Lots has been going on in the job realm these past several months. Dave has been applying nonstop for jobs. He didn’t get the New Mexico job, which was kind of a bummer. Mike, the recruiter sat in on interviews and said he had it in the bag, but they ended up going with no one, so not meant to be I guess. And based on how stringent and stressful interviews were, the politic there, and their past history, it’s probably a blessing! For a while it was like crickets and frustrating because Dave wasn’t hearing anything about these jobs he was applying for. He got to do the American College of Healthcare Executives conference online, and that was super good and reassuring. But they did say it was the worst job market in about 50 years because lots of new schools offering health administration are popping up and there aren’t enough jobs to go around. But his old boss, Vern, has been amazing and calling lots and encouraging, as well as past board members, coworkers, and colleagues. So that’s encouraging! In March, he started getting lots of calls, and he’d start having quite a few interviews in a week or sometimes a couple in one day. At this level, you have probably 4 or 5 interviews online before going in person.
He was able to have several interviews for a new hospital
opening up in Saratoga, WY, not to far from where we used to live. That went
well and he still has lots of contacts down there, so that helps. He went and interviewed in person. He stayed at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort,
which was fun, wish I could’ve gone that week!
But I have been there so it wasn’t a big deal. The interviews went well,
they weren’t super intense. The town is
nice and pretty, and close to lots of outdoor things to do, including the
Platte River, the Snowy mountains, the hot springs, a lake, and more. But he was a little turned off by all of the
houses that didn’t upkeep them well, though.
We’ve reached out to a few friends we know who live there and they
really like it and say they love the schools. He got an offer, and it was a lot
lower than he’d been wanting and the benefits weren’t as great, but they
negotiated and got it to where he felt was good. Funny, small world because Dave’s attorney he
worked with called him and let him know she ran into Karl, the Health
Management Company director out of Billings hiring for this and for some reason
they started talking and got onto the subject of Dave and were surprised the
other knew him and both said how they were impressed by him and really liked
him. The board in Saratoga was excited to have the prospect of Dave directing
the nursing home and building and managing the new hospital. He has many connections down there still so
he has been talking to them, needless to say they would love to have him. We
had to turn down that job offer, which Dave was sad about but we didn’t feel as
good about that opportunity as some of the others.
Then we headed to Kemmerer, WY a week and a half later to
interview in person there. The town
wasn’t the prettiest, but it was pretty nice and had some amazing schools, some
fun family things to do there, and the Church presence there is strong. We
would like this one a lot as it is close to family (less than 2 hours, 40
minutes from Amy) and conveniences in Utah, as well as Bear Lake. The communication wasn’t great (they were
scrambling to get a hotel as we were heading down there as it was graduation
weekend and didn’t have much open, haha!), but the interviews all went really
well. So we will see. We drove around a
lot, checking things out, driving through neighborhoods, walked along their
main street area, went shopping at a few little shops, got our Artic Circle fix
and went to an amazing Mexican restaurant. It was nice to get some quiet time
together. Mark and Mayela came to stay
with the kids, they offered and it was so sweet of them. The kids were stoked!
We went to Tulalip, WA for an interview there for a director
of Health and Dental Services job, and just extended our family vacation a bit
more. That would be a neat experience,
and everything went really well! That
job would be for the Tribal health and dental services director. It was a nice
area and the people seemed great! So we will see.
We were blessed with not just one job offer but several. Grateful that the Lord answers our prayers in His time and way. It is nice but also makes it hard as well to decide too. Now it’s time to have faith and trust in the Lord that He will show us where He needs us. And we will go. We went back and forth so much between Kemmerer and the Washington job. They are total opposites basically and we put together so many lists, weighing our options, and they were pretty equal in pay and benefits. As we all fasted and prayed about it, we felt like either option would be good for our family, it depended on what we wanted. We all felt that way. This was hard, as I like that cut and dry revelation, but we all felt He was leaving things up to us and either place we could go forth and serve. We all stalled, but felt in the end, Kemmerer was it. He will be working for South Lincoln Medical Center. The kids were cheering “Kem-er-er!” Will be great to get back closer to family for sure! They have great schools there, its safe, a big Church presence, lots for the kids to do (for a small town), and we’ve heard great people. As we have been studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year, the people had to move around a lot. As we have, we have been grateful to not feel alone. Moving around hasn’t been easy for our family. But just as the Lord said go and they did, we can too. When Dave first knew he would have a career shift and we’d have to move, I felt like we were dust in the wind. But now as I have reflected on it, I feel like we are seeds in the wind, getting blown where the Lord needs us to grow where we are planted and help those around us. One night i was really struggling about the whole move and overwhelmed by everything and not sure if we made the right choice, but the Lord said as I prayed more than once, "I need you there!" So here we go! We're headed down south! “Go ye to the Kemmerer“!
