Life is weird. About two or three months ago Andy and I decided together that if we wanted a great job to fall in either of our laps (metaphorically speaking, of course, it is obviously not that easy), we would have to widen our job search beyond Houston. We have both been frustrated, excited, let down, built back up, frustrated again, rinse and repeat since mid-summer, with both of our job searches.

7 weeks ago, Andy got a random call from a recruiter in the Midwest who found his resume on monster.com, who most likely found it initially because of certain keywords. About 6 grueling weeks later, one coding kata test, 6 or so formal and informal interviews and phone calls, Andy finally got the good news that they were bringing him on as a Software Engineer in their Ann Arbor office. He signed the contract on Monday, and his first day is November 14!

So… the box collecting and packing have commenced! Our place looks so crazy right now. It is still very surreal to me, even after knowing that this would be a possibility for 6 weeks. What an incredibly long 6 weeks those were. I have moved many times in my life, so maybe that is why I am so numb to the process, but it feels slightly different this time. This is the first time both Andy and I have moved on our own as adult people (besides college, but that doesn’t count). I never realized how much work and planning goes into something that seems so straightforward. I give my parents a lot of credit now that I know.

We are so very lucky in this process because of many factors, including the very rare chance it was that one recruiter happened to come across Andy’s resume for this particular position, but mostly the people in our lives that have helped keep us sane, given us great advice, and are helping us in the physical process of moving. We are even luckier that Andy happens to have been born and raised in Southern Michigan and a lot of his family will be about a 1.5-2 hour drive away from us.

We are currently in the stage of talking with realtors about houses that I’ve been tracking for a couple of weeks. We have our eyes on one in particular that we would love to rent, but are hoping it will still be available by the time we get our act together. Andy’s Dad and Stepmom have so nicely agreed to go look at it for us this week to make sure it is not made out of sticks or something, which I doubt from the many photos we’ve seen. We are hoping to put a deposit down on that house (or another house) so it is available to stay/sleep in as soon as we get there in a few weeks! Turns out extended stay hotels are really expensive when you are planning to have two cats with you! We are trying to avoid that at all costs.

Considering all of this is happening around the holidays, I will be going back and forth from MI to TX between mid-November through the end of December, officially driving there (again) with the other car and my pup, most likely after Christmas or the New Year. The particular details have not been worked out for this part this far out. Send good vibes that MI will be freakishly warm or snowless (at least) during that time. Haha. I can dream.

I find it incredibly fitting that Andy is turning 30 this week. A new job, a new state, a new decade, a new adventure. Michigan, here we come. Well, I’ll let Sufjan tell you about it.

So, Happy 30th Birthday, Andy my love! What a birthday it is, indeed.

Love and Happiness,

xo, Meg.