Hello! We had a pretty boring/typical week. Jared had to work a 24-hr shift from Friday into Saturday, and then he slept all day Saturday. These long shifts usually don't bother me too much, but this time was extra rough for some reason. Jack spent most of the morning watching Cars while I sulked. I think there are two explanations for my bad attitude:
(1) Senioritis. Jared starts his last year as a resident today (!!!), and while it's very exciting to have made it this far, we all of a sudden feel very done. Done with long hours, done with weekend and overnight shifts, done with having no say in where we live, done with saving our limited vacation time for interviews, done with being far from family. I'm anxious for Jared to sign for his next job so we can start planning and getting excited for our next move. It will probably be several more months before anything's decided, so in the meantime we'll try testing the waters in Utah Valley. We want to see if we can get a glimpse into the job market there now that Jared's officially in his final year of training. It's an interesting time to be job hunting, what with covid. Many people are hesitant about hiring, but with so many older doctors retiring we know there should be an even bigger need for primary care physicians soon.
(2) Jared started a new rotation today, and this weekend felt like the beginning of several rough months ahead. He'll work for six weeks as the senior resident in the hospital, with more responsibility and a heavier work load than ever before, plus he'll have to work 24-hr shifts every other weekend. I will most definitely be running away to Utah halfway through this shift to get some family time, summer time, reunion time...all the good stuff.
-Playing bocce ball in our very own backyard on our very own grass! It might not be the prettiest grass in the world, but we are so proud of all the work we've done to get it to this point. Last summer Jared built that fence with his own two hands, and this summer he finished seeding and growing the back lawn. We don't have a sprinkler system so it will continue to be a lot of work to keep it watered throughout the summer, but this will be our last summer here, so it's ok. We've learned a lot of lessons from doing our own backyard, like to hire someone else to do it next time. Also, sod. Also, sprinklers. We couldn't have afforded any of that this time around, so at least we got to learn some new skillz.
-Jared gave me a covid trim. He's great at cutting men's hair and he's always insisted that he could cut mine, so I decided to give him a test run. He did pretty good! I mean, not great. But pretty good. I'll go to a hairdresser next time, but for a covid cut I really don't mind it.
-Jack started calling the dog "Savvy" instead of "Ya-ya." This actually breaks my heart. Jared's trying to prolong it by calling her "Ya-ya," but I think it's a losing battle. My lil' Jacky boy is growing up :']
-I'm going to call it a highlight that Natrona County still only has one patient hospitalized for covid symptoms. Total cases are increasing, but I'm glad most people are able to bounce back quickly, especially with Jared starting his hospital rotation this week. We'll continue to wear masks when we're out and about (which isn't often). I'm grateful that we haven't been affected too much by all this so far! I guess if we're going to be forced to stay home, it may as well be during the years when we were already staying home anyway because of Jared's work schedule and Jack's age.
-Jared told me he signed up to work two extra shifts doing healthcare at the jail EVERY WEEK this year on top of his already crazy schedule (not a highlight). When he told me I kinda fell apart. The highlight is that I feel zero guilt about loosening up a tiny bit on spending with the extra money he'll be making doing this. If it weren't for covid I think I could've finagled myself a little Hawaiian vacation out of the whole ordeal. Anyway, this week I ordered a book I've been wanting for a few months now: The Curated Closet Workbook. I'm excited to hone in on my own personal style and donate much of my wardrobe in favor of curating my closet down to the pieces I really love. I have a feeling that will include lots of jumpsuits, t-shirt dresses, and graphic tees for the summer--the easiest things to wear as a full-time mom while still feeling put together. It's an exciting life.
...or if Jack were writing this post, "Double's Tire." That kiddo sure is perceptive. We didn't even tell him we were going to a place called "Devil's Tower" on Saturday. We only told him we were going for a hike and it would be a long car ride. But he must have heard me and Jared talking about it to each other because the whole drive there he kept asking about, "Double's Tire."
On Saturday we visited two places on our Casper Life bucket list: Devil's Tower and Keyhole Reservoir. It was a three-hour drive to get to them, which is actually a "short" drive in terms of attractions that are "near" Casper. We recently realized that we probably only have a handful of summer weekends left to explore this area before we move. Jared will spend most of the rest of his summer working in the hospital (which means an already miserable schedule topped off with several 24-hr weekend shifts), and there's a good chance that our house will be sold and we'll be out of here before the nice weather really hits next year. All that to say, we're making the long drives and seeing the cool things!
