This is a very important trip. It's the only trip we're planning before moving and this trip will determine whether we're able to move on schedule. The number one goal is to secure a favorable job offer as a result of this trip. Secondly, we want to find a place to live.

The total number of job interviews scheduled is now at 7 (4 in Seattle and 3 in Portland), with a possibility of another in Seattle. Of course, all of those interviews are my wife's, but I'm pleased with how many interviews we have. With that many interviews, she'll have several chances, so I'll be spending some time every day until the interviews start helping my wife practice her interviewing and getting mentally prepared.

We've also been doing a lot of research into finding places to live up there. We've compiled a spreadsheet of all the apartments within our price range located within areas that we may want to live. This weekend, we'll be exploring the neighborhoods in Seattle and then touring apartments that interest us, with the intent of selecting an apartment that we would want to live in and mailing in our completed application after we return to Texas.

I want to make sure we use our time well while we're there. We'll have some time left over in addition to interviewing and looking for apartments, and as long as we meet our top two goals, I figure we'll spend the rest of our time getting to know the cities. This is an exciting time.