All my Exes Live in Texas

To call us indecisive would be an understatement, I know. It's getting to the point that I don't remember who I have and have not told about our moving decisions of late, so I decided to post them.

We went out to Portland/Vancouver over Labor Day to search for housing and a job for me. Now that my National Health Service Corp Loan Repayment Contract obligation is over, I have vowed to do all in my power to only work part time. It has been torture working full time since Zach was 3 months old. Luckily, he's had the best childcare in the world with Tessa, Missy, Corey, and my mom. But still, it has been extremely difficult for me to leave him for four ten-hour-days per week the last 7 months (minus a fair bit of vacation time). I purposely chose a profession that would allow me to provide well for my family working only part time hours, which is great if I can find someone who will hire me part time, or if I want to buy/start my own practice (which often requires more stress and time than working for someone else, at least at first). Eventually I would like to own or be a partner in a practice and work a couple days per week, with a room that my children can be watched in attached to the practice, possibly. Maybe Corey and I can even share office space in the future. But for now, we are not ready to make the huge investment of time, effort, and money required to buy/start a practice, so I am at the mercy of working for someone else.

We visited both Portland and Dallas this summer, and found things we liked about both. The economy is great in Dallas, with dental associate jobs abounding, and a reasonable housing market. The weather and scenery, however, leave much to be desired from those who have enjoyed the beauty of the West.

Portland, on the other hand, has gorgeous surroundings and is much closer to home, but the economy there is extremely poor. Housing is higher and quite unstable, and worse, there are very few dental jobs available. I was offered only one position, and it was at a dingy, outdated office with the managers insisting full time hours.

We were honestly ready to come out to Portland for Corey to begin school in October, but especially without knowing anyone I trust to care for Zachary, I can't feel good about taking the position there. We figured out how much money we will have from student loans after tuition is paid, and it's a measly $680/mo. That's not even enough to cover a tiny apartment in Vancouver. We could borrow more at an exorbitant interest rate, but it doesn't make sense to do so if I can pay the bills by working just one or two days a week. Plus, I really enjoy what I do and do not want to lose the skills I have worked so hard to attain.

SO. I called up one of the contacts that tentatively offered me a job in Dallas, and the doctor said he was still interested in having me. What's more, he is a member of the church and familiar with my family values and is happy to have me work just two days a week, and offered a generous salary!! To top it off, the dental practice is like walking into a day spa. There are chandeliers, fountains, and you can even have a paraffin hand treatment while you wait in your massaging dental chair! It is a great opportunity for me to learn to do more complex and comprehensive cosmetic procedures while also learning to build and manage an extremely successful practice for both Corey and I.

We are tentatively planning on being in Dallas no later than January, but we may head down a bit sooner.

Of course, don't be surprised if our plans change again, either.... You know us!