The Bad: We live in an area that is a 30 minute drive for just about everything...
you
you want to go to a movie? 30 minutes
you need a haircut? well, 25 minutes...but you get my point.
The Beautiful: The view from our back deck...
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
The Good: We are out of Iowa!! Woohoo!
The Bad: We live in an area that is a 30 minute drive for just about everything...
youwant have to go to the DMV? 30 minutes
you want to go to a movie? 30 minutes
you need a haircut? well, 25 minutes...but you get my point.
The Bad: We live in an area that is a 30 minute drive for just about everything...
you
you want to go to a movie? 30 minutes
you need a haircut? well, 25 minutes...but you get my point.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Turning the page...
Okay, so you've hopefully gotten past the first two posts of this series, and you may THINK you know where we are...but you don't, unless I have told you personally.
Now, why all the secrecy and delay in getting this out there to my friends? Well, thinking back to last fall when I posted about our upcoming move to Montana, by the next day it had all fallen apart. I know I may be a little paranoid, but I didn't want any kinks thrown into this already crazy delicate mix of planning we had going on. Our house was under contract, yes, but not final in any way/shape/form. The buyer could still back out, and we lived in the "ghetto", so we thought that could be a distinct possibility. I didn't want to tell ANYBODY ANYTHING, lest something go terribly awry.
But you know, if something can go wrong, it usually will (at least for us!). I'm happy to say that nothing went wrong with our house sale - we are no longer Iowa home owners. What did go "wrong" was the rental house at our destination. We were set up to live on a farmstead house in the middle of a private golf course, complete with membership (sweet!). This was "arranged" by Bubba's employer. It was not, however, actually arranged. It had been discussed but not finalized...and, in fact, the property was ultimately rented to someone else - someone on the board of the club. We were within a month of moving with nowhere to move to...and no way of looking around since we were halfway across the country with no personal contacts in the area, or so we thought. Bubba was relating our woes to his mom (who lives in a tiny town in Nevada) during a normal conversation one day. By the next day, we find that her best friend in this tiny little town has a daughter who lives 30 minutes from Bubba's new clinic...and they are trying to move to Utah to be closer to family and are trying to sell their house. Well, as it turns out, they decided to rent their house to us, which gives the market time to jump back so they can sell their house for a profit later on. Pretty much a win-win. Things are truly working out for the best, so what went "wrong" with the house really didn't, after all.
Another kink in the whole plan also bubbled to the surface. It turns out that where we will be living is not a highly populated area with a less than brisk real estate industry. Needless to say, transfering my job would be difficult, if not impossible. The only way for me to continue with the company I have worked at for 15 years would be to cover five large counties over two states, including the difficult-to-master resort communities. After a profitability analysis and risk assessment (really just a sit-down-and-think session to decide if I really, really, really want to do this), and I have chosen to retire after 15 years at the company and over 20 years in the business. Yes friends, I am retired / unemployed, and I'm having a little difficulty with the concept. I'm too young not to work, so now I need to decide what I want to do next. Any suggestions?
So, where are we? I know you are all dying to know, right? Here's a pic from the internet, since my camera is still packed away...
Yes, we live in Bridgeville. Yes, the sign really does say "If you lived here you would be home now". Yes, that is a pretty goofy slogan. But it is home...at least for now.
Where is Bridgeville, you ask? In the very small, very flat, very first state of our glorious nation...Delaware! We have no mountains...which is unfortunate (however we are within reasonable driving distance). On the plus side, we do have the ocean just a quick 30 minute drive to the east! We are excited for the possibilities that this area holds and are excited for this new adventure to begin.
Now, why all the secrecy and delay in getting this out there to my friends? Well, thinking back to last fall when I posted about our upcoming move to Montana, by the next day it had all fallen apart. I know I may be a little paranoid, but I didn't want any kinks thrown into this already crazy delicate mix of planning we had going on. Our house was under contract, yes, but not final in any way/shape/form. The buyer could still back out, and we lived in the "ghetto", so we thought that could be a distinct possibility. I didn't want to tell ANYBODY ANYTHING, lest something go terribly awry.
