It's Official. We are moving. So incredibly scared outta my mind! Ryan has been applying to jobs since he earned his Bachelors degree in science last year, and this job offer seems like the best path for him to follow. So here's the juicy details:
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Needle002.jpg |
WHO: The job is a government job through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
WHAT: The position is as a Consumer Safety Inspector for Seafood.
WHERE: Seattle, Washington - near the University of Washington
WHEN: Start date is Monday, February 11th, but Sara won't move until after tax season ends.
WHY: Because it seems like the right thing to do. It pains our stomachs to think about it, but it seems like the best path for us to travel. Short term it's going to be really painful, but long term we know it will be beneficial.
Aw crap this is going to be CRAZY hard! I am feeling really excited and curious to experience a new kind of life. All Ryan and I have ever known is awkward airport schedules, and Ryan not home until midnight 4 days a week, plus a long commute. So this will be a whole new world for us to share together. We've been married for 8 years, and he's worked at Horizon Air for 9 years - so it's the only schedule & life we know. Also my mom (aka my boss) is also going to have to transition the CPA firm without me there. We have already hired an awesome guy named Sterling to hold it together after I'm gone.
As for my own ambitions, I've been looking into partaking of the apartment manager lifestyle so I can stay home with the kids... but if that doesn't work out it will be back to a regular 40 hour a week admin job & daycare. Yikes! Timing for my move will probably GREATLY hinder on my finding something work-wise in Seattle.
So. Let's talk Seattleness:
Interesting Stuff I'm looking forward to Experiencing:
- Pike Place Market
- Space Needle
- Woodland Park Zoo
- Seattle Aquarium
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Museum of Flight
- Seattle Waterfall Garden
- Discovery Park
- SeaHawks
- SEAFOOD!
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park
All the Things I'm NOT looking forward to:
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS!
SEATTLE SEISMIC HAZARD MAP
"USGS has produced a new series of earthquake hazard maps for the City of Seattle. These ‘urban seismic hazard’ maps provide a much higher-resolution view of the potential for strong earthquake shaking than previously available. This new view is particularly important for Seattle, which sits atop a sedimentary basin that strongly affects the patterns of earthquake ground shaking and therefore, of potential damage.
These hazard maps for Seattle depict the hazard for ground shaking at frequencies of about 1 cycle per second. Generally speaking, buildings of 10 stories in height are most sensitive to ground shaking at this frequency, so these maps show the hazard to medium-sized buildings." - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/pacnw/maps/seattle/
MORE CRAPPY NW WEATHER!
No where near enough SUNNY DAYS! This is going to be super sad and irritating. I realize it could be worse, but still so NOT looking forward to that.
http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/132403448.html
NO FAMILY IN TOWN!
I am going to be so lonely without my family around. I mean it will be nice to have some alone time, and it will be great to not feel obligated to attend every little family event, holiday, and occasion, but really the daily life stuff I am going to really miss. I think Elijah is going to have a super hard withdrawal period because he is used to spending 2 or 3 days every week with Grandma Sharon & Papa Mark. I will have a hard time leaving the house I've spent so many hours "prettifying". Hopefully the next renters enjoy it. Ryan I think is excited for something new, and thrilled to feel like he's doing something he's really mentally interested in. It will be hard for him to leave all the awesome friends he has at Horizon Air. Oh and those FLIGHT BENEFITS! That will SUPER SUCK.
When it's all said and done though, I feel in my gut that even though this journey is going to be tough in the beginning, it will be better for us long term than staying with the status quo. So OFF WE GO!
