Endodontist in paradise?

People ask us all the time where we want to end up after we're finally done with school. We always say, "we're not sure, although we can easily list off the places we don't want to end up."

In Neal's line of work, we can pretty much choose wherever we want to go, but once we go somewhere, we're pretty much married to that place for at least 30 years. It completely depends on what kind of practice Neal decides to pursue and what sort of opportunities present themselves in the fall/winter of 2007/2008. He might open his own practice or go in as an associate with another. He could always buy an already-established practice, or work for a while with an option to buy the practice out.

So, we talk about it; we like Texas, but maybe not this part of Texas, we have a possible opportunity in Connecticut with a friend of ours, another possibility in Merced, CA, we want to live somewhere where there are enough members of the LDS church so that our kids aren't the only ones, we don't love cold weather, but I can't stand the heat, etc., etc.

Well, last night Dr. Horn discovered that Hawaii will now license him without requiring a separate exam. (Some snooty states like California require their own licensure exam, while the one Neal took, the WREB, works in about 15 states.) Since he took his licensure exam after February 2004, his scores are valid over there in paradise. So, in true Neal fashion, he got online and started searching. He showed me public school statistics, median household income amounts, and crime rates. And then he started looking at real estate. Never mind that we aren't done here in Texas until this time in 2008, let's just look at what we might one day be able to afford in the rainbow state.

Here's a lot he found for us on the Big Island, 43 acres, 10 miles from Waimea, with views of Mauna Kea and Maui. It's already fenced forAudrey's horses' grazing pleasure, and, as the listing states, "your closest neighbor is a distant image." Oh, and here's a shot of Oprah's new house on Maui.

I'm thinkin' we could build ourselves a little something like this. It's fun to dream, isn't it? Funny thing is, Neal is completely serious about us moving to Hawaii. He loves all things tropical: fruits, plants, animals, weather. There are so many reasons not to live there, of course:

• we're very white
• so are our kids
• it's in the middle of the ocean
• it's really really really expensive
• I'm not sure the locals would like us, I've heard bad stories
  
• I don't think Hawaii is the most ideal place to raise children
• Would it really still be paradise if you lived there all the time?
• If you live in Hawaii, where do you go on a tropical vacation?
  

But it's Hawaii, I mean, who doesn't love Hawaii? But do I want to live in paradise? Neal keeps asking me to consider it, and to tell you the truth, it's not something I ever even thought was possible. Now I guess we'll be thinking about it. The sensible side of me reminds Neal that we could always retire there!

Surely we'd have lots of visitors, namely my brothers of the surfing disposition, which would be great, obviously. We could eat pineapple, drink smoothies and laze at the beach our whole lives, our freckles would eternally multiply, and Neal could have his own little tropical zoo/nursery heaven.

Anyway, he's working on me, good thing I don't have to decide right now. I'll think about it tomorrow. :)

Oh, and Mom, Hawaii is just as far from you as Connecticut. We could build you and Dad a little bungalow over a hillside from us; you could look right out at Maui.

In other news, the computer dude is coming on Tuesday to have a look. All I can say is, for $90 an hour, he better know what he's doing.