jimmy kept telling me over and over that I had nothing to worry about, but somehow I was still nervous.

We got up on Friday morning, got ready and headed on over to Rogersville. We nearly drove right by the clinic, but I happened to spot it. We were both thinking that the clinic was back off the road, but it is right there on a 4 lane highway outside of town. We pulled in, I saw Dr. Skelding turning the horses out, and got out of the car and did our introductions.

She gave us the grand tour of the house and the clinic. She had a couple clients coming and going, so we took our time and walked to the back of the property and took pictures. Jim and I did a lot of talking about how much potential the property has and that maybe, just maybe, this is our good luck break (that I have been waiting on for my whole life). Dr. Skelding introduced me to her technicians who would turn around and would say to someone else, "don't get me in trouble with the new doctor". My head spun 360 degrees looking for who they were talking about. =)
Dr. Skelding was on the phone at one point and she says, 'I am busy talking to the new veterinarian", my head spun 360 again.












She needed some help getting 3 of her foals (about 4 months old) out to the pasture, so we broke Jim in. There were 2 areas of the fence that nearly caught and tangled the adult mares while they were running, so we helped her take care of that. She says when we were finished, 'Jim, you are a cowboy now".

We went out to see a horse that had an abscess problem which she was kinda just treating on the side. We got the horse sedated and taken care of. Dr. Skelding introduced me to the nice people (who happened to be transplanted from Greenville SC) as "this is your new horse doctor, so be nice to her "....yup, you got it, head spinning again.
We then went out to her 50 acres that she just bought (where she will be moving to) to load 2 horses that she needed to take back to the barn. Another technician brings her kids out to help (one of the horses will be hers now) and she introduces me to her son and daughter as "Dr. Paula"....
...head.....spinning thing....

Clinic is on the right, indoor arena in foreground.























The back part of the property extends to an area that is behind the 2 barns. The clinic is the beige building to the right of the barns. The mountain (hill as Jim calls it) has riding trails that go to the top.

This is the mudroom before entering the main part of the house. I like the horseshoe hangers.



















The kitchen complete with a DISHWASHER! Oh yeah...the small joys of life!












The bedroom, with bathroom. Um, yeah, the tub is a whirlpool/jacuzzi. Some of this horsie wallpaper has to go...a little overwhelming, dontcha think?

The house has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There are 15 acres of land, an indoor riding arena, an outdoor riding arena, and riding trails up the mountain. The veterinary clinic is across the driveway. 20 head of horses at various training levels available whenever I want them.
My DVM in January.
I am pretty sure this is what I had dreamed of 20 years ago. This is what I was pretty sure would never happen.

Thank god for people who believe in me ... or else I wouldn't have a thing.