We successfully moved out of Dan's parent's house and into the most charming apartment in Bluffdale. We really do love this apartment. It's large and spacious and very quiet. We have great views of the mountains and feel far away from the hustle and bustle of "the city." We also live about 5 minutes from IKEA which is amazing. I still think they should sell monthly passes to their cafeteria...but I probably already mentioned that. We were very grateful for our parents for helping us move to the 3rd floor. Next time we hope we can figure out the secret of getting a ward or other people not in their 50's and 60's to help us move!
As I mentioned before, Dan is taking prerequisites for nursing school and now he is taking prerequisites for PA school. He was taking 3 insanely hard classes that all required an equally hard lab. He also had the pressure of getting amazing grades so he can be competitive for all these competitive medical programs. It didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't going to get amazing grades in all 3 classes so he made the decision to drop one of his classes so he can focus on the other two. I think it was a very smart decision for him to make but it will also throw our plans off by a year or two. It wasn't an easy decision to make but I know he is a lot happier now and that's all that matters!
So PA school...yeah. Dan wanted nothing to do with PA school about 6 months ago. When he decided to go into nursing school it was to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner so he could still be in the world of psychology without having to settle for all the downsides of working in the world of psychology. He had family members suggest PA school but after looking at the program and how competitive it would be, he opted for nursing school for many reasons that would take too long to write about.
With the current plan, it would take him around 10 years to become a nurse practitioner because it is now a PhD program and he will need a few years of work experience in between becoming a nurse and a nurse practitioner. He has really let go of his attachment to psychology as he's dived more into healthcare. Now he is more interested in healthcare jobs than in wearing both hats of a healthcare professional and counselor. All of a sudden our original 4 year plan turned into an 8-10 year plan and it just didn't seem worthwhile anymore.
He reconsidered becoming a PA because it will be all over and done in 5 years. He will finish prerequisites this year, apply next year, and then spend 2 years in school and one year in a paid internship. It seems like an eternity for me but that's probably because I've already been through this process of higher education once and it was kind of nightmarish. If only I had picked a master's program from an economics perspective....yeah that's another post for another time.
Anyway, 5 years is less than 8 years and way less than 10 years and in the end he'll work in a different capacity, but still work in healthcare which is very appealing to him. He'll make about the same as a nurse practitioner which is also appealing. The only thing that is NOT appealing is how competitive the programs are. Now it's a really good thing he can focus more on school! It will also be nice for him to start working because when this little baby gets here I'm pretty sure my ridiculous schedule will have to change.
What I'm about to say will probably make half of my family mad/sad and the other half happy. Since he is not a candidate for University of Utah's PA school (they require 3 years work experience) he is not applying for school in Utah. It is inevitable that we will move out of state in 2 years. Idaho State University does have a program that he is eligible for. I think he's a candidate for that program even though it is still highly competitive. If we stay in Utah next year while he applies, it means he would not qualify for in-state tuition if he gets accepted. If we take a leap of hope that he does get accepted and move to Idaho next year, he will get in-state tuition if he's accepted. We're talking about the difference of about 10K/per semester here so there's a HUGE draw to move to Idaho for a year while he applies in the hopes he can get accepted. It's not a guarantee but it's a very appealing prospect.
It's no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with Utah. I have loved the people I have met. I love being close to Dan's side of the family. I love having a strong support system here. I am crazy about all my piano students here. I am not crazy about other things here in Utah. It's just more crowded and densely populated than I'm used to. I don't like feeling like there's no escape. I hate having to use the freeway to see friends or go to work. There are other things but mostly it's a stressful place for me to live. Moving to Idaho for a year is very appealing to me because I feel like it would put us in a more affordable living situation and take away so many unnecessary stresses that you deal with in Utah.
It would also be nice to live closer to my family for at least a year. If we end up out of state somewhere like Montana or Arizona, it will be nice to have that one year where I'm close to my siblings and family members. I have lived in Utah for four years and it has been good in many ways but I do miss my home state and it would be nice to go "home" for at least a year before we could potentially be moved to somewhere totally unfamiliar.
Nothing is set in stone but it's just so crazy how our plans have changed so drastically in the last few weeks. When we moved to Bluffdale, it was mainly to be at a good halfway point for Dan's schooling and my teaching job. Now that Dan is in school part time and working part time (soon hopefully!) it kind of seems like moving all this way was a bit of a waste, but I'm trying really hard not to look at it that way. We also thought he would be getting into a nursing school somewhere in Salt Lake County so getting established here would be a great thing. Now we're looking to get established in Idaho and saying goodbye to nursing school. I think I am bad luck. Dan had his whole life figured out and could move everything he owned in his PT cruiser and had only moved twice. Now he needs an army to move and has moved 4 times in less than 2 years and has had his whole life plans change about 4 times in 2 years.
Truthfully this whole situation has been very stressful but I am trying to stay positive and look to the future with excitement. Whatever happens will be bittersweet. I'm already mourning giving up my music studio that I've worked so hard to build, but I'm also looking forward to a quieter, simpler life in Idaho where you really don't have to get on the freeway unless you are going to a different city. I am just glad that I get to go through this stage of life with a good husband. We seem to make it through anything just fine.
On a happy note, we did have a blast at the state fair. I forced Dan to spend $7 to ride this interactive video game thing. It simulated being a fighter pilot and he LOVED it. (I knew he would!)
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| This is where I turned into a bear cub. |
And of course the fair just wouldn't be the fair without fair food. We thought we were getting an order of curly fries but apparently they just fill the whole fry basket up with potatoes for an "order" of curly fries. We also enjoyed cotton candy, nachos, pizza, and an elephant ear.
When we get our apartment a little more put together I will post some pictures.
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