Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Washington D.C. Here We Come!!!


You all probably know that Scott applied to medical school this year, he had 4 interviews and got into 3 schools. (His last interview at University of Washington didn't go well, we weren't surprised when he got a rejection letter in the mail...among many of the ridiculous questions they asked him was the question: "Who was the Time Magazine person of the year 2007?", Scott had no idea that it was Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia...(I mean...everyone should know that right??? NOT!!!) Then they asked him who he would nominate since he didn't know who it was, Scott said that he would nominate President Gordon B. Hinckley...I don't think the committee was too impressed with his answer...but I was proud of him for giving that answer!!!!) Anyway, that was a long story... back to my original thought...Scott has been debating between two medical schools, Des Moines University in Iowa and George Washington University in D.C. He completely LOVED Des Moines, he had a great interview there and was very impressed with all the facilities and he knows quite a few guys from BYU-Idaho who are already there. Des Moines would have been within our comfort zone and the cost of living is very similar to Idaho, which means cheap. On the other hand we have George Washington in D.C.!!! Scott's interview went alright there...the facilities were good, the medical students seem to really love it there. But, we don't know anyone there...everything is expensive...BUT because there are so many people in the D.C. area and surrounding areas he could possibly do his rotations there and not have to move, the possibilities of a good residency are also awesome at GW. The last couple of months, I have seen Scott completely torn between the two schools. We both have sat down several times to see the good and the bad in each school and we finally made a decision and we are ready for D.C. It just feels right! I was totally sold on D.C. from the beginning, an opportunity like this will never come again, to live in the nation's capital!!! We are definitely going to be out of our comfort zone, especially Scott, who has never lived in a big city...but we are both so excited for a change!!! I was telling Scott that when we are out of our comfort zone we grow. Plus, I'm really looking forward to diversity and all the fun stuff in D.C. And I think Scott will receive good training at GW. We are happy and excited about our decision! And you can come visit us anytime! There is so much to do there! :) Orientation starts sometime in August, I finish teaching here on July 18th, so we will be moving sometime after that. We have a few contacts there that we are hoping will give us some direction on where to live, etc. I'm so grateful for the Church because we are never alone, most any where we go we can find support in the members there...AND my family might be moving there too...my mom, sister and brother. My brother wants to get into a graduate program and my mom and sister just want to be close to us!!!...anyway, this is our final decision. If any of you know anyone in D.C. area let us know, we would love to talk to them.


A few interesting facts about GW School of Medicine:

  • GWU is 4 blocks from the White House.
  • Many politicians, including VP Dick Cheney come to GW for routine & emergency procedures.
  • The university's colors are buff and blue. The colors were taken from George Washington's uniform in the Revolutionary War.
  • GW School of Medicine was the 11th medical school in the nation.
  • Tuition is $44, 555
  • Students of the George Washington University have their Commencement on the National Mall or the Ellipse every year.

25 comments:

Justin and Stacey said...

Oh man Congratulations! That is so exciting! I was silently rooting for D.C. the whole time because that way you will be closer to us. Maybe you can stay a few days in Cleveland on your way out to D.C.? Or we could always come and visit you there too! We would love to see D.C. Either way D.C. is a lot closer than Rexburg :) I sure miss you guys a lot. Everyday I tell Stacey, "I miss Scott and Denisse." It is just not the same without you guys. I took for granted being able to walk across the parking lot if I wanted to talk to you.

Congratulations again Scott, you will be an amazing doctor. I would definitely trust you to cure my post-mission problems (you know what I mean!) Anyways, that is awesome news and thanks for sharing with us! I sure love you guys a lot!

Justin

The Heaton's said...

congratulations you guys! you will LOVE washington DC. there is so much history there. I visited it several years ago and love it & didn't want to go home. the museums are so fun to go to, and there so easy to loose track of time in. i loved all the smithsonians and the holoaoust museum. it is my dream to be in politics in DC! you guys will have a total blast, i am proud of you guys! don't be nervous, change is good. And the gospel is there too, and it's the same everywhere (that really helped us make the transition to Vegas a lot easier)!

Jason and Kelsey said...

oooh that sounds so exciting! but if you guys change your mind, my mom is actually from des moines, and her dad was an ob gyn there for YEARs until he moved down to MO where he practices now...anyways...if you guys change your minds, he might have a way of getting him some local residencies...

adrienne said...

I'm so excited and happy for you guys! I love change, so I think the bigger the better sometimes! What a great experience. Good luck!

Adrienne & Scott said...

How exciting! You won't regret your decision one bit once you move. You guys sound exactly like me and my Scott when deciding which med school to go to too. It was between Des Moines & Chicago. I have had so much fun being in a big city. So much to do. I love the diversity. Plus friends and family will be more willing to visit DC compared to Des Moines! You'll have so much fun learning and exploring! Congrats & good luck!

Jensen said...

