Bye Bye California!

   Well, most of you have heard by now- Gary and I are moving out of California!

  We have been wanting to get out of Los Angeles for awhile now. Not only is it affecting Gary's health, but the prices of rent and homes keep hiking up to insane prices. Plus, him taking the subway everywhere was just being a little too overwhelming after some time. So, I asked him one afternoon if he felt like we should start looking for something out of the area- and he agreed. So, the job hunting began.

   He had several phone interviews over the course of a few weeks-month from companies in South Carolina, Tennessee, Montana, Oklahoma, Virginia, and a few other places. One company in Louisiana was really interested in him, but after some research on the location, we decided it wasn't what was best for us and declined to move forward.

    The one company Gary was hoping to hear back from was a golfing company in Texas. It was a job he knew he'd enjoy, and everything seemed very positive about it all. He had two phone interviews with them, then didn't hear anything for a few days. He started to feel a little down, but I had a good feeling and told him they'd call by the end of the week. Sure enough, the next day they called him and asked him more questions. This was a long, 2 hour phone interview from several different people. They told him they'd let him know by the end of the week. 2 hours later, they called and offered to fly him out to Austin to interview in person. He was so excited!

  A few days later, he was in Austin for his in-person interview. He flew out that morning, and came back that same night (long day! Alex and I spent time at the ocean). Then, the next day, they offered him the job! They told him they loved how he communicated with everyone and were impressed with his skills. So, he is now the new Business Intelligence Developer for them!

  So, we are moving to Austin! The company is north of Austin, right between Austin and Round Rock- and since we like the Round Rock area, we were able to grab a nice place there (so technically we're moving to Round Rock). It's next to parks and shopping, so we get to walk everywhere.

Veterans Park in Round Rock

      

Beautiful shot of the Pennybacker Bridge in Austin

Austin's skyline

   We are excited! It's located right on the Colorado River and many other lakes- and Austin is also considered to have the fittest and healthiest people in the nation. It's HUGE on sports and athletics, which probably explains it. Austin and Round Rock are on the list of the top safest cities, and the number one school district in Texas is in Austin. The housing prices are also great, so this will be a great move for our family.

     I understand all the floods and storms going on, which is crazy! We contacted our management to our new apartment, and they told us it's not serious in Round Rock, and it should be improved by the time we get there. Just some of the lakes are flooded. New adventures for sure!

    So, Gary starts on the 15th of June, and we fly out the 10th. This gives us only 2 weeks to get all the packing and moving done. C.R.A.Z.Y. YES, we have been busy! Thankfully his company is paying for a huge portion of the move. We are having our cars shipped, we're flying ourselves, and we are still in the process of finding movers. Most of everything else is settled. I seriously can't believe that in 2 weeks, we will be in our new place in a new state! 

     We will miss being so close to family for sure, but we're just a plane ride away. We are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives!