Second Interviews

Bridger kept saying, "I wanna go to second ninnerviews too!" But this was our chance to be alone together to decide on our future. It was a great trip. It non-stop action and a little stressful. (We are making a big decision, you know!) By the end of everyday we were exhausted from meeting wonderful new people, driving or flying, looking at houses and being spoiled. We ate delicious food at many classy restaurants and despite our 4000 calorie per day consumption, the only thing that gained weight was our luggage. (Someday we will be thankful for this curse)

Here is the recap:


Sioux Falls, South Dakota


We got off the airplane and walked to the baggage claim surrounded by men in camouflage and saw this:

It did not take us long to learn that it was the opening day of pheasant hunting. And, obviously, it is a BIG deal in South Dakota. I had to laugh. I have seen a lot of signs in airports, but nothing like this.

The first night we had dinner at the home of Chief of Staff with many doctors and their spouses. It was delicious food, we met lots of really down-to-earth, friendly people. It was probably my favorite dinner of the trip; very classy, yet casual and in a very social atmosphere where we could move around and talk to everyone. The next day was interview day, I met with lots of people and toured the womens' center. It was just remodeled and very, very beautiful. It would be a great place for me to work, and with a requirement of only 18 shifts a year, who wouldn't do it? Oh, and Ben's job? Yes, it would be fantastic here as well. They just finished the "Castle of Care" children's hospital. Great staff, great partner, great benefits. I also went to lunch with Ben's potential partners wife, Dawn. What a wonderful lady! She told me and showed me all the great things that Sioux Falls has to offer. She took me to the Sioux falls and it was just beautiful!

It was a cold day (yes, the weather of Sioux Falls still makes me nervous, but at least it was sunny!) That night we went to dinner with potential partner and family at a delicious local restaurant. They were great company for the evening. And I had coconut chicken salad--so, so yummy! The next day we went on a real estate tour and saw some great houses, we found several that we liked. Then we went to lunch with some friends of our friends and they also took us on a tour and showed us their favorite things of Sioux Falls. We went to the movie Amelia that night. I think the first movie we have gone to in the theature since we had Bridger. The next morning we met several of the hunters with coolers full of freshly killed pheasant and 14 hours later were in our hotel room in:

Spokane, Washington.

The morning started with Ben giving a grand rounds lecture. I went for moral support and to meet other doctors there. He did a great job on the lecture, I then drove around Spokane for a few hours in the pouring rain to see some houses that I had looked up on-line and surprisingly knew Spokane really, really well. I never got lost and went without a map. We had lunch with the office staff and potential partner here. It was really informative and they were really friendly people. That afternoon I went shopping and took some pictures of the falls and Riverfront Park.

That night we went to dinner at an old flour mill in a restaurant called the Clinkerdagger. It overlooked these falls and the city. I had a wonderful steak... I left wondering why I had ever spent time in my life being a vegetarian. This potential partner is so nice and too would be a great guy to work with. It was a good night. The next day we went on a real estate tour and saw lots of great houses and saw so many amazing views. (the rain had stopped) We felt like we were at a high mountain resort. It amazed me how many pine trees there were and the mountains and beautiful trees. This would be the most scenic place to live and we would love it here too. That night we met with another doctor, his wife, and some friends and they told us about all the great things about Spokane including that in the summer he water skis 5 times a week. (Ok, that may have just sold me on Spokane :)) I was trying to be a little more daring at this dinner and ordered Rosemary gnocchi with oxtail rague. This was my least favorite food of the trip. I guess that's why I usually stick to chicken, steak or salmon. They are safe, I know that I like them. The next morning we flew to :

Boise, Idaho

on this plane. Ben's dream for whatever reason is to fly on a plane like this. He was very excited. It kind of made me nervous, especially after just watching Amelia.

Boise was great. We went on a real estate tour and saw several houses that would be awesome. For good or bad, the real estate here has taken more of a hit, so it is definitely a buyer's market. We met up with our dearly missed friends, the Hills, that night and it was just so relaxing to play with their little people and eat at home. This was my favorite night of the trip. True good friends to relax with share stories. The next day, yep. More interviews. I met with all the women's service people here, they were all so very, very nice and I have used the computer charting program before. We had lunch with an ICU doctor and his wife and they told us all the cool things about Boise and why it is a great place. In the afternoon, we went for a walk around the green belt the is along Boise River. We realized that every where we have chosen has water running through its downtown.

That night, guess what? Yes, we went to dinner at Berryhill and I had the most delicious salmon with jasmine rice and grilled veggies. Delicious. And we met with two other doctors and their wives and they too told us the great things about Boise. They are all outdoorsy people and Ben would love to go fly fishing and biking with them.

The next day we were ready to go home to our kiddoes. It had been a whirlwind of a trip. Like I said, we met the nicest people everywhere we went. It was great to see each place and so now you may be asking, "So where are you going?" Ahh, yeah,,,well, we don't know. We are still debating and weighing all the pros and cons of each place. The good thing is that they are all wonderful places that all have more pros than cons. We will let you know.

How did the kiddoes do with Aunt Val? They did well, I think, here is her side of the story:

val's blog post