While Ryan was doing research on possible jobs post-residency, he had found a few sites in Utah that are already a part of the National Health Service Corps but weren't currently hiring. I insisted that he should at least try and see if we could get a job in Utah so he did some "cold-contacting" (calling them and sending his CV and info just in case they were thinking of hiring soon). We actually did hear from two Utah jobs this way: one in Roosevelt and one in inner-city Ogden. (just FYI: we cancelled the trip to Ogden in the end and you'll see why at the bottom of this post)
We couldn't believe it when the Roosevelt group not only asked Ryan to come out to interview but also invited our whole family out! They provided the plane tickets and a car to drive. So so awesome! I'm still pinching myself when I think that we were given a bonus trip to Utah this year. We were so excited to visit family (which is how this recruiter gets Utah-based residents to come out AND successfully convinces them to stay) but we were also excited about the possibility that this job would give us a way to live and work just 2.5 hrs away from our families.
It was a very long travel day... But the kids did really great at least.
At the Detroit airport, killing loads of time...
We got in town wednesday night, and early the next morning Ryan and I were off to Roosevelt. The kids played with Thomas and Whitney at the Natural History Museum, went to dinner and mini-golf with Bob and Stacy, and stayed over night with my parents.
The mountains were so beautiful on the way there. I LOVE my mountains. The fall colors were past peak but still so beautiful.
I'm going to fast-forward through the interview process and just show the highlights...
They ordered lunch from Cafe Rio for us and other physicians who could make it and meet us. Little did they know we are obsessed with Cafe Rio. Yum!
The hospital also got us this huge awesome package of local goodies: dino toys for the kids (since Vernal is close by), hats and shirts with the hospital logo, jewelry made by the Ute tribe, local honey, Utah truffle bars, fly fishing stuff, and a couple other things. Being recruited is fun. ;)
This is the town home suite they got us for the night. It was beautiful and two levels with multiple rooms and bathrooms. I wish we had extra time to spend in it and relax.
For dinner we met a few doctors (and wives) at the Catton's house. Mike Catton is the ENT in Roosevelt and Vernal... but they also used to live in my family's ward when I was around 8 years old. Small world huh! They hosted the dinner that evening and it was nice to get to chat with some of the physicians who had been there for awhile.
The next day, we drove into Vernal with a couple of the hospital's VPs to get a tour of what they have there. The temple is there!
This is what it looks like out there in eastern Utah. It's very pretty in an understated way. It also has red rocks and red dirt which totally surprised us.
When we got back to Salt Lake friday afternoon, we went to Cafe Rio (of course) with the Turners. Tori was in town from USU and we were happy she could make it to visit with us!
We went together to the cemetery where Ryan's Grandma and Grandpa Turner are, and his Grandpa Symes. Both Grandpas passed away while we have been in Ohio and unable to afford plane tickets for the funerals. :( So we wanted to make a visit there.
On saturday morning we walked around City Creek and Temple Square before meeting
Caught in the act of selfie-taking...
We met my parents and the Utah-Goates siblings for lunch at B&D's. Ryan was really on a roll during this trip making weird faces at the camera.
Jacey was so sweet and brought me scrumptious Swig cookies since I talk about/make the homemade versions often. These were so yummy! And so monstrously huge. Thanks Jacey!
We wanted to spend a little time in the mountains and let the kids experience fall up there (again, it was past the peak, but it was still beautiful). We walked around Silver Lake and had a great time!
I have always loved this view driving down Big Cottonwood canyon from Brighton.
We did a picnic style dinner in my parents' backyard and the weather was perfection. Oh how I love Utah in the fall. This is the first year in 3 or 4 that we have been able to visit in October.
A few cute pics of the kids while we were in Roosevelt:
Our families took such great care of Logan and Grace and I'm so grateful for all the memories they made with their cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. That's the biggest blessing that came out of this bonus trip home.
After such a fun, quick, and enlightening trip to Utah, we didn't feel that Roosevelt is the right place for us. I really do think that we could have taken the job at either place and we would have been fine. We would have made a life in either town and Heavenly Father would have blessed us either way we chose. Being closer to family OF COURSE is what we have wanted for years and hope to have again someday. But this particular job opportunity just wasn't as impressive or comfortable as the one in Paradise. I won't bore you with the details, but there was some weirdness with a territorial Pediatrician in Roosevelt whereas the whole physician group in Paradise was bending over backwards to make us feel welcomed and wanted. Ryan wants a place where he is part of a team and a supportive network. We didn't feel that would be as easy to achieve in Roosevelt. :( T
here were a few days this week that I was tearful and sad when I finally let myself focus on CA instead of Utah... because deep down I always knew the answer to our prayers of which offer to take was already staring us in the face. I wanted it to be Utah so badly because the idea of it seemed so wonderful. I'm hopeful that there will come a day that a great Utah job opportunity will appear and it will be the right one. But for now, we know we are being led to Paradise, California. We are so excited!
