We have our tickets & dogs booked to travel from San Francisco CA to Buffalo NY. No turning back now, What’s even more exciting is that we have a very nice apartment all lined up for us in East Amherst, NY. “Where is East Amherst?”

Right about there. Our apartment was built in ’06, boasts 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, first floor, 1230sq feet, attached garage, gas heating (big plus for the cold weather), gas fireplace, washer/dryer in-unit and a private entrance. We’re told by friends & coworkers that this area is amazing and that it should be stellar for raising a child in. The rent is high for WNY standards, but is cheap compared to what we are used to in LA County.

Now, it’s no mystery how much Katie and I both dislike LA. We’re very vocal about it and while we have no real avenue out, we talk about moving to Seattle or San Francisco often. When I told Katie about this opportunity, she exploded in excitement. We really didn’t think we’d get it, but if we didn’t try, we’d never know. So the very next day, I talked to both my manager and my director, putting my hat in the ring.

Fast forward to a few days ago. I was working on a Saturday and my director came in. When he works on Saturday, he usually buys us lunch. While ordering I cracked a joke about how cold Western NY is and how I would need a steak lunch to keep warm… and he made a comment back that made me think that I got the position. I mean, it was a joke/comment in passing, but it was something. We hadn’t heard anything this entire time, so this comment was… something.

Yesterday I was called over to the director’s office and my heart was pumping. I mean pounding. In my world, you don’t get called into his office unless you are in for an ass-chewing! The whole Western NY thing never crossed my mind while walking over to his office… but he pretty much laid it all out to me:

• The facility in NY isn’t done, so I will be going to corp HQ in Sunnyvale first.
• There is no date on when the facility will be done, but July/Aug is estimated.
• In Sunnyvale, I will be living in corporate housing.
• I will be joining the rest of the NY team for training in Sunnyvale.
• I will be granted weekend travel vouchers to come home and visit.
• The company will be packing & moving us in March, when our lease ends.
• I start in Sunnyvale on Feb 1st.

And that’s pretty much all I know at this point. It’s wild and exciting but at the same time, a very safe adventure. We are in the process of planning a bon voyage party for the middle of March, so mark your calendars!

We found a pretty nice little unit in Katie’s old apartment complex by Magic Mountain for $200 less a month than we are paying now for the exact same square footage PLUS a garage & parking space. On top of all that, they have a security patrol who actually… patrols! I know, shocking right? We were sold almost instantly.

When we notified Mnt. Terrace of the move, they didn’t seemed shocked at all. When we explained the reasoning, they were surprised (or at least acted that way). We told in detail what had happened and they really didn’t protest our move. The just started paperwork and that was about it. Kind of goes with the rest of our experience with the complex. Needless to say, we are glad to be getting out.

We have already began packing and getting all the services squared away. Move date is only 12 days away, so we are in a frenzy to get everything in order. This feels like one of the better moves we have made, and Katie is just beyond happy to going back, leaving Mnt Terrace in the dust.

Handguns
So on Sunday, Katie and I went to Turner’s in Van Nuys and passed our CA handgun owners safety test. She beat me by 1 question, but even coming out of it, I knew I missed at least 3. We looked at many pistols, but in the end, She was sold on the .40 Baby Eagle. I am 99% sold on the .45 Springfield XD, but I don’t know. Later we called her Grandfather who owns a gun shop and he seemed pretty confident that we could get better prices through his shop. So.. win for cheaper prices… and drag for waiting until Christmas.

iPhone
I took the plunge and got rid of my LG C2000! It was starting to crap out big time… the volume would go all wacky and the battery life was only 20 minutes at best. I was so ticked on the way home from the gun store that we went right to the AT&T store by my place. While Katie talked to her Grandfather, I ran inside and picked up an iPhone. Katie was a little ticked that I didn’t consult her first on such a big purchase and that the hacking of iPhones was in the news… and she’s right. But.. I have a new toy/phone… so… yea. She’s just concerned for my safety and I really love the fact that she can play devil’s advocate and make quality points. Katie really wants one and I want her to have one too. I hope she switches to AT&T so she can.. hint hint!

The TV
After the AT&T store, we zipped over to the Costco to get a roast for dinner. Now, the way our Costco is layed out, the TV’s are right at the entrance of the store. We passed by the massive TVs and sure enough… we started talking about getting a new one. Her coworkers even asked if she was going to get a new TV. We called up Gary because he was doing alot of research a few weeks earlier. He helped us go through the brands/models and in the end, we chose a 47″ Vizio LCD. Gary helped me get it to Katie’s and even helped getting it up the stairs & setup. It’s massive. Probably too much TV for the likes of us, but it is beautiful and the weather people are life-sized. So.. wow. We need to do a proper HD test when I can get my surround sound set up… but still… OMG is it amazing.

Apartments
The great apartment hunt has begun. Katie and I have started looking for a place of our own. Didn’t I just do this? No matter, we are looking for a bigger place and that’s that. If we do not find one in 6 weeks, we have a “plan B”. Basically it’s just staying in my apt complex but upgrading to a spacious 2 bedroom. It’s only $2-300 more a month and we would save alot of money, but Katie’s job is sooo far away that the commute costs would counter any savings. I have a few more places to look at and I’m confident we can find a good place in Burbank or Pasadena. Just have to stay positive and remain diligent.