Here's what we have been up to the past three months.
I need to start back with ABQ. Our experience in ABQ had its bright points, but overall we were feeling tired of being on the road. The patients and staff I worked with in the VA were nice people, but I never felt that I connected with the organization. Suffice it to say there seemed to be too much bureaucracy and politics that affected everything. In any case, we were feeling strongly that this might be the last locums job abroad for a while.
Our trip to Colorado was a nice reprieve, which Karen detailed in the previous few posts. We had a safe, uneventful trip home and we were glad to be back. I was lined up to work with Cherokee Health Systems one more time. This time I was in the Seymour, TN office, working directly with my friends from residency, Ken and Betsy Mays and Richelle Schiro. But Karen and I were really tackling the question of what to do next. We were feeling that the time had come to settle into something more permanent.
We prioritized ideas of what we were looking for in a community - walkability, good school system, job, etc. We eventually landed on North Canton, Ohio, where Karen grew up and her sister currently resides. North Canton has an excellent public school system. It is a small enough community that everything is easily accessible without spending much time in the car. It is within easy driving distance of museums, etc. in Canton, Akron, and Cleveland. There is a great airport within 3 miles. There are extended family ties to the area as well.
So I began my new job search at the same time I started my new job in Seymour. We made a trip up to North Canton in May where I interviewed with 2 nearby community health centers. I decided to join Akron Community Health Resources, a small but growing community health center in South Akron. I was most impressed by their management. This job is 12 miles from North Canton - my shortest commute ever. The timing for the new job worked perfectly as they needed me in July shortly after my time with Cherokee would be finished.
As for selling our house, we have had it on the market since early May with only a handful of showings. However, the market slump favored us in our purchase of a new home. We found one pretty easily that was everything we were looking for at a great price AND only 7 doors down from Northwood elementary school! It has a remodeled kitchen, a sunroom, gardens and a level picturesque yard with a playland. We were especially excited by a blueberry bush growing on the property. You can view pictures of our new house at this link.
I finished working at Cherokee in mid-June, and once again had a great experience. Since then I have had some time off which I have mostly spent giving Karen a break from the kids. We have also worked determinedly at getting in some last minute Knoxville and Tennessee experiences before we leave. These have included going up the Sunsphere and World's Fair Park, eating at Tomato Head, and visiting our friend J.D. Dimick's farm, for starters. Most importantly, it has been a time to reconnect with good friends before our departure. The photo album titled "Back in Knoxville" shows some of these most recent adventures. I have captioned some of the photos to provide explanation.
Right now we are in the middle of packing boxes and planning the logistics of our move next week. We will be starting our life in our new house on Wednesday, July 9. My new job begins on July 14.
PS - If you are confused about the 'Couch' reference in the title, check out this travel section from the New York Times.
