I could use advice..and a drink! (Phoenix, Glendale: showing, job)

[MelRN]

OK y'all..I have decided not to go to BHC, BUT i still need help! For those of you who didn't read my other thread..I am an RN looking for a job in Arizona or neighboring states of NV...cities not FAR from Vegas but not IN Nevada...(if you keep reading you'll find out my reasons for this)...
I have been readin some threads on here that are scarey, and some that are nice about the area of Kingman. I've never been there so we'll see next week when I go for an interview at KRMC. I hear it's a small town and it sounds like there isn't any chain restaurants etc there..nor does it sound like they have shopping..like a Target or Wal-Mart even? I don't know..i grew up in a SMALL town in northern Michigan where everyone was excited because Applebee's was coming! So I know how it is..i'm not so sure I want to go back to THAT sort of atmosphere..but then again Kingman's not far from the big cities right?!
MY situation is this, I really think I would prefer to head back to the central states..like TN, North or South Carolina, KY or even AR. I just miss the trees, lakes, thunder storms..(not the snow)..but i miss the smell of the leaves in the fall..that sort of thing...But right now, I really have no choice but to stay out here (Arizona, CA, NV area) for a while longer to save some money. My parents are in a jam and I need to help..
here's what happened in a nut shell...
Me being a single mom, when i first moved out here to Vegas, my parents came out to help me until I found a good day care and got on my feet etc..they were going to spend the winter with me and then go back to Michigan. Well, in Jan. they were in a car accident and totaled their car..now we have only one car..(mine) and my father (bless his heart) at age 70, had to get a job to help pay their house payments back in MI. They are going through a law suit right now, and they can not leave Vegas until my mother has been cleared by her doctors. Which keeps getting put off every month...(she was hurt in the crash and they are suing the guy who hit them while recklessly driving) They merely want my mother's medical bills taken care of..they aren't suing because they are expecting a buttload of cash...(just thought i'd make that clear)...Anyway, they are now facing forclosure on their home in MI and are struggling to pay their bills..I have been helping all that I can, giving them my tax return checks and most of my paychecks..but now with all this crap happening in Vegas with medical care and doctors showing up to work drunk, and some doctors not even having a medical license and still practicing..(one guy was even doing eye surgery on patients and he wasn't even a DOCTOR!) and the whole HEP and HIV thing happening with the out pt surgery centers..needless to say i no longer wish to work in the state of Nevada, ( I am actually embarrassed to say i did in the first place!) and I did not renew my license..I really felt I had no choice because I was actually working with some of the doctors who are being sued for malpractice etc..(not knowing at the time that they were doing wrong or had done wrong before i worked there) and that SCARED me..I did NOT work as hard as I did, and spend all that time away from my children while in nursing school just so some doctor who can barely speak english kills someone on MY watch ya know...but I have to stay around the area and work until I can save some money to help my parents, and at the same time help myself! So THAT is the reason why I am looking in the areas of Kingman, BHC, and even as far as Glendale...I don't think I could afford to make a cross country move right now even if i wanted to..i still have to find a way to get my parents back to MI when they are ready! I just don't know though if I would want to buy a house and raise my children out here..so, I am waiting to see if a great job is offered and maybe I'll fall in love with the place. I know....I am dealing with some major problems right?!hehehe...I just feel so confused because my oldest is approaching his teen years (he'll be in 6th grade next year) and I really didn't want to keep moving him around..I really want nothing more than to find that place to settle! But right now..i HAVE to find work out here..whether I hate it and it turns out to be a temp thing for a year or so, or i fall in love with the area i choose, and the hospital i end up working for, and decide to stay indefinetly...either way..i just want to be in a nice area for my kids! I thank everyone again for their input..and I welcome more!!! I am still sitting here trying to decide what the heck to do! And where the heck to go that I won't be absolutely MISERABLE! Any advice on whether I should stay around the Kingman area or move more toward Phoenix? I need good schools and things for my kids to do as well!

[Prinny]

Wow, you sound like you need someone to listen. I don't think anyone can tell you what the right decision is for you but if you'd like to chat I'll be more than happy to chat w/ you.

Have you gone to Glendale? I think maybe you need to take a look at Kingman and the schools there as well as Glandale and the area as well as the schools. Look at the money you'll make, school report cards, living arrangements, activities for your children, weigh all thr pros and cons, thinks and pray about your decision.

I'm sorry your in such a rough point right now. Feel free to send me note if you'd like to chat, I'll be happy to listen. Only you can make the right decision for you and I think you need to check the places out and see what is the right fit for you and your children.

Oh and there is a WalMart in Kingman! ....: )

[Gretchen B]

I'm so sorry for all the grief your family is going through right now. Hopefully the lawsuit will be over with soon.

I've only visited Kingman a few times, but I would definitely take Kingman hands down over BHC. For one thing it's a LOT cooler there than BHC which usually has some of the hottest temps in AZ in the summer. Kingman struck me as a nice place. Fairly small, but growing, with a Wal-Mart (but I don't think there's a mall there).

Glendale, of course, would be much further away from Vegas, and hotter in the summer than Kingman. . . . And part of the Phoenix metro area, so if you don't want "city" I wouldn't recommend Glendale.

Have you thought about Prescott and Prescott Valley? That would be further away than Kingman, but not as far as Glendale. New hospital (YRMC). Cooler than Kingman. 10-minute drive to be in the mountains and pines. Lots of shopping (mall, Costco, Sams Club, Kohl's, Target, Wal-mart, K-mart etc). And good schools. Prescott is about 40,000 pop. and Prescott Valley is about 30,000 - the two towns kind of meet in the middle. Renting an apt or duplex will probably run from $550/mo to $775/mo for something nice.

If you come for a visit to AZ, check out all the towns you're interested in. They are all very different, so I think one would stand out as the place you'd like to be (for awhile, anyway). I hope things start to look up for your family soon!

[MelRN]

Thanks so much you guys! And your right Prinny..i DO need someone to vent to! hehe..I am with my whole family right now, but there are times I have never felt so alone! Sometimes I not only feel like a single mom to two boys, but I feel like the only person my parents count on as well..it gets tough! I will definetly keep in touch! Gretchen, I never knew about Prescott and it sounds great! I will look into it this weekend and see if I can get an interview at that hospital as well! Prescott sounds alittle more like what I'm looking for than Kingman. But I'll look into both, and places in between...Thanks so much you guys! I guess a part of me is looking for someone to tell me what the heck to do, but at the same time, I know that I am the only one who knows..but it's so great to get input, especially from people who live in Arizona and know the areas. It helps so much! Thanks again and God Bless! I'll keep checkin the thread and post my progress!

[Arizona Bound]

Hi.. Kingman has a Wal-mart super center, Albertsons, K-mart, Safeway, Big lots,
Cracker barrel, Dollar General, J C Penny, Ross, Sears, Ace hardware, Home Depot,
Pizza parlors, fast food... Chili's, Dairy Queen, Taco bell, Burger King, Arby's ect,
Steak Houses, Denny's, Buffets, Ihop, and a ton of others. City parks, City pool,
beautiful state park. Only 1;20 minutes to Vegas, 35-40 minutes to BHC/Laughlin.
With about 35,000 population. And people who will actually say.. Howdy.. lol!

[MelRN]

Thanks Arizona bound! I tried looking up Kingman to see what they had, and really didn't have much success. All the threads I read on here about Kingman made me look at is as not much different then the town I grew up in and had to escape from! Not dogging on small towns because they are great! But a small town like the one I am from is nothing to brag about. It wasn't a great place to live. Anyway..i'll have a first hand look at Kingman on Tuesday...i like the idea that it is so close to Vegas and yet so "private-like" so I am giving it a chance. I guess no matter where you are in the world, there are always times you think the grass might be greener on the other side right? And everyone has their own opinions on places. I was just hoping to get both positive and negative info on different areas in AZ. I guess the reason why I am so stressed about this is because I REALLY feel rushed to make a decision and yet it's an important one because like i stated earlier, I don't want to keep moving my son around when it's important for him to make friends and have a stable life ya know? I feel like an aweful mother sometimes for that, even though he has NEVER complained once about it..he is such a great kid! Well, thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to respond and help!

[Arizona Bound]

Originally Posted by MelRN

Thanks Arizona bound! I tried looking up Kingman to see what they had, and really didn't have much success. All the threads I read on here about Kingman made me look at is as not much different then the town I grew up in and had to escape from! Not dogging on small towns because they are great! But a small town like the one I am from is nothing to brag about. It wasn't a great place to live. Anyway..i'll have a first hand look at Kingman on Tuesday...i like the idea that it is so close to Vegas and yet so "private-like" so I am giving it a chance. I guess no matter where you are in the world, there are always times you think the grass might be greener on the other side right? And everyone has their own opinions on places. I was just hoping to get both positive and negative info on different areas in AZ. I guess the reason why I am so stressed about this is because I REALLY feel rushed to make a decision and yet it's an important one because like i stated earlier, I don't want to keep moving my son around when it's important for him to make friends and have a stable life ya know? I feel like an aweful mother sometimes for that, even though he has NEVER complained once about it..he is such a great kid! Well, thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to respond and help!

Hi.. A Great way to find out what a town/city may have is to go to...
Yellow Pages Local Directory - YELLOWPAGES.COM and type in the "type" of business .. then the other
box is for the city. You may try like restuarant, or grocery store, or electronic,
ect. ect. yellow pages.com is very useful in that respect.

[MelRN]

Thanks! I'll do that! See..this is why I posted a thread..because of useful info like this!

[Gretchen B]

MelRN, you mentioned having grown up in a small town in Michigan. I grew up in a small town in Kansas (pop 5,000) and vowed never to move back to a town where everybody knew everybody else's business, but my husband and I did move from Denver to a small town in Nebraska. As it turned out, it was a great place to raise kids, and I ended up loving it. So don't count Kingman out just because it's smaller - you might really grow to like it.

As far as a town with a midwest neighborly feel, Prescott is like that. I have a feeling Kingman may be like that, too. We tried a year down in the Valley, but it was just too many people/congestion for our taste (and a little too hot in the summer). When we moved to Prescott, it just felt "comfortable", if you know what I mean.

[MelRN]

I do know what you mean! I also have to agree with you on the heat issue! I LOVE warm weather, I'll take it anyday over the snow! But here, it is just too hot to do anything! I can't take my kids to the park, I can't have them playing outside for too long and I definetly can't sit outside that long in 110+ degree weather! It sucks for me because I LOVE being outdoors! And with the 4th coming up, well, it used to be my favorite holiday because we used to spend the day out on the lake, and then grill out all day, and wait by the camp fire for the fireworks to start. You just can't do that here it's impossible for me to spend that long out in this heat!
I looked up Prescott today and it seemed very nice. I got in touch with my recruiter to see what she could do about getting me an interview at the hospital there. I thank you so much for pointing me in that direction! I am also going to Kingman tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes and what I thought of it! I have a feeling though that whatever place I decide upon, I won't be there for very long. ONLY because I miss the water, the tree's and the GRASS! hehehe..as I mentioned in my thread, I would eventually like to get back to Tennessee, or try North or South Carolina..so i see myself out that way by next summer. But I guess you never know..i MAY end up falling in love with one of these area's and staying longer then I expected right?! I DO love being so close to Vegas! It's a GREAT city!