But you know, if something can go wrong, it usually will (at least for us!). I'm happy to say that nothing went wrong with our house sale - we are no longer Iowa home owners. What did go "wrong" was the rental house at our destination. We were set up to live on a farmstead house in the middle of a private golf course, complete with membership (sweet!). This was "arranged" by Bubba's employer. It was not, however, actually arranged. It had been discussed but not finalized...and, in fact, the property was ultimately rented to someone else - someone on the board of the club. We were within a month of moving with nowhere to move to...and no way of looking around since we were halfway across the country with no personal contacts in the area, or so we thought. Bubba was relating our woes to his mom (who lives in a tiny town in Nevada) during a normal conversation one day. By the next day, we find that her best friend in this tiny little town has a daughter who lives 30 minutes from Bubba's new clinic...and they are trying to move to Utah to be closer to family and are trying to sell their house. Well, as it turns out, they decided to rent their house to us, which gives the market time to jump back so they can sell their house for a profit later on. Pretty much a win-win. Things are truly working out for the best, so what went "wrong" with the house really didn't, after all.
Another kink in the whole plan also bubbled to the surface. It turns out that where we will be living is not a highly populated area with a less than brisk real estate industry. Needless to say, transfering my job would be difficult, if not impossible. The only way for me to continue with the company I have worked at for 15 years would be to cover five large counties over two states, including the difficult-to-master resort communities. After a profitability analysis and risk assessment (really just a sit-down-and-think session to decide if I really, really, really want to do this), and I have chosen to retire after 15 years at the company and over 20 years in the business. Yes friends, I am retired / unemployed, and I'm having a little difficulty with the concept. I'm too young not to work, so now I need to decide what I want to do next. Any suggestions?
So, where are we? I know you are all dying to know, right? Here's a pic from the internet, since my camera is still packed away...
Yes, we live in Bridgeville. Yes, the sign really does say "If you lived here you would be home now". Yes, that is a pretty goofy slogan. But it is home...at least for now.
Where is Bridgeville, you ask? In the very small, very flat, very first state of our glorious nation...Delaware! We have no mountains...which is unfortunate (however we are within reasonable driving distance). On the plus side, we do have the ocean just a quick 30 minute drive to the east! We are excited for the possibilities that this area holds and are excited for this new adventure to begin.
And the adventure continues...
Hopefully you've all read my previous post since I'm just continuing the saga...
After returning from our trip out east we proceeded with contract negotiations. Of course, we were still taking calls from other docs to make sure we didn't put all our eggs in one basket, so to speak...just in case. But we had one major roadblock no matter where we decided to go - our house.
That blasted house was standing in our way. If we didn't sell it, I would have to stay behind and work in Iowa and Bubba would move to wherever it was that he would be working. That did not appeal to either of us in the least. We had already put the house on the market...we tried to sell it by owner last summer/fall, but our timing was off. The market all but completely died earlier than anticipated and nothing happened. We broke down and listed it with a realtor during the holidays - a horrible time to try to sell a home, but I had to at least try! Three months later...nothing. The market finally started showing signs of life, so we did another 30 day listing by owner.
In the mean time, Bubba and doc came to a verbal agreement...all was starting to look up and we could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though there wasn't a written contract yet, Bubba proceeded with licensing in the state we would eventually be moving to and otherwise getting all his ducks in a row to start working as a doc in the clinic.
On the last day of our 30-day listing, Jason, a dear friend of ours came down from Wisconsin to visit, and to go turkey hunting. Yes, this was a very crazy time for us, but it was probably the last time Bubba would get to hunt for turkey in Iowa. So they went. That morning, Bubba dropped a 25lb tom at 8:45 am with a 9 3/4 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs. I don't really know what all that means, but he was very happy with this and he wanted me to share it with you. All I know is that it was yummy!
