Big Dalton Family Announcement

Well, 2013 is going to be a very, very big year for the Dalton family.  Of course, we will be welcoming a beautiful new baby girl in January.  But now there is going to be so much more.  After months of praying, we feel that this is where we are being lead....

So here it is.

Our family is moving to Joplin, Missouri in May 2013.

And as I type those words my eyes fill with tears.  Such a bittersweet change for all of us.  I love Kansas City.  I mean, I really, really love Kansas City.  This place has been such a blessing to us and our growing family.  I love that we can spend our mornings at the zoo, Deanna Rose, Wonderscope, Crown Center, the many parks and trails, and the list goes on and on.  There is never a day where there isn't something that we can do, explore, and experience.  Our church that we have called home for over 8 years has been such a huge blessing, not just for our spiritual growth, but with the many, many friends that we have made as well.  Then there is this wonderful job that I just absolutely love at a hospital where I have grown so much over the last few years as a physician and a person.

So, why, you may ask, are we leaving?  Very simply, for the many opportunities.

The opportunity for me to be at home for dinner and bedtime every night with our family.  The opportunity to work very few weekends.  The opportunity for Josh to grow in his career as a football coach.  The opportunity to pay off my massive student loan debt.  (Seriously, if I told you the number it would stun you.  It is suffocating and a major burden right now, and we desperately need to get out of it rather than continue to pay on it for the next 30 years.)  The opportunity to take vacations, fulfill our dream of buying a lake home, and to be financially free.  Most importantly, it allows us the opportunity to be close to our family, who is so important to us.

When May 2013 comes, I will work my last day at Children's Mercy Hospital.  Josh and I will pack our home, the first house that we ever bought, and the place that we brought our first children home to, and move almost 3 hours south to Joplin.  In June I will start work as a general pediatrician (yes, with an office and everything) at Freeman Hospital.  (And in case you are wondering, there were actually 2 hospitals in Joplin before the tornado, and this is the one that was left standing, where I did my third and fourth years of medical school training.)  So if you or anyone you know is looking for a pediatrician in the Joplin area, I would love to see you next summer.  And for all of our KC friends, there is still plenty of time for playdates and BBQs!  And who knows, maybe we will wander back this way someday....