Some movement on the job front!

This week I have had two very positive phone conversations with nice people at a hospital in Mt. Vernon, Washington (about an hour north of Seattle).  I found out that my resume was sent there by the school I visited last month, and the hospital is very ready to move forward with their medical education program.  So far, I like everything I hear about the place and their plans for the future.  It could be *perfect* for me. They don't quite have "my" job ready, but they will by January 1st.  My next step is to submit a formal job application so that I can be invited up to interview.

Meanwhile, on the same day that I had my first phone call, Kit had a discussion with his boss about the chances of being transferred to Seattle.  Strangely enough, the Seattle NOAA office is relatively short-staffed these days because lots of employees are working full-time on the oil spill.  So they might really need him to transfer there.  And their timeline would likely be January 1st.

I think we might be moving north in December.  :-)  Don't want to count my chickens, but these are just about the most positive bits of news I've had in over two years.

Our adoption attorney passed away

Our attorney in Guatemala, Roberto Echeverria, was killed in a car accident in Guatemala City a few days ago.  He conducted ethical adoptions, and advocated for the needs of Guatemala's children.  Because I speak Spanish and spent extra time in Guatemala, I got to know him and his staff more than most adoptive parents did.  I am very sad that Gabriel will never be able to shake his hand.

http://betheanswerforchildren.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/the-loss-of-a-friend-roberto-echeverria/

Probably not Portland

Kit found out this week that he didn't get the position he had applied for in Portland.  We are disappointed because we really want to know where our future lies!  But, we are already shifting our thinking to the greater Seattle area.   When I met with the Associate Dean a couple weeks ago, he thought there was a quicker possibility of creating a job for me in that area anyway.  I'll call him after he gets back from vacation next week and let him know that we are open to other locations.  I'm hoping that will nudge the process forward.

I like Washington State

The result of my interview is......more waiting.  It was definitely worth going, and I feel like I made a good impression.  Now they have to create a position for me!  I did get some assurance that they will be creating these positions (medical education directors at clinical training sites), and that they consider me qualified.  The other important part is location.  They will have needs in 3 towns that would work for us with Kit's job.  Two are near Seattle, and one is near Portland.

I flew into Seattle and drove over the Cascade mountains on the way to Yakima, which is a beautiful drive.  Coming back,  the Associate Dean recommended I take the road through Mt. Rainier National Park.  It had just opened for the summer, and was fabulous!  Here are some pics: