Pharmacy Manager

This actually happened a couple of weeks ago and this boy deserves some praise!  Mark was made the pharmacy manager at the Walgreens in Twin Falls!

Now before all of you start scratching your head and questioning what we are doing with our life (since we JUST bought our first home in IDAHO Falls, not TWIN Falls) let me explain what has happened.  

When Mark and I were deciding which job to take it ultimately boiled down to where we wanted to live.  There were a lot of positive things about a lot of the places we were looking at but we ended up accepting a job I never thought beforehand we would.  We decided to take a "floater" position as opposed to a permanent staff position with Walgreens.  It seemed crazy in a lot of ways but its what ended up feeling the best for us.  

We were really drawn to the Idaho Falls area - which is interesting because neither of us had much experience with Idaho Falls.  We decided that it wasn't completely crazy because as a floater Mark could potentially work at any of the stores within the district - which covers the area from Twin Falls to Rexburg (about three hours from end to end).  This is a really large area but there are four stores just in Twin Falls and another two within 30 minutes and then just four others further away.  So we knew that he would have to travel but we thought he would at least usually be around.  

From the day we moved in Mark has been working in Twin Falls.  They were short a pharmacist and so that was where the need was.  About a week after he started working there the pharmacy manager informed them that he was also quitting.  Mark was really thrown into all of this without a lot of guidance.  Before he knew it he was essentially running the pharmacy as a brand-new employee and as a brand-new pharmacist!  It was a little stressful but Mark, as he usually does, picked up things quickly and felt more and more comfortable.  

Mark has never worked at another location.  They are still short another pharmacist so he is pretty much a one-man-show over there.  When he does have a day off they usually have to bring someone over from Boise to cover him or someone picks up the extra shift from within his district.  It is crazy.

At the beginning of January he was approached by his district manager asking him if he would accept the position of pharmacy manager.  Since he was already performing all of the roles as manager it seemed completely foolish not to accept.  Mark always follows this up with that he wished he could say he got it from merit instead of convenience - but I disagree.  Although that probably did play a part in it they wouldn't have extended it to him if they didn't believe he could do it and that he was doing a good job in his performance at the pharmacy.  I am so proud of him.  

The reason we took the floater job was basically to wait it out until a permanent position opened up at one of the four locations here in Idaho Falls.  With all that has happened, initially we wondered why we felt so good about moving to Idaho Falls - since a position immediately was available in Twin Falls.  But all of those initial doubts have gone away the longer we are here - we love our home, our neighborhood, and our ward.  We feel very "at home" here and know this is where we are supposed to be right now.  

So, although, it is not ideal - things have gone really well for Mark in his career so far.  I am so proud of him and the efforts that he makes to be the best that he can be.  We are hopeful that an opportunity will present itself here and this just puts Mark further up the line to receive that opening when it happens.  

It's hard having to be separated from one another.  Sometimes Mark will be gone for a solid week at a time and that definitely wears on all of us.  We find ourselves sometimes envying those with 9-5 Monday thru Friday kind of jobs.  And who knows, maybe someday he can find one of those!  But for now, our faith sustains us.  We have faith that our Father in Heaven is in control and knows the pleadings of our hearts and that He has a plan for us.  

I truly do believe that.