Published: 2009-09-27 23:08:54
Author: Greg Swatek | News-Post | September 6, 2009
Urbana-- When Kelly Groves steps behind his lawn mower, he shifts his mind into neutral. One of his favorite times of the week has finally arrived.
"It's the only time of the week I get some alone time," Groves said.
Between logging roughly 60 hours a week at his chiropractic office on Urbana Pike and helping to care for his two young children at his Mount Airy home, Groves, 35, is lucky to find time to draw a deep breath.
That's why cutting the grass hardly seems like a chore to him. And why his wife, Michelle, firmly believes Groves is the hardest-working person inFrederick County.
"He does it all. He has a career, but yet he is still a very involved father," said Michelle, a full-time working mom who could put in a claim for the title herself.
"He is a father that is still extremely aware of what is going on with his kids. He is very in tune with his kids. To do that, you have to invest some time with them. ... Plus, he's very dedicated to his patients. He'll come in for his patients even if it's not office hours."
A typical day for Groves begins before sunrise. In addition to getting himself ready to walk out the door and face the day, he has to make sure that Nathan, 3 1/2, and Brynn, 17 months, are up, dressed, fed and set for their time at day care.
Groves drops his kids off at school, and usually arrives at his office about 8:30 a.m. Patients start arriving around 9.
Groves usually sees between 40 and 50 patients a day, consulting with them and making sure their bones and joints are in proper alignment. But this particular day has been slow, and only 35 have walked into an office with just two professionals on staff. A third employee was recently hired.