Life Changes....

This job hunting thing. Man. It takes a lot out of you. Before we started looking both Shawn & I listed the things we were looking for in a place. Shawn's was basically salary and vacation time. He's looking to retire one day and he'd like to spend time with us before that happens. Me? I wanted to be close to stuff. Like Target. And Costco. And a mall would be nice. And I also wanted a family friendly environment where my kids would be safe. So, the hunt began. I've mentioned before that I shot down many many places that Shawn would have liked to interview. They were all offering generous salaries with great benefits. They were also in towns with like 500 people. When you are talking to a recruiter and he actually says things like "I have a hard time keeping docs here because the wives go crazy without anything to do" red flags start waving everywhere. I've also mentioned that I started looking and was excited about Washington as a prospect. We went to the Tri-Cities (Richland) in November and interviewed with the group there. We loved the area. (I already knew I did). We were offered the job, but didn't take it right away. We had a few months to mull it over. When we left the city both of us felt iffy. If that is the right word to express what we felt. Iffy. Shawn kept looking. He started looking at big cities in Washington. Like Tacoma. Puyallup. Places with stuff. For me. But he would never commit to an interview. There was just always something that prevented him from wanting to even take the time to head over there and check it out. We kept looking. Everyday this consumed us. The first thing he'd do when he got home was check new job listings. Then we'd pour over them all with a fine toothed comb. We talked. A lot. About our lists. Again. And again. And again. I moved around a lot as a kid. Every 5 years I was transplanted to a new area. And a new state. I've lived big city, and small. I started to really evaluate what it was I liked in every place I had lived. And what I didn't like. Pretty soon Richland started to get antsy. We were told they were interviewing someone on January 12th so if we wanted the job we needed to commit before then or it would be gone. I really love the tri-cities. I loved Moses Lake so much and it made Richland feel like home. I so badly wanted for us to commit and just pack up our house and fit right in to our new home in a place I already knew I loved. And I know people there already. Ones that already have lived there a while, and ones that are headed there to start fresh. And they are people I really like. But. There is that ginormous "but" that hangs in the balance. When I listened to my heart-of-hearts and truly listened, I couldn't let Shawn commit. He felt exactly the same. I was trying oh so hard to cram a square peg in a round hole. I was trying everything I could to smooth the edges so it would all fit. But it's not supposed to fit. Richland isn't right. I mourned for a few days when I realized this. But it's not where our little family is supposed to be. As I was mourning my loss I also came to the conclusion that I am truly a small town girl at heart. Sure, I want to be close to stuff. I realize that easy access is close enough in my mind. So, I relented to an interview for Shawn at a place he mentioned way back in November. I actually allowed myself to check a map and view it's actual location. I found that it's only 30 minutes from Target. And Costco. And a ginormous mall. 30 minutes is nothing. Easy to drop the kids at school and head over and be back in time for lunch. Shawn set an interview for Monday January 12th. It's only 3 hours from where we currently live, so we took the whole family. The anesthesia group put us up in a hotel with adjoining rooms (we now need 2 for fire code). Sunday night we drove around a little, but it was just too dark. While Shawn was interviewing Monday morning I took the kids around town. We visited the community center, and all the things it has to offer. We drove past the schools, and the church. I even talked with a realtor who was willing to show us 2 homes before we headed out of town. Shawn finished around noon and we went to lunch. He was really excited. Like a kid in a candy store. And I found myself giddy. Yep, giddy. That we found a place we both immediately fell in love with. The pay is what he wanted as well as the benefits. I'm close to the stuff. And only 1 hour from a major metropolis with zoos and cheesecake factories galore. Shawn was afraid if he wasn't offered the job he'd be deflated. We talked about how we probably wouldn't know for 2 weeks or so because of others time lines. After lunch we met with the realtor. While pulling into the driveway of the second house Shawn got a phone call. "Dr. Crook, this never happens this fast. I can't believe how fast this response time was, but I just talked to the hospital and they really liked you. They want me to offer you the job." Seriously. That fast. This felt oh so right. Round pegs in round holes right. It looks like Warrensburg Missouri is the place we are supposed to be. Amazing how when you are so sure you know what you want in life, you realize that what you want isn't what you thought at all. Warrensburg is about 20,000 people. Shawn will be in a group of only 4 anesthesiologists, with 3 CRNA's that he'll be overseeing. He is so excited he can't stand it. I've already talked to a few people in the community that we will go to church with and heard nothing but rave reviews. And. The infamous And. 12 weeks vacation. Paid. That is 1 week a month. I will see him more when he has this job then I did when we were dating. Crazy. And exhilarating. All at once. We are so blessed to have gone through this journey together. And to both come to the same conclusions at the same time. It always amazes me that when things are supposed to be a certain way things just fall into place. Round pegs in round holes. Just where we should be.