Kara's Aunt and Uncle live just outside of DC if you want to talk to them we could give you contact info. He works at the Pentagon and they have lived there for 15 years or so. I am sure that they could give you some inside info about good places to live. They are coming out here around the end of March if you wanted to meet them and actually talk. Anyway let us know and congrats on finally deciding where you want to go, we are excited for you.

Justin and Stacey said...

Wow! That is so awesome! I am glad that Heavenly Father pointed you somewhere closer to us!! :) You will truly enjoy it there. We never in a million years thought we would live in Cleveland, OH and we love it! It has been such an adventure and really took us out of our comfort zone. I agree that when there is change, you grow. What a neat experience for your family. Congratulations Scott!! You are amazing! We love you guys!

Sherwoods said...

Congrats! You're joining us easterners! I would love to live in DC. How fun! I have family just outside of DC and mine, stacey's and stephanie's old roommate Mindy is serving a mission in DC right now. Her blog is linked on my blog. Congrats again.

Jen Evans said...

I am from Northern Virginia which is practically DC! And my sister lives a few blocks from the capital right now and loves it. I love DC and I wish we could move back there, but it is so very expensive to live there. Goods and bads, I guess. But congratulations!!

brittanyandtravis said...

Congratulations! That will be so fun for you guys! I loved D.C when I was there a few years ago. I also am glad the church is the same everywhere. I have loved our wards since we have been in the Army. You know, the Army needs some good doctors, you should look into applying.

Jeff and Andrea Neitzel said...

That is awesome!!! Congradulations!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!!! We are so happy and proud of you. Do I sound like your mom??? My sister-in-laws sister lived in DC about 2 years ago. If you need more info, let us know and I can get you her phone number, etc. Again, Congratulations!!!! Bob & Denise Heaton (Mom #3)!!!!!

Matt, Stephanie and Hayden Berglind said...

Congrats you guys!! How exciting to be starting such an adventure. Good luck!!

The Woods said...

Congrats guys! We sure are going to miss seeing you at all the Wood family outings.

Monette and Mark said...

Congratulations on making such a huge decision. Wow!! I've never lived in a big city before. That would be a bit overwhelming. Good luck with everything. Change can be so exciting. Will you try to find a job there?

Brenda said...

So excited to hear your family will be moving east! CONGRATS! It is fabulous out here - I love it! I think you will only be about 4 hrs from NYC if you feel inclined to come visit...! Also, my dad's brother+fam have lived in DC for, oh probably 25+ years and know all there is to know about it - so if you want contact info send me an email!

Amy said...

Congratulations! That is an awesome achievement! You will make a wonderful doctor Scott! I have never been to DC, so maybe we would come visit you (I know that is hard to believe since you're only 4 hours away and it has been years since I have seen you). But it COULD happen. Jon lived in Virginia when he was younger, and would love to show me stuff in DC. It would be really fun to see you guys... hopefully before DC!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! What a fabulous opportunity for school and for all the exciting places and things to do there. Big cities can be overwhelming but the friends you make through the church and your area ease the transition. Plus all the touristy things you can do there!! WOW!! We wish you the best.

Jessica said...

i am so thrilled for you guys! what an exciting and awesome change coming. i know you'll be a great doctor scott! i would love to come out there and see all the sights with you denisse. we'll have to come visit you in rexburg before you move.

Samye said...

Yeah for you guys!! Check out my blog, my cousins live there both Ben and Emily Gold, and Lake and Elysa Dishman. They are both super nice and friendly, contact them and they can give you some GREAT info!!!!

Sar said...

Wow! This is big news! I guess I should have checked your blog sooner, or at least talked to you! I'm so happy for you guys! I think this will be a really fun adventure for your family. And I totally want to visit when you're there. Especially if we end up somewhere in the east for school! I'm so excited for you. . . and can't wait to talk to you about it!

Dave and Hejdi Swan said...

Oh we are SO excited for you guys!! What an awesome opportunity for your family!!! We are going to have to come see you guys before the big move for sure. :)

Jan said...

Wow...what an amazing experience you will have. Todd and I grew so close as a couple when we moved away and relied only on each other and the Lord. It was soooo good for us. And to be in such a cool and historical place. You better eat every minute of it up! Congrats...we are so happy for you...those decisions can be so tough, but it sounds like you are doing the right thing.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Scott!! That is so exciting! Welcome to the mission field. Your ward will really feel like your family out here. Although the church might be larger in the D.C. area. Oh, and you'll have the most BEAUTIFUL temple in the whole world! That is my absolute favorite temple. Max and I will definitely HAVE to visit. It's about 7 hours from us... not that bad of a drive! You'll have to drive up to see Niagara Falls with the kiddos anyway. So, if you can't tell, I'm pretty excited to have friends on this half of the country!

TerriLyn said...

Congratulations!! We are so happy to hear the wonderful news. What an awesome opportunity. We miss you guys too and hope we'll be able to pow wow during holidays and things if you come back west. Love ya! David and TerriLyn