Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Bummer and a bright side

Bummer:
Our New Jersey driver's licenses expire six days before we're moving out of the state. We have to renew them so we have current ones to rent cars/trucks for the move.

Bright side:
I guess it doesn't matter what my hair looks like in the new photo.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

NYC to Santa Fe

You've probably heard or seen by now that Scott and I are off for a new adventure: We'll be relocating in July from our four-year home in NYC/NJ to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Scott has accepted a new job at Outside Magazine.


We've been looking to leave New York for a while. While we were thankful for the opportunity to move here four years ago, we never really settled in. Our jobs allowed us to grow professionally and learn new skills, but the hours we worked kept us from really enjoying the city and meeting new people, and although we visited a ton of churches (see visual evidence of why this one was not it), we never found one to call home.

We've been talking for the past two years about cities we might like to move to. I didn't spill the beans really in these posts about visiting Seattle and Arizona, but they were scouting trips. Santa Fe was on our list, but we didn't get to travel there.

So for months we've been applying for jobs in our target cities. We were hoping something would materialize before our lease was up in our apartment at the end of April. But nothing did and so we signed a new lease (which we now have to break). Scott applied for this position back in March, and about a week after we moved into the new place, they contacted him, and he accepted the position last week.

I think this is going to be a great job for him. The people he's talked with have been really nice and helpful, and working at a magazine that focuses on outdoor activities, there will always be people heading out for adventure. Scott will love the opportunity to get out and be active, and I hope I can take advantage of that, too.

We're planning our move for the week of July 9, shooting for a start date for Scott of July 16. So right now we're in the process of trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff, find an apartment sight-unseen, and figure out how to get us and our dog and our stuff 2,000 miles from New Jersey to Santa Fe.

After we leave New York, I don't have a job lined up. I'm looking, but I'll also be taking on freelance design and editing work in the meantime. (Shameless self-plug: If you have a job for me or know someone who might, here's my portfolio site.) I'm also hoping to spend some more time on my card company. I'm excited to have some time to do a better job of networking and design new stuff.


If you'd like to pray for us, these are the big things:
- That we find an apartment we'll enjoy in a good area with a decent commute.
- That I can find a job quickly and/or have enough freelance gigs to make a few bucks.
- Finances. This is a big, expensive move, and we have to break our current lease. There are large fees associated with that, and we are on the hook for the rent until the unit is re-rented.
- A little peace in the stress of planning and executing such a huge move.
- Finding the community in Santa Fe we've been lacking here.
- For safe travels. We'll be driving 4-5 days cross-country because Thunder wouldn't do well on a plane.

Thank you for your love and friendship as we take on this new adventure. I'll try to keep you posted as the move nears!