America's very first national monument, Devil's Tower was our first stop. We grabbed some Subway sandwiches in Moorcroft on our drive up and picnicked on a Tower trail. The park was packed, but we scored a good parking spot near the trails. We learned a valuable lesson about exploring with a toddler on this trip: Pick ONE trail (or site) that is most important to you, and then do that one first (probably that one only). Jack was rearing to go right out of the car after being stuck in his carseat for so long, but we made the mistake of picking a random side trail and trying to get him to sit still for a picnic lunch first thing. He was annoyed every time we tried to sit down, and he was going at a great pace (faster than us) otherwise. Luckily this was still a very pretty trail with some good views of the tower, because by the time we got to the trail we REALLY wanted to do (a 1.8-mile circle around Devil's Tower) Jack was DONE. Tired, whiny, wanting to be carried, sobbing to go back to the car, done. At least he was still happy enough to yell "hi" every time we passed someone (roughly every 10 seconds). We made it maybe a fourth of a mile in before giving up and leaving. Maybe if we'd remembered to bring Jack's hiking carrier we could have made it around, but we were glad that we'd at least had a voucher to get into the park for free, because we only lasted an hour.
Outside the park, we got some ice cream at the Devil's Tower trading post and enjoyed it in a quiet field with an even better view of the tower than we'd had inside the park. Ice cream is always a good idea. We let Jack run around the field afterward and ended the stop on a happy note. I think we'd maybe come back to see Devil's Tower if we were on our way somewhere else and it wasn't too much of a detour, but I doubt we'll visit it as a main attraction again. Glad we took advantage of living pretty close and went though. It's a cool landmark.
As we tried to load Jack back into the car to head to Keyhole Reservoir, he stuck his head out the window and clung tightly to the rim of the car, resisting our tugs to get him in and yelling "hi!" to everyone nearby in the parking lot, which they all loved. We eventually got him in, only to have to pull him back out 5 minutes later to change a stinky diaper. At least we had a nice scenic view. We had to cover Jack's head because it started raining, and homeboy does not tolerate rain.
I brought Jack's pack and play with hopes that he might take a nap at Keyhole Reservoir and Jared and I could get a quiet hour to ourselves to relax by the lake, but no such luck. I didn't even pull it out because I knew it wouldn't happen with all the excitement of being outside at a new place. We found a little beach by the water and spent an hour or two skipping rocks and loading toy trucks full of pebbles. It was a pretty lake, but maybe not something I'd go out of my way to visit in the future. Maybe it's spectacular to explore by boat. We still had a nice afternoon, and the highlight was when a little dog came to visit us. Jack was elated and kept calling it a "box" (fox). They were the cutest little duo. Jack followed it all up and down the beach, laughing and talking to it, and then up a mountainside (with me running up behind), before we eventually packed back into the car and the fox/dog left to find his "mama and dada and baby" (Jack's words).
All in all, a great weekend adventure, and I'm excited for the next one! This world is full of spectacular places.
We're really trying to make the most of this summer (even with Jared's insane schedule), as it might be our last summer in Casper and Jack recently told us that getting out in nature makes, "Jack tired--Jack happy!" So here are some of the outdoorsy things we did last week. (In Utah--but this weekend we'll be doing some quintessential Wyoming things.)
Ok, that was fun. If you ever have the opportunity to be wined and dined--even if it's in a town where you're pretty sure you wouldn't want to live--take the opportunity! Jared had his resume sent to a hospital in Elko, Nevada a few months ago. We'd never been to Elko, but we figured we should apply anywhere that might offer a good salary within a 4-hour drive of Utah Valley and just see where that took us. As it turns out, Elko is in desperate need of primary care physicians. They offered to fly us to Elko, put us up in a nice hotel, feed us yummy foods, and take us site-seeing for a couple days if Jared would come over for an interview. Pretty nice to be in that position after 7 years of the stressful, competitive, uncertain medical training lyfe.
We decided to go for just two days and a night, since I have never spent a single night away from Jack in his 2 years and I was feeling apprehensive about the whole thing. Jared was able to get a few days off from work. We dropped Jack off with Grandma and Grandpa Haines in Utah, and then the next day me and Jared did a Jackless road trip (astounding!) to Elko. It took about 4 hours and there wasn't much to see other than the Salt Flats. BUT. As you begin to approach Elko you catch snippets of the Ruby Mountains out in the distance. They're big and pretty and green. The Elko locals call them the Swiss Alps of Northern Nevada. Not sure I'd go that far, but they are pretty! I'd say prettier than Casper mountain, and a lot bigger.
Our "excursion" began with lunch up the canyon with a lovely hospital employee named Terri and her husband, Keith. The food (McAdoo's) and company were both 5 stars. The hospital picked the absolute right people to show us around. I feel like Terri and Keith are us in 30 years, but actually lots cooler. Keith rides his horse up the canyon every morning to photograph wildlife and fly his drone over the top of the mountain to discover new lakes and waterfalls. They will probably be our adopted Elko parents/babysitters if we move there. After lunch we drove the rest of the way up Lamoille Canyon, passing waterfall after waterfall the whole way up. We did a 40-minute hike up a scenic horse trail before Jared had to get back to the hospital for his interview.
