A week ago we invited three movers to provide an estimate for moving all of our stuff. We had a hard time figuring out where to start looking for a moving company, since we didn't want to just contact some local guy with a van. We found a list of the largest nationwide moving companies and figured out that we'd need to contact one of their agents to get started. Anyway, they all came out and provided similar estimates. Unfortunately, because we're moving so far and don't have that much stuff, they estimated that it could take as many as 22 days for our stuff to arrive in Seattle. We went with the moving company that provided a reasonable cost estimate and the lowest time estimate. While we may beat our stuff to Seattle by a few days, hopefully we won't have to wait too long. It's good to have this part of the moving process arranged.

Our upcoming road trip is one of the most exciting parts of moving up there. While 6 solid days in a car doesn't sound the most exciting, we're going to try to enjoy the scenery along the way. Right now our plans are tentative, we haven't booked anywhere to stay and our dates aren't firm, but here's the basic route we're going to take:


View Larger Map

Where we'll stay each night of the trip:

1. Albuquerque - We'll try to make good time from the beginning, and since there's not a whole lot in between Dallas and Albuquerque, we think we can make it all the way there in a day. Plus, after this night, things get more interesting. (We're not going to take that stupid route on the map)


2. Grand Canyon - I've never been to the Grand Canyon and it's kind of along the way. So, even though this will be a relatively short day of driving, I'm sure we can find plenty to do around the Grand Canyon that should make it worthwhile to stop.


3. Las Vegas - I've never been there before and am not that interested in making a special trip for it, so the fact that it's basically on the way is convenient. I figure stopping here for a night will be pretty cool. The next morning we'll drive through Death Valley, which should be unique, and it's a good time of year to go, so I'm excited about that.


4. Lake Tahoe - We were going to try to go to Yosemite National Park, but the road we would have to take is closed this time of year, so since we've heard good things about Lake Tahoe, we'll stop there instead. Should be pretty scenic as well.


5. Medford, Oregon - Nothing here, it's just a good stopping point.


6. Seattle!

Overall, I'm pretty excited about seeing all these beautiful places. As it gets closer, I'm sure we'll figure out more things to do along each of these routes and at each of these destinations. Should be pretty cool.

When my wife told me that she was offered the job that she wanted most, you'd think I'd be really excited about it, but I didn't really know how to react. I dunno why, but I just wasn't that excited about it. Since my wife has accepted the job, I've been thinking about all the different things that will be affected by us moving. I've been somewhat excited about it, but also conflicted because of all of the different changes that this will cause. It will be a big change, and it will be fun, but I'll be leaving everyone I've ever known and the area where I've made all of my memories. I'm excited about moving, but it's just a big change, and for some reason I can't jump up and down about it, it just seems kind of bittersweet right now. It will be a great experience, but so many things will change soon that I can't focus on only the good ones. Anyway, it's just kind of interesting that now that it's here, I'm not as excited and happy about it as I thought I might be, considering how long we've been talking about it and planning on it.

Even though it was cloudy and rainy for part of the time we were in Seattle, it was still very pretty. Here are some pictures:

Flying over the city, here's a picture of a floating bridge:

We landed at the airport:

Here's a picture from inside the city.

And here's a picture of the city skyline from across the water.

So, I had 8 interviews in 3 days. 4 in Seattle, 4 in Portland (all squished into one morning I might add). I wasn't too confident I would receive any offers because at my first interview in Seattle, I asked for a certain salary range and they immediately didn't like my suggestion. I thought that I had just messed up my best opportunity. I tried to say I would be flexible and I even came down in my range by quite a bit. I also did not have a list of printed references to give them, so I had to handwrite it right there in front of them. It made me look bad. Unfortunately that was the job I wanted the most. All the rest after the first one were for companies I wasn't nearly as interested in. They were either a really small office, which I've had before and hated, or they just weren't ready for the hiring process. A few didn't even know if the job I was applying for was within the budget for the company.

I was really depressed about how things had turned out. Every night I went to bed I kept thinking, man, I should have gotten more interviews or I shouldn't have requested such a high salary or how I wished Troy had some interviews. I started thinking about being stuck here for an unknown amount of time past our move-out date of Feb 25 and how it would suck moving to another place in DFW. It would suck to have to go up to SEA/PDX for another round of interviews and even more waiting and more expense.

Well, despite all of that, the first company I interviewed with in Seattle offered me the job today, with a decent salary. I think with the cost of living, the salary doesn't make up the difference in costs between here and there, but it's alright. I think the thing that finally sold me or got them over the fact that I was asking for a lot of money was that my references were awesome. At least, I know my current boss was great. She highly recommended me and couldn't think of a bad thing to say about me, she said. She said she hated to see me go and that they should snatch be up before I was taken by another company. I really appreciated how she did that for me. I don't know what my ex-boss said about me, probably good things though.

So, um, to make a long story short, I'm going to accept the offer tomorrow and ask if I can get any moving assistance. They are located in downtown Seattle and have an awesome few of Puget Sound.

Yay me!

After spending Saturday-Tuesday in Seattle, walking around and exploring the city, I realized how much I like Seattle as well. Since it's a pretty good big city, there are always a lot of people out and there's a lot to do. It seemed like an exciting place to be and I looked forward to many more hours of exploring and enjoying what the city has to offer. Then, we spent Wednesday in Portland, which I had liked more than Seattle. But, this time I realized that Portland didn't have a lot of those same things that I enjoyed when I was in Seattle. Portland, being a small city, lacked the architecture, the foot traffic, and the potential for exploring that Seattle had. Portland did seem to have better natural beauty within the city limits, and it does have better parks, but it just didn't interest me as much this time as it did the last time I visited.

The contrast between Seattle and Portland always reminds me of the contrast between Dallas and Fort Worth, as those are the two cities I'm most familiar with. Even though the cities are very different in a lot of ways, Seattle reminds me of Dallas in size and Portland reminds me of Fort Worth in size. I grew up in Fort Worth and it's a big enough city for most things, but now that I've lived in Dallas, Fort Worth just seems so small. For example, I'd rather have the choice of going to one of Dallas' three independent theaters than have to go to Fort Worth's half a theater. And that's what I like about big cities, there are so many options, you don't have to go to the same places all the time, and there's so much to see and do. As cool as Portland is in a lot of ways, it just seemed that it would get dull to me more quickly. Plus, while a lot of people would just consider Portland to be a cooler place, with its art galleries and counter culture, I'm a mainstream enough person (for better or worse) that I really don't see a reason to consider that kind of stuff very much. Throughout the day in Portland I was almost afraid that I would get what I wished for and I kept trying to convince myself of things I liked about Portland - the light rail, the walkability, the parks (and the cheaper rent rates) - but I still realized that Seattle would be a better place to live in a lot of ways. So, anyway, we'll see how things go, but I think I've changed bandwagons.

We're trying to find somewhere to live in Seattle that isn't too pricey, but it's been hard. Most relatively new places start at over $1000/month, and most places around are too small to have their own website or to be listed in any apartment guides. So, in addition to checking out living options on the lengthy list we brought with us, we've been wandering around, trying to get details on any property that appeals to us, looking for an affordable property in a good area. Craigslist is popular around here, but most apartments won't find out about vacancies until later this month, and it's apparently kind of early to try to find an apartment for late February. Still, we've found a few decent apartments and will check out a few more tomorrow, so I'm sure one of them will work out...unless we move to Portland instead.

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.