Most liberal and conservative cities

[Gypsy]

Thank you very much distracts.

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Gypsy, Sending more dust your way! Good luck tomorrow!

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you Callie.

 

[Gypsy]

I think it went well. I am a bit worried. I flubbed Texas geography a bit. So... very nervous. I really liked the guy I talked to. And I really want this job now.

I haven't heard from them (it's only been a few hours). So now I'm anxious as heck.

 

[packrat]

How long is normal to have to wait to hear back? I'm betting you impressed them regardless of a flub! Sending good job vibes!

 

[Gypsy]

Well, they've been moving real fast on it. So I am hoping I hear back tomorrow. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed (very uncomfortable).
Thank you Packrat.

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Gypsy, Finger, toes, arms and legs crossed. Oh yeah, and dust. LOTS and LOTS of dust. I'm sure you wowed them!
Good luck Sweetie!

 

[sonnyjane]

Good luck with your job search! I do have to say I'm a bit surprised that Denver/Boulder is so high on your list when you said your husband wants to avoid Chicago because of the snow. I was born and raised in Denver and my dad still lives there and while it is absolutely a beautiful part of the country, there's no shortage of snow!

 

[Gypsy]

Sonny, I'm surprised too. But the cost of living isn't as high as Chicago. And since that's the BIGGEST factor in selection, that's what's bumping Colorado up.

Callie you crack me up.

Thank you both for the extra good luck. Hopefully I'll hear something tomorrow.

 

[Rhapsody]

Good luck with your job search! I do have to say I'm a bit surprised that Denver/Boulder is so high on your list when you said your husband wants to avoid Chicago because of the snow. I was born and raised in Denver and my dad still lives there and while it is absolutely a beautiful part of the country, there's no shortage of snow!

The difference between snow in Colorado and snow in the midwest is that in Colorado we'll get some snow and then the next day it will be sunny and the snow rarely stays around for more than a few days. If people didn't drive like idiots the weather would hardly ever cause any issues for traffic. Although it does cause an irrational increase in the price of used Subarus.But I like snow, so maybe I can't be trusted.

I hope something good comes from your job search soon Gypsy!

 

[Gypsy]

Rhapsody, that's what I've heard from more than one person. You all get snow, but you rarely get hit with blizzards and snowed in.


Well, looks like PS dust is helping me. I am flying out for in person interviews. I just sent the poor scheduler my availability and it's like playing twister to get me over there and back in time!

So looks like this is really happening. WOW! I am ready for it.

 

[packrat]

Yay! Sending more good vibes for the final stretch!

 

[Calliecake]

How exciting Gypsy!!!!!!! I am so happy for you and I'm sending a lot more dust your way. They would be so lucky to get you!!!

 

[Gypsy]

I thank you guys so much.

I am having such a hard time with this today. I love my current job and adore my my boss (well, my bosses boss now, she got a promotion) and just spent dinner and drinks with her cause she's in town for a visit.

 

[Sky56]

I love Texas and spend a lot of time there visiting family, but the fire ants, heat, and bugs would keep me from living there.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Gypsy, I'm late to this thread but I just saw that you're going down for an in-person interview! As sad as I am that the position isn't in Chicago ( ) I hope it works out if you decide that you want it!

 

[distracts]

I love Texas and spend a lot of time there visiting family, but the fire ants, heat, and bugs would keep me from living there.

How often do you encounter fire ants though? I've lived here my whole life and think I got bitten by fire ants once and that was while I was camping when I was a little kid and didn't know not to step in ant mounds.

Re: bugs: Yeah, there are mosquitos, but otoh I was on vacation in Colorado in the mountains for the last several weeks until last weekend and got bitten by FLIES (I didn't even know they did that) and my front and back are covered in welts that hurt so bad! There are bugs everywhere, pretty much. I would have made more of an effort to get away from the flies had I known this was a possibility, lol.

Gypsy - job changes are always hard. I assume you've come to the same sort of rational decision about why you want to move and find a new job. So just remind yourself of that - and even that where you are right now may have nothing bad about it but the ability for better to exist elsewhere is there and you want to look for it.

 

[Calliecake]

I thank you guys so much.

I am having such a hard time with this today. I love my current job and adore my my boss (well, my bosses boss now, she got a promotion) and just spent dinner and drinks with her cause she's in town for a visit.

