Do you want the good first? Or the Bad news first?

Here's the BEST news first... THERE IS NO BAD NEWS!

Kevin talked to Altu today. He has accepted a position in Crookston at their Out Patient Clinic there. Here's more good news... Since driving to that clinic is considered OUTREACH care, Kevin gets a 10,000 sign on bonus! WOO HOO!! Most of the outreach care that Altu does is in Nursing homes, and most outreach PT's drive up to 60 miles a day to small towns... but this position in Crookston, MN means Kevin will stay in the clinic all day. Crookston is only 25 miles away and it is really outpatient care in a clinic (where he'll be the only PT) but since its 25 miles away its considered outreach... sweet. I think they are excited to have Kevin because he graduated in the first DOCTOR of PT class to come out of UND.

The only small downside is that they need him to start Feb. 6th, only giving us a month to finish up our business here in DL and find a place to live.

We're thinking we'll keep the apt. in DL until March, that way we'll have more time to pack and move our stuff out, and I can continue working here for a longer time so Pete can find a replacement for me, and i can find a better job in Grand Forks. That sign on bonus makes that possible.

You know what else this sign on bonus gets us?!! STUDIO LIGHTING!!! FOR ME! and a BIG SCREEN TV for Kevin.

Now I know what you're all thinking... that money could be used for a down payment on a house... well we decided that when we buy a house, its gonna be the EXACT one that we want.

in respose to KSoFM's comment on my last post. I LOVED that house, and it was only 105K but keep in mind, that here in ND, we don't make as much as you big city folk do on the East Coast.
Kevin and I pay $500 in student loans a month alone. The morgage payment alone wouldn't be bad at $900/month, we could do that. However, we have to pay Flood Insurance (the house is VERY close to the Red River Flood Plain) and, if you don't know your history about GF and flooding, just google Grand Forks Flood 1997. Then there is Morgage Insurance (law), heat (close to $250/month) CLosing costs of close to $8,000. Garbage, water, lawn care, Minor repairs to the old house, new carpet, phone, cable, plus we want to have a kid this year (yup) so.... although the house was cute and i loved the charm and space.... I don't want to jump into something we're not really financially ready for. We could pull it off, its just that we'd have to cut our spending habits A LOT. Besides if we have this big house, and nothing to put in it...

ANYWAY!! Thats our news. YAY! I'm gonna miss my job A LOT, but this is a move that is better for both of us in the long run. Did I mention I get my lights!

The rest of the sign on bonus will go to payments on our next rental house, our Credit Card will be at zero balance before the bonus even comes so we dont' have to worry about CC debt anyway, so the rest will prolly go into savings.

Our trip to Las Vegas has been cancelled :( My parents can't go and that was kind of the whole purpose of the trip. We're thinking of all going to Winnipeg for a long weekend sometime soon. We'll take in the Museums, a Dinner theatre, the historic places, the Omnitheatre, and all that good stuff. How far is Toronto? WRDPLR you want a visitor?!

Another good note: SCRUBS IS BACK!! We were treated to TWO new episodes tonight. I LOVE SCRUBS!!

In Kevin's words "we're having the BEST WEEK EVER!!"