I know the story seems to be rambling and jumping all over the place, but I have added the turkey hunt to the story as it was the kickoff to a very good day. This was the day that everything came together. Bubba got his turkey that morning and he got his new license in the mail in the early afternoon. The final employment contract was faxed to us a little later that day. AND THEN WE SOLD THE HOUSE!!! Yes, that turkey was the precursor to a WONDERFUL day!!
After returning from our trip out east we proceeded with contract negotiations. Of course, we were still taking calls from other docs to make sure we didn't put all our eggs in one basket, so to speak...just in case. But we had one major roadblock no matter where we decided to go - our house.
In the mean time, Bubba and doc came to a verbal agreement...all was starting to look up and we could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though there wasn't a written contract yet, Bubba proceeded with licensing in the state we would eventually be moving to and otherwise getting all his ducks in a row to start working as a doc in the clinic.
On the last day of our 30-day listing, Jason, a dear friend of ours came down from Wisconsin to visit, and to go turkey hunting. Yes, this was a very crazy time for us, but it was probably the last time Bubba would get to hunt for turkey in Iowa. So they went. That morning, Bubba dropped a 25lb tom at 8:45 am with a 9 3/4 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs. I don't really know what all that means, but he was very happy with this and he wanted me to share it with you. All I know is that it was yummy!
I know the story seems to be rambling and jumping all over the place, but I have added the turkey hunt to the story as it was the kickoff to a very good day. This was the day that everything came together. Bubba got his turkey that morning and he got his new license in the mail in the early afternoon. The final employment contract was faxed to us a little later that day. AND THEN WE SOLD THE HOUSE!!! Yes, that turkey was the precursor to a WONDERFUL day!!
Insanity is....
Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". According to Einstein, I would almost guarantee that we have been insane for the past several of years. Let me explain...
Since about the middle of Bubba's time over at Palmer, we decided that we would like to live in the greater Denver Colorado area. During his final year, as well as the months following graduation, we continually tried to find a way to go to Denver. I had a job there waiting for me, so that was an easy decision. What wasn't easy was finding a clinic for Bubba. Numerous road trips (and large travel expenses) later, what did we come up with? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. It didn't matter what avenue we pursued, nothing opened up. We looked at associateships, independent contractorships, sharing office space, buying an existing practice, and opening our own clinic. Nothing panned out. We found one space sharing option that was promising, but the location was way too small and wasn't set up for how Bubba wanted to practice. Maybe we were being too picky, but some things you just don't want to compromise with. We were lucky...I had a good job in Iowa and we could take our time to find the right fit.
As some of you may know, we decided to break the Denver search cycle and opened our sites to the rest of the country (see posts from last fall). Well that, my friends, was the end of the insanity but the beginning of a whole different kind of crazy. Bubba placed a great ad on Planet Chiro with his CV attached, and his phone and email lit up with docs wanting to interview, and some even making offers site unseen. After much weeding out and MANY phone calls later (although we were not too happy with the cell minutes significantly over our monthly allotment), we made a decision.