Hi Gypsy, I'm sorry you are having a hard time today. Do you think overall this will be a good move for you and your husband? I truly believe some things in life are just meant to be.

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm glad that it's working out well so far, Gypsy! Best of luck on your interviews in TX! Moving long-distance can be really hard, but you've done it before and I'm sure you'll do just fine, no matter where you land.

 

[Sky56]

I love Texas and spend a lot of time there visiting family, but the fire ants, heat, and bugs would keep me from living there.

How often do you encounter fire ants though? I've lived here my whole life and think I got bitten by fire ants once and that was while I was camping when I was a little kid and didn't know not to step in ant mounds.

Our Texas family compound is deep in the country and the 10 acre property is literally crawling with fire ants. And if I go outside there for more than 5 minutes I get eaten alive by mosquitoes and gnats!!

It's enough to make me paranoid! Yep, you guessed it, I stay indoors with the air conditioner running on high when I am there. The good thing is that I like my Texas family members, and their birdfeeder is loaded with nothing but cardinals.

 

[Gypsy]

Ok. So I will be out in Houston early next week. I will hopefully have an update on how it goes and if I get the offer or not by mid-late next week.

Today was a horrendously crazy day at work. Oy.

TGIF.

Regarding fire ants... um. Yikes! So... pest control spraying regularly is something I should plan for on my 'home ownership' expenses spread sheet.

Mosquitos... We don't have them out here at all. But instead we have three bedroom 1200 square foot average houses for 1.2 million. I'll buy some bug spray . And we want to do a screened porch for the kids (cats) anyway, so that will be what it is.

thank you guys so much for hte continued support. I will respond more specifically to everyone later. I am wiped and still have 8 approvals to send out an a weird hybrid master agreement to draft before the day is out.

 

[caf]

Good luck with your job search! I do have to say I'm a bit surprised that Denver/Boulder is so high on your list when you said your husband wants to avoid Chicago because of the snow. I was born and raised in Denver and my dad still lives there and while it is absolutely a beautiful part of the country, there's no shortage of snow!

The difference between snow in Colorado and snow in the midwest is that in Colorado we'll get some snow and then the next day it will be sunny and the snow rarely stays around for more than a few days. If people didn't drive like idiots the weather would hardly ever cause any issues for traffic. Although it does cause an irrational increase in the price of used Subarus.But I like snow, so maybe I can't be trusted.

I hope something good comes from your job search soon Gypsy!

This! As a long time Denver resident, the weather here is the best. No humidity, sun 330 days a year - even on snowy days, 4 distinct seasons and temps that are normally pretty moderate. Shhhh - this is a big secret so don't tell anyone.

 

[Sky56]

Thanks for the update, Gypsy. Best wishes to you. Houston has some beautiful areas. I like some of the outlying suburban areas, including The Woodlands. You probably won't have the ant and bug problems we do. My family's acreage is a rustic place nestled in the woods between some ranches and it is way out in the country 70 miles north of Houston.

One of my favorite things about the area are the people - generally, people are friendly and warm. My least favorite thing about the Houston area are the nutty drivers on I-45. They drive too fast and many don't signal when they change lanes.

 

[Gypsy]

God d*mned thing deleted my post.

ARGH.

Sky, I think you are just preparing me, and I appreciate that. It's always best to be informed and prepared. So I appreciate it very much. Feel free to give me any more warnings! Thank you very much for your support!

Distracts. Yes, I have very good reasons, financially, for making this move. And it is all financial. But... when I moved to DC for law school. I was a kid. I had my parents as a safety net. And I was moving into a dorm with a bunch of kids going through the same experience. When I moved to NJ, we moved in with my MIL when I was taking the Bar. And we moved to my husbands hometown. So while it was new to me, he helped ease my transition and he knew everything about the people and the culture and the area. Then we moved to Bay Area, I was raised here and all my family was here. So while it was a new job for me, that was the one change. And while it was a huge transition for my husband, I eased his transition.

Moving to Texas though. Changing jobs is stressful. Moving is stressful. And buying a house is stressful.

And we aren't just moving. We are moving to a new state, region, climate, culture to a town neither of us has ever spent more than a day in.

One my best friends thinks it's a mistake. And I can tell because she's keeping mum. And that's wearing on my mind too.

I just feel like I'm jumping off a cliff without a safety net. And it's scary.

