future plans are not quite so future anymore
Winter is moving in very fast -- it's supposed to be in the 30s (Fahrenheit, that is) on Saturday! I'll have to turn my heat on Friday night. I was sort of hoping to delay that a little longer, but it's already getting uncomfortably chilly here by the computer, and temps in the 30s are definitely worth the heating bill. Although its supposed to warm up a little again after that . . .
I'm probably going to go to the Social Security office on Friday to start the process of changing my name -- I haven't gotten around to it since I got married. No hurry, really, but I'd like to get it done. Doesn't seem to complicated -- just present the SSA with a certified copy of my marriage certificate, then when I get my new card, take that to the DMV to update my license. The rest of the process (informing the bank and credit card companies, HR at work, my landlord, etc) can trickle out after that. Like I said, there's no hurry really. Not about that . . .
My lease is up at the end of February -- I'll have lived in this apartment for nine years by then. Nine! Chad is a bit amazed by that -- he's moved around a lot more than I have ( I tend to put down roots easily, and like to nest). We're not going to renew the lease, as we're moving to Seattle instead.
And THAT'S what's snuck up on me a bit. We're moving! Across the country! In three months! (by car! with three cats! /o\)
So, between now and then, we need to:
Hey, if any of you are familiar with the Seattle area, have any tips on where to look? The store I hope to transfer to is in the University district, so we've mostly been looking in the Northgate, and Bellevue (sp?) areas, since that would be reasonably easy to get to. Not that we wouldn't like downtown, just, like I said, the expense is less further out.
EDIT: There are more stores in the area than I thought! Which makes the transfer even more likely, as well as potentially widening the area we can look for apartments in. Although, now I guess any heavy duty apartment hunting may have to wait until we can tell WHICH of the stores is my best option . . .
AHHHH, I'm excited! But it's starting to make me nervous, too!
This entry was originally posted at http://theladysnarkydame.dreamwidth.org/39231.html. You can comment there if you prefer.
I'm probably going to go to the Social Security office on Friday to start the process of changing my name -- I haven't gotten around to it since I got married. No hurry, really, but I'd like to get it done. Doesn't seem to complicated -- just present the SSA with a certified copy of my marriage certificate, then when I get my new card, take that to the DMV to update my license. The rest of the process (informing the bank and credit card companies, HR at work, my landlord, etc) can trickle out after that. Like I said, there's no hurry really. Not about that . . .
My lease is up at the end of February -- I'll have lived in this apartment for nine years by then. Nine! Chad is a bit amazed by that -- he's moved around a lot more than I have ( I tend to put down roots easily, and like to nest). We're not going to renew the lease, as we're moving to Seattle instead.
And THAT'S what's snuck up on me a bit. We're moving! Across the country! In three months! (by car! with three cats! /o\)
So, between now and then, we need to:
- pare down a bit more of my collected clutter -- books mostly. I have a lot of books -- and anything else we don't want to lug across the states -- hardly any of the furniture, most of which were free hand-me-downs anyway -- so that we can reasonably move everything in one van/truck, possibly with a trailer hitched to it (though if we get everything VERY pared down we can save a bit of money by not renting the trailer).
- Buy a van or truck that we can use to move across the country and then keep around -- this will allow Chad to do some contract work for his step dad right away. He says he's got plenty of work out there, and not enough people in the area to do it, so having wheels = instant work for Chad. It also means we can live a bit further out of the downtown area and a bit further off the bus lines, which means the rent might be significantly lower. That's good. Basically, we'll use the money we would have used to rent a uhaul and pay for a more expensive downtown apartment to buy a vehicle we can move with and then keep.
- talk my bosses into convincing the store in Seattle to accept a transfer so I have a job out there waiting for me. This seems totally doable, but the store out there is quite a bit smaller than the one I work at now, and I worry that they simply won't have a position available. But I'm optimistic! My bosses like me, and I don't have so much seniority that my paygrade would give a new store pause. We won't really be able to put this in motion until after the holidays, but I'm going to be pushing hard in January -- if it turns out not to be feasible, I'm going to need to find something else, fast.
- repaint the walls in my apartment so I can get the I-Painted-My-Walls deposit back from my landlord. That money will be REALLY useful for the move.
- Get my cats in for full check ups and update their shots. Hopefully switch Pico from his steroid pills to regular injections or even an inhaler -- either would be more expensive than the pills, but we worry about the side effects of long term steroid use. I need to look into getting them microchipped too -- I'd hate for them to get loose somewhere between here and Seattle. On that note, I should get them used to wearing a harness, and to going on car rides -- once we buy a vehicle, I'll take them for short trips around the city. Hopefully they'll get used to it a bit. I'll also talk to the vet about some gentle sedatives, so they can be calm for the three day trip. Honestly the cats will be the most stressful part about moving, i think.
- FIND AN APARTMENT. There's a few that look great on the internet, but they won't be available anymore by the time we need them. And it's not easy to judge a place from almost 2000 miles away! I just keep telling myself that whatever place we find, it doesn't need to be permanent. Once we're in the city, we can find a better place to settle if necessary.
Hey, if any of you are familiar with the Seattle area, have any tips on where to look? The store I hope to transfer to is in the University district, so we've mostly been looking in the Northgate, and Bellevue (sp?) areas, since that would be reasonably easy to get to. Not that we wouldn't like downtown, just, like I said, the expense is less further out.
EDIT: There are more stores in the area than I thought! Which makes the transfer even more likely, as well as potentially widening the area we can look for apartments in. Although, now I guess any heavy duty apartment hunting may have to wait until we can tell WHICH of the stores is my best option . . .
AHHHH, I'm excited! But it's starting to make me nervous, too!
This entry was originally posted at http://theladysnarkydame.dreamwidth.org/39231.html. You can comment there if you prefer.