First, we had to send Bubba for an interview. I decided not to go, just to save $$. We booked his flights and all was well. The next day, my mom convinced me to go too, and even paid for the ticket, so I went ahead and booked a flight. Unfortunately, not the SAME flight. Not even close. Bubba had an uneventful flight to Baltimore, rented a car, had a nice drive down to Salisbury and stayed at the Marriot. I had a significantly different experience...I had the flight from hell. Due to flight scheduling, I flew into Reagan in DC. There were severe winds that day, and flights were rumored to be grounded...but we made it...barely. Coming in over the Patomac River, the winds hit hard...the plane was being shook violently both vertically and horizontally. The flight attendants were screaming, which did not give much comfort to us passengers. We had to take numerous passes at the runway before the pilot was finally able to set us firmly on the tarmac. We were alive and unharmed...there was applause. Because of the winds, we landed late...very late. This matters only because of my rental car. Due to homeland security issues around the DC area (or so we were told), I could not rent a car at one airport and drop it at another, and I was leaving from Baltimore, not DC. So, I had to catch the metro/subway from Reagan, switching lines halfway through, then take a bus to the Baltimore airport. Timing was everything...and nothing worked as planned. I missed the train by 30 seconds, so I took the next one. Ultimately, that caused me to miss my bus, so I had to wait an hour for the next one. And I had to pee. Sorry if that is TMI, but there's nothing worse than being stressed, having to go and having nowhere to go. But I digress....it all ended up working out - I eventually go to the car rental desk, got the car and proceeded to drive to Salisbury. I'm still not sure my trip was really worth all the effort, especially seeing as I only stayed one night (albeit it was at a Marriott) and had to leave the next day, but it was definitely an adventure...and I LOVE adventures!
Since about the middle of Bubba's time over at Palmer, we decided that we would like to live in the greater Denver Colorado area. During his final year, as well as the months following graduation, we continually tried to find a way to go to Denver. I had a job there waiting for me, so that was an easy decision. What wasn't easy was finding a clinic for Bubba. Numerous road trips (and large travel expenses) later, what did we come up with? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. It didn't matter what avenue we pursued, nothing opened up. We looked at associateships, independent contractorships, sharing office space, buying an existing practice, and opening our own clinic. Nothing panned out. We found one space sharing option that was promising, but the location was way too small and wasn't set up for how Bubba wanted to practice. Maybe we were being too picky, but some things you just don't want to compromise with. We were lucky...I had a good job in Iowa and we could take our time to find the right fit.
As some of you may know, we decided to break the Denver search cycle and opened our sites to the rest of the country (see posts from last fall). Well that, my friends, was the end of the insanity but the beginning of a whole different kind of crazy. Bubba placed a great ad on Planet Chiro with his CV attached, and his phone and email lit up with docs wanting to interview, and some even making offers site unseen. After much weeding out and MANY phone calls later (although we were not too happy with the cell minutes significantly over our monthly allotment), we made a decision.
First, we had to send Bubba for an interview. I decided not to go, just to save $$. We booked his flights and all was well. The next day, my mom convinced me to go too, and even paid for the ticket, so I went ahead and booked a flight. Unfortunately, not the SAME flight. Not even close. Bubba had an uneventful flight to Baltimore, rented a car, had a nice drive down to Salisbury and stayed at the Marriot. I had a significantly different experience...I had the flight from hell. Due to flight scheduling, I flew into Reagan in DC. There were severe winds that day, and flights were rumored to be grounded...but we made it...barely. Coming in over the Patomac River, the winds hit hard...the plane was being shook violently both vertically and horizontally. The flight attendants were screaming, which did not give much comfort to us passengers. We had to take numerous passes at the runway before the pilot was finally able to set us firmly on the tarmac. We were alive and unharmed...there was applause. Because of the winds, we landed late...very late. This matters only because of my rental car. Due to homeland security issues around the DC area (or so we were told), I could not rent a car at one airport and drop it at another, and I was leaving from Baltimore, not DC. So, I had to catch the metro/subway from Reagan, switching lines halfway through, then take a bus to the Baltimore airport. Timing was everything...and nothing worked as planned. I missed the train by 30 seconds, so I took the next one. Ultimately, that caused me to miss my bus, so I had to wait an hour for the next one. And I had to pee. Sorry if that is TMI, but there's nothing worse than being stressed, having to go and having nowhere to go. But I digress....it all ended up working out - I eventually go to the car rental desk, got the car and proceeded to drive to Salisbury. I'm still not sure my trip was really worth all the effort, especially seeing as I only stayed one night (albeit it was at a Marriott) and had to leave the next day, but it was definitely an adventure...and I LOVE adventures!
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