The Hazard Chronicles

Every once in a while we experience big, life changing events that mark a significant change in our lives. I have had several of these events that have moulded me into who I am today.

The first truly life-changing day of my life was probably the day I got on an airplane headed for Brazil to serve a two-year mission for my church. It was scary and I didn't really know what to expect. I was going into something that was totally new for me. Today I look back on those two years as the time that, more than any other, shaped the person who I am. Brazil is where I learned how to be a grown up. It is where I learned the importance of relationships, how to form them, and how to keep them. It is where I learned how to be confident in myself as well as how to trust in others. It is where I learned how to set goals and how to make them come to fruition. And of course, it is where I truly learned the importance of God in my life and where I made the decision to give Him a very active role in everything else that I do. It was life-changing.

The next big change, I would have to say, came when I met Rachel. We met in a dance class and soon started dating. Rachel was the best friend I ever had. I think that after just a few dates she probably knew and understood me better than others who had been a part of my life for a much longer time. At the same time, I felt like I knew and understood her better than anyone else I had ever met. Our relationship was "synergistic" in that our differences seemed to make each of us better. We always knew that we loved spending time together and that a lot of our interests coincided, but as time progressed it became clear to both of us that we, in a very real way, completed one another as well. And that we loved one another very, very deeply. And so we got married. That was one of the best days of my life.

I would say that my acceptance into dental school marked one of these life-changing days as well. I had applied to several schools and each one of them had invited me to an interview. I was confident that I could get into any of these schools that I wanted, but I was about to put that confidence on the line when we both had the strong impression that Case Western, here in Cleveland, was where we were "supposed" to go. I clearly remember the afternoon that I systematically went through the list of schools and called them saying that I would not be interviewing. I had a clear vision in my head of me, standing in the middle of a circle, with several pathways extending out from it. With every phone call I made, a stone barrier blocked off one of these pathways until there was only one remaining. Case. This is the path we felt we should follow. The only thing is that we had yet to be accepted. And so it was with a little bit of nervousness that I opened the letter that I received from Case on December 1, 2006. Of course that letter held the happy news that I was "in" and that I would one day achieve my goal of being a dentist.

Of course the births of each of my three wonderful children have marked life-changing events for me. As I look back I realize how much my life, up until that point, centered around me. Of course Rachel was there too, but we were so much alike that it seemed the same. When we wanted to go rock climbing, we did. When we didn't want to wake up early, we slept in. When we decided to go on vacation we got in the car and left, sometimes for weeks at a time. Life was spontaneous and fun, but in retrospect, it was also a little empty. Evelyn, Adalie, and Jackson have each taught me the amazing joy that can be found in giving your life totally to someone else. Sure it means that we can't do some of the same things we used to, but it is so totally worth it. The other night I was laying on the couch and Evelyn came and put her arms around me and told me she loved me. That in itself is worth all the sacrifice in the world. I have tried before to explain on this blog, but I just don't think that words can do justice to the amazing feeling of happiness that comes from being responsible for another person's well-being. It is truly life-changing.

So you are probably wondering why I am writing all of this touchy-feely stuff. Well, this week we had another one of those life-changing moments. I got my first real job. Here is the story.

Over the course of the last few years Rachel and I have had countless discussions about where we wanted to live. Whether it be Colorado vs. California or Idaho vs. Oregon, we have spend hours and hours comparing different places. And then one day, about 8 months ago, it hit us both at the same time. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The thought that we had was closer to a prompting than and idea, and since then we have had several strong impressions that this is where we were "supposed" to live. So the decision was made. The Hazard Family would be from Coeur d'Alene.

For the past 8 months I have been doing everything I can to network and get my name out to potential employers in this area. There were two major problems to this: First of all, I am currently living on the other side of the country. Second, my target area is small and a little bit saturated with dentists. I started out by sending hundreds (literally) of unsolicited letters and emails to anyone I could find in the area who might be able to give me a lead on a possible job. Obviously, most of these turned out to be dead ends. But a few people actually responded and said that I might try talking with so-and-so. Now that I had a reference, I could call so-and-so and say that I was referred to them by a colleague. This was obviously much better than just blindly sending off letters. And so the process continued. But although I was able to build an impressive contact list from these efforts, I still had very little in terms of possible places of employment.

The whole time we were doing this I was watching graduation arrive ever quicker. I was one of the few people left in my class who still didn't have plans for work, and I was starting to get a little nervous. After all, in 6 months I needed to start making payment on my student loans (which are substantial). Finally, through a lot of correspondence with a lot of people, I was able to plan a trip to the area to interview for three different jobs. One of these jobs was "perfect." The other two were just jobs that would allow me to get into the area (and pay my bills). If we didn't see any results from these interviews then we were going to go to "plan B" and begin looking in other places.

Well, this week we found out the results of these interviews. All three jobs extended offers for me to come and work. We talked about it, prayed about it, and in the end decided to take the "perfect" job. It is actually just across the Idaho/Washington boarder and will be a short 15-20 minute commute from our dream home (that we are still looking for) in Idaho. The hours are great, the dentistry is EXACTLY what I wanted, the location is perfect, and the pay will allow us to live comfortably. I could seriously not ask for anything else. This is life-changing. I have a sense that we are finally settling down. We are looking to buy a home that we will live in indefinitely. We are going to say "The Hazards are from Coeur d'Alene." It happened. After a lot of sincere prayers and hard work it really happened. We are so blessed. Here is a video I put together of the area. I don't know any of the people in this video, but they look happy!

Other things also happened this week. Actually, it was a rather eventful week. The job thing just sort of seemed to overshadow everything else. Here are some other pictures:

We went to a play-gym where the kids had a great time.