Jared says his interview went great. He wore a mask through the whole thing, which was a unique experience. While he interviewed and toured the hospital, I went to the hotel they put us up in and got all ready for the interview dinner. It's been a loooong time since I've had something to get dolled up and curl my hair for. Felt nice. We ended up being overdressed at first (the hospital CEO was in jeans) since they were going to take us to a low-key Mexican restaurant. But it ended up being closed for the evening so they took us to a fancier Italian restaurant where we were dressed just right, with Jared in a sports' coat borrowed from my dad and me in a summery dress. We had steak and seafood. 5/5 stars, would recommend being treated to steak and seafood. We love the casual feel of Elko and its residents. Reminds us a lot of Casper.
I know they probably took us to all the very best restaurants in town to try and impress us, but hey, it worked. Mmmm. Our dinner conversation was delightful and informative (they were excited when I pulled out my list of questions for them), and Jared swears that they must have hired paid actors to interrupt our dinner. A locums tenums surgeon and his wife "happened" to come into the restaurant and stop by our table. When told that we were here to look into a physician job, they gushed about how much they love Elko, and how they want to leave Las Vegas to come work here because it's so beautiful. They did a great job making Elko sound amazing. So either that was a very lucky coincidence for the CEO, or they were totally hired to bump into us hahaha. Probably a lucky coincidence, but I thought it was funny when Jared suggested the paid actors theory.
^^Blurry picture in the middle of getting ready. I kept my curls pinned up until we got in the car.
After our dinner, Jared and I went for a sunset drive around the Spring Creek area. Spring Creek is a cute little town next to Elko, up against the Ruby Mountains. It's where we would most likely live if we take the job. The mountain views are stunning, the homes are on land parcels of at least an acre, and they have the cutest marina on a little lake. Totally our scene. In fact, I don't really understand why anyone would live in Elko when Spring Creek is just around the bend. Probably because Elko is closer to the mines, which is the main industry there. It was very nice to be able to drive around, just me and Jared. We headed back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes before conking out, exhausted from a busy day of being wined and dined so hard. I had the realization that kids are wined and dined 100% of the time, and then I promptly became very jealous of kids. That was crazy nice to have every part of my day and meals all planned out by someone else and taken care of.
We woke up early the next morning to make it to breakfast at 7:30 at another cute local place, I think called "Dreez." Terri met us there and we had a nice little conversation over omelettes and pancakes. Delicious omelettes and delicious pancakes, I might add. Good job, Elko. Terri drove us down into Lamoille--the cutest tiny old town past Spring Creek with lots of horses, farms, a quaint river, and quainter downtown area. We stopped at her house on the way and she showed us the magical treehouse she's building for her grandkids. I think we could be really happy living in that quiet, beautiful area.
We finished off our tour d' Elko with a nice long drive with a realtor named Delmo. He drove us all around Elko and the surrounding towns, and took us through probably a good 7-8 homes. Truthfully it was probably too many and we were exhausted by the end of the tour, but it was a helpful experience if we're going to be buying a house there in the next year. Unfortunately Elko is a surprisingly expensive place to live considering how rural it is. But the population is growing steadily and the median household income is pretty high because mining pays well, so the higher cost of living makes sense. It's more expensive than Casper, but less expensive than Utah. My favorite property we saw was a cedar wood house on the most beautiful property (12 acres!) up on a hill. It had great privacy and a wonderful view of the Rubies. Jared would prefer a newer home, and to be honest that would probably be a better idea in case the job ended up being whacky and we needed to resell. I'm getting ahead of myself though. We don't even know what state we'll be living in next year yet.
The drive home was pretty uneventful, but we had some good conversations. I think we both went into the Elko interview not expecting much. We were treating it as more of a backup option, and maybe even just as a good way to get some official interview experience and an offer to help when negotiating salary with other jobs? But after the time we spent there, Elko is a definite contender. Jared thinks the work experience there would be great for his career, and we could definitely be happy in a quiet town near the mountains, with a Walmart and plenty of people. It's a little further from family than is ideal, but otherwise wonderful. Evanston wins for being more accessible to family, but in the end our decision will likely come down to which job offers the best salary and additional benefits. After all, we've got a LOT of med school debt to pay off, and family medicine isn't known for being the wealthiest specialty. As always, I'll keep you updated with what we decide! We don't have any numbers in front of us yet--just tentative job offers and upcoming contracts/term sheets in the works. We might even squeeze in another interview or two in the next few months. It's an exciting time. Hopefully we'll have something pegged down by the end of the summer.
