Our House...in the middle of the street

Since we've both stopped working, Kyle's last day was May 9th and my last day was May 14th, we've been so busy trying to get the house ready for sale.  Just things like putting in the last bit of trim in the study and guest room, some painting, organizing and cleaning.  Kyle finally got his study all painted and organized, and now we have to move :(

Our house went up for sale on May 15th, sad seeing a "for sale" sign on

 your frontyard.  We decided to wait for offers till after the weekend.  And on Monday we got two!! pretty exciting.  We got the price we wanted and turned down the higher offer since one of the conditions of the closing date wasn't until the end of August.  No sense in keeping the house empty for that long.

I'm going to miss this old house but I doubt we'd buy another place like this over 70 years old.  It was 5.5 years of renovations, but I guess we learned a lot from it.

Busy in May

We just got back from our 1 week all expenses paid :) scouting trip to Seattle to try and get some things organized.  The flight from Toronto to Seattle is about a 5-6 hour trip not counting airport/traffic delays.  The two main carriers that fly there are United Airways and Air Canada, the latter to which I prefer (more on that later).   Driving there from Toronto will take approximately 1 day and 14 hours (4, 156 kms) see google maps:  so I probably wouldn't recommend it...Dad!!!  

We got a rental car from Avis, a yellow-2 door-ugly-as-hell-Chevy-Cobalt and stayed right downtown Seattle at the Hotel Vintage Park a Kimpton Hotel chain.  Quite nice, great Italian restaurant attached and good location close to the interstate. 

The next day we met with a relocation 

representative who gave us some information about things like bank accounts, housing, driver's licensing, etc. and drove us around some different areas, namely Bellevue and Redmond.  We managed to open a bank account at First Tech, a credit union formed specifically to serve those from out of town relocating to work with the big companies in Seattle like Boeing, Nintendo, Starbucks and Microsoft.  Kyle applied for a Social Security number which takes 48 hours, which by then you could go pick up your number and in turn apply for a credit card with First Tech....voila!!  

We also visited a Whole Foods Market, for those who've never heard of them, this grocery chain sells only natural and organic produce, meats and household items.  

Everything is laid out just so and is very $$$.  Other grocery stores in the area are Safeway, QFC, Larry's market, Fred Meyer's to name a few.

Also as part of this blog, I will be documenting my experience as a "canuck" entering the US as part of future reference for anyone else doing the same.

First things first, get my TD status or I-94 which allows me to accompany my spouse who's on a work visa in the US.  We had to get this before we crossed the border at US immigration and it was not a problem.  In addition to filling out the entry into the US form, I also had to fill out a "visa and visa holder" white form.  Proof of marriage certificate is required and Kyle's TN visa which he acquired at the previous visit to the border.  After immigration, we were sent to a mirrored room, which upon entering seemed just like any other waiting gate at the airport.  We were asked to drop off our forms and have a seat as I needed to be fingerprinted.  After about a 30 minute wait, I was called up, my form stamped with expiry date (1 year) and stapled to my passport. 

Apparently I didn't need to be fingerprinted and was told I could not under any circumstances work in the US, yep, I knew that already.  Then the officer informed me that I could try to apply for a I-688 with a letter of employment, but that I would probably be denied.  No harm in trying I guess? will let you know how that goes once everything is settled.  Overall, it took 45 minutes out of the regular check-in time, some people there were waiting longer and cutting it really close to their flight time.

As of now, I don't believe I can apply for a Social Security number, it takes 10 days before you're in the system, I need to have either an I-688 or Tax ID number, hence no credit card for me.  BUT, I have held an American Express credit card here in Canada for some time, very rarely use it since it's not accepted at most places, and heard that I can convert it into a US credit card.  Guess we'll see...   

Here's a pic of me at the Athenian Inn, a restaurant at Pike Place market shown in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" :) also notice my sleepless- in- Seattle- bags under my eyes...

Victoria Day/Moving Away Party!!

The weekend before our house was sold, also known as the May 2-4 weekend, we had a casual "Victoria Day/Moving Away" party (May 19th).  It was a cold day temperature wise, but we felt the warmth from our family, friends and neighbours, corny I know.  Here's one for ya, "Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth." from Wendy C's facebook profile. 

We had burgers, hotdogs and beer with fireworks in the evening.  Thanks to all that came, it was great seeing everyone and hope we get some visitors in Seattle soon!

We're Moving to the US of A!!!

Well, it's official, we're moving to SEATTLE, WASHINGTON STATE!!!

As most of you already know, Kyle got a job at Microsoft and we've decided to make this BIG/HUGE change in our lives.  What better time to do it!  Our family and friends have been so supportive throughout it all, they've made the whole process a whole lot easier :)/:(

Kyle got his TN visa this past Wednesday, so we're good to go!!  I will be getting my TD status when we go over to Seattle for a short visit before we make the big move.

A little timeline here, for my sake as well, so when I look back later I can see how fast things have moved along.

February 2008:  

*Told close friends and family Kyle might be considering a position at Microsoft in Seattle, WA.

March 2008: 

*Went to Japan for 2 weeks, came back on March 20th 

*March 29th was Kyle's interview with Microsoft.  I decided to tag along for the weekend, just in case.  Good thing I did!!  here are some pics:

April 2008: Kyle heard back from Microsoft pretty much right away on April fool's day.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

More on May to come...