Callie, thank you so much for you continued sunshine and happy posts. They are a very nice brightspot every time I read them. I appreciate it very much.


Thank you Zoe, I sincerely hope you are correct.

 

[Sky56]

Gypsy, I don't think you are making a mistake. I look forward every time to my travels to Texas. I will be there for an extended period of time soon. I like living in the Pacific Northwest. Texas is very different from where I live - the climate, the architecture, the general vibe. It's like it is its own separate country - being such a big state, and it is unique. I've been many times, and every time I have very much enjoyed my interactions with Texans. And I am married to a Texan. One of my favorite things is taking a walk and passing by ranches with grazing Longhorn cattle. Before the Internet, small-town Texas was my favorite area to go shopping for antiques. The prices were half and under those in the Pacific Northwest, but that has changed. It is a red state, but as with anywhere, it has a wide mix of people.

 

[Gypsy]

Gypsy, I'm late to this thread but I just saw that you're going down for an in-person interview! As sad as I am that the position isn't in Chicago ( ) I hope it works out if you decide that you want it!

Thank you very much Deejay. I will admit that a large part (80%) of the reason Chicago is even on the list is "Deejay lives there."

 

[Gypsy]

Gypsy, I don't think you are making a mistake. I look forward every time to my travels to Texas. I will be there for an extended period of time soon. I like living in the Pacific Northwest. Texas is very different from where I live - the climate, the architecture, the general vibe. It's like it is its own separate country - being such a big state, and it is unique. I've been many times, and every time I have very much enjoyed my interactions with Texans. And I am married to a Texan. One of my favorite things is taking a walk and passing by ranches with grazing Longhorn cattle. Before the Internet, small-town Texas was my favorite area to go shopping for antiques. The prices were half and under those in the Pacific Northwest, but that has changed. It is a red state, but as with anywhere, it has a wide mix of people.

This was a great post, thank you Sky.

I've been to Texas several times. But only to Austin or Dallas. The most either of us has been to Houston is a day. And when I started looking in Texas it was originally just Dallas and Austin. But, I noticed Houston had several jobs and this one in particular was a good fit. So I researched the city... it's urban enough and has nice restaurants and shopping, the housing prices are super affordable even in some of the very nice schools districts that are within a reasonable commute of the job... so I applied. And now, we might be moving.

 

[Calliecake]

Re: Most liberal and conservative cities.

Gypsy, a very close friend of mine moved to Houston 5 years ago. My husband was very close to being transferred there as well. She lives In Katy and loves living there. She and her husband are not one bit sorry they made the move. It is alsolutely gorgeous where she lives and and she was able to get a lot more house for the money than in Chicago. She's made many wonderful friends while living there, even found a great jeweler. She made many comments about not fitting in before she made the move because she was a little concerned about it being a Red state. Nothing has been a problem for her and husband since living there. I have sometimes wished we would have moved there as well. I really miss her!

 

[missy]

Gyspy, I am late to this thread but just wanted to chime in and wish you all the best. No matter what you decide it will be the right decision for you both. And if that is Houston it is still an urban environment in which you will absolutely find like minded people. About that I have no doubt. Sending you good luck vibes for the job of your dreams in the city that fast becomes your favorite.

 

[ksinger]

Re: Most liberal and conservative cities.

Gypsy, a very close friend of mine moved to Houston 5 years ago. My husband was very close to being transferred there as well. She lives In Katy and loves living there. She and her husband are not one bit sorry they made the move. It is alsolutely gorgeous where she lives and and she was able to get a lot more house for the money than in Chicago. She's made many wonderful friends while living there, even found a great jeweler. She made many comments about not fitting in before she made the move because she was a little concerned about it being a Red state. Nothing has been a problem for her and husband since living there. I have sometimes wished we would have moved there as well. I really miss her!

Honestly, I really think we all make too too much about red/blue state divisions nowadays. People are people wherever you go, not some other species, and in a country like the US, there is too much movement for every single person in an area to be ONE way only. You're right about friends and such. If my husband and I can be raised here in OKC and still NOT be conservative, and find a whole collection of wonderful friends (some of whom are highly religious AND conservative!) when we are pretty much against against the grain of the area, then how much easier in a large cosmopolitan city like Houston?

If you move there Gypsy, the people won't be the problem. It will probably be the humidity or the traffic or sheer distances!