(Sorry there weren't more pictures--they just kept us so busy that I never really had a chance to think to pull my camera out!)
We decided to go for just two days and a night, since I have never spent a single night away from Jack in his 2 years and I was feeling apprehensive about the whole thing. Jared was able to get a few days off from work. We dropped Jack off with Grandma and Grandpa Haines in Utah, and then the next day me and Jared did a Jackless road trip (astounding!) to Elko. It took about 4 hours and there wasn't much to see other than the Salt Flats. BUT. As you begin to approach Elko you catch snippets of the Ruby Mountains out in the distance. They're big and pretty and green. The Elko locals call them the Swiss Alps of Northern Nevada. Not sure I'd go that far, but they are pretty! I'd say prettier than Casper mountain, and a lot bigger.
Jared says his interview went great. He wore a mask through the whole thing, which was a unique experience. While he interviewed and toured the hospital, I went to the hotel they put us up in and got all ready for the interview dinner. It's been a loooong time since I've had something to get dolled up and curl my hair for. Felt nice. We ended up being overdressed at first (the hospital CEO was in jeans) since they were going to take us to a low-key Mexican restaurant. But it ended up being closed for the evening so they took us to a fancier Italian restaurant where we were dressed just right, with Jared in a sports' coat borrowed from my dad and me in a summery dress. We had steak and seafood. 5/5 stars, would recommend being treated to steak and seafood. We love the casual feel of Elko and its residents. Reminds us a lot of Casper.
After our dinner, Jared and I went for a sunset drive around the Spring Creek area. Spring Creek is a cute little town next to Elko, up against the Ruby Mountains. It's where we would most likely live if we take the job. The mountain views are stunning, the homes are on land parcels of at least an acre, and they have the cutest marina on a little lake. Totally our scene. In fact, I don't really understand why anyone would live in Elko when Spring Creek is just around the bend. Probably because Elko is closer to the mines, which is the main industry there. It was very nice to be able to drive around, just me and Jared. We headed back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub for a few minutes before conking out, exhausted from a busy day of being wined and dined so hard. I had the realization that kids are wined and dined 100% of the time, and then I promptly became very jealous of kids. That was crazy nice to have every part of my day and meals all planned out by someone else and taken care of.
We woke up early the next morning to make it to breakfast at 7:30 at another cute local place, I think called "Dreez." Terri met us there and we had a nice little conversation over omelettes and pancakes. Delicious omelettes and delicious pancakes, I might add. Good job, Elko. Terri drove us down into Lamoille--the cutest tiny old town past Spring Creek with lots of horses, farms, a quaint river, and quainter downtown area. We stopped at her house on the way and she showed us the magical treehouse she's building for her grandkids. I think we could be really happy living in that quiet, beautiful area.
We finished off our tour d' Elko with a nice long drive with a realtor named Delmo. He drove us all around Elko and the surrounding towns, and took us through probably a good 7-8 homes. Truthfully it was probably too many and we were exhausted by the end of the tour, but it was a helpful experience if we're going to be buying a house there in the next year. Unfortunately Elko is a surprisingly expensive place to live considering how rural it is. But the population is growing steadily and the median household income is pretty high because mining pays well, so the higher cost of living makes sense. It's more expensive than Casper, but less expensive than Utah. My favorite property we saw was a cedar wood house on the most beautiful property (12 acres!) up on a hill. It had great privacy and a wonderful view of the Rubies. Jared would prefer a newer home, and to be honest that would probably be a better idea in case the job ended up being whacky and we needed to resell. I'm getting ahead of myself though. We don't even know what state we'll be living in next year yet.
The drive home was pretty uneventful, but we had some good conversations. I think we both went into the Elko interview not expecting much. We were treating it as more of a backup option, and maybe even just as a good way to get some official interview experience and an offer to help when negotiating salary with other jobs? But after the time we spent there, Elko is a definite contender. Jared thinks the work experience there would be great for his career, and we could definitely be happy in a quiet town near the mountains, with a Walmart and plenty of people. It's a little further from family than is ideal, but otherwise wonderful. Evanston wins for being more accessible to family, but in the end our decision will likely come down to which job offers the best salary and additional benefits. After all, we've got a LOT of med school debt to pay off, and family medicine isn't known for being the wealthiest specialty. As always, I'll keep you updated with what we decide! We don't have any numbers in front of us yet--just tentative job offers and upcoming contracts/term sheets in the works. We might even squeeze in another interview or two in the next few months. It's an exciting time. Hopefully we'll have something pegged down by the end of the summer.
(Sorry there weren't more pictures--they just kept us so busy that I never really had a chance to think to pull my camera out!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)