Big Blue Bank Transfer

One of the big steps that we have to take before the 'move' becomes official is get Brian transferred from his branch in Evanston to a branch in the Las Vegas area. Brian was doing his habitual research on Las Vegas (seriously, he gets moving quote voicemails, realtor voicemails, relocation guides sent in the mail...), and found that there was a job opening at a branch near the UNLV campus that has a very high sales average. Of course, it is ideal that he can move from his branch in Evanston with medium to low traffic into a branch with high traffic. That means higher commission points, and more bacon to bring home!

Because of this opening, Brian wanted to approach his branch manager about the transfer slightly sooner than probably was ideal. We hadn't talked about an exact timeline, but we hadn't even gone over how he would approach the branch manager, so he wasn't as prepared as we would have hoped. As you can imagine, the branch manager did not react well... oops. Her response was: "You have to commit to a branch for at least a year before being able to transfer. You're going to have to apply for a job out there, but there are no guarantees." No Guarantees about what? About there being a job? About getting the position?

She's off today. He plans to give it another - more prepared - shot again on Friday. I am hoping that he if approaches her with more humility and deference, things might be a bit better. Also, I've met his manager, and she's a bit of a child. She wears bows on her hair, decks herself out in designer patterns (whether they are real or not is undetermined), and has one of those husbands who wears Ed Hardy and man jewelry. The Regional Manager I have not yet met, but according to Brian, is a much mroe reasonable person. I am hoping that when he talks to the regional guy, the response won't be given with such a 'you're on your own' attitude.

Cross your fingers for us. We really don't want to have to work something out where I am in Vegas while Brian is here, or to delay my start date in Las Vegas. We both are starting to feel like our time here is limited, and we are just in limbo, waiting for everything to be put together. But, I am not moving until December 1st (semi-officially), although there is a good chance of my having to travel there before then.

We are starting to plan on going to Las Vegas for labor day weekend. I will stay on for the rest of the week to get some work done, but Brian and I will spend the weekend looking at apartments and getting ready to sign a lease.

Colgate Wedding

This past weekend, Brian & I attended the wedding of one of my very best friends in the world. She looked gorgeous!

Leanna was the maid of honor at our wedding. She was my roommate for 3 out of the 4 years of college. She and Greg have been dating since our freshman year of college. We were all patiently waiting for Greg to pop the question (Leanna probably more anxious than the rest of us), and he finally did last summer, when they had already been together for 8 years. 

Here is a picture of us back in the day:

The wedding ceremony was held at the Colgate chapel, which made for a gorgeous backdrop:

Jen, Cris, Leanna and I all lived together our senior year in Parker 103. All 3 of us stood up with her for the ceremony.

Brian & I had a wonderful time. It was a great opportunity to show Brian where I spent such a great 4 years of my life. Now, he has a place to pair up with our endless P103 stories!

Welcome!

As many of you have already heard, although we have not yet made any official announcements yet, this new family is (likely) Westbound! As my company is growing, its operations in Las Vegas are playing a more important role than its operations in the Midwest. Remaining based out of the Rosemont, IL office will not be a viable option for long.

We all know that relocating is not something new for me. Some may immediately assume that because growing up, I was so often being relocated from one country to the next, I would take this lightly. But, I am not. I understand that not all families are like mine. More than that, I understand that mine is out of the ordinary for moving so often. Brian has been aware that this move to the West coast was a possibility when I took this job, but never has it been so imminent as it is now. Nor, so permanent. Changes in U.S. Immigration laws, and healthcare licensing rules, which I will not get into here, have all but forced staffing companies to rethink their business models. Luckily, my company had already expanded beyong being a mere "staffing company", but these changes are forcing our operations to rely on our "real" operations, meaning the rehab facilities, medical management, and home health branches of my company. All of these are based in... you guessed it! Las Vegas.

Whether the move will be happening (if I remain with the same employer) and when the move will be happening are both good questions. Tentative dates are Oct 1, 2010, January 1, 2011, or July 1, 2011. Honestly, for my career, the sooner the better. The delay will depend on Brian, and whether the Big Blue Bank can offer him a transfer so soon into his employment with them.

We will both have to weigh the pros and cons of what is best for our little family. The possibility of buying a house sooner rather than later is a big pro. Being away from the city we both love, con. Being far away from Brian's family, con. Being independent in a different city that will allow us to grow together and depend on each other, pro. Having our future children grow up far away from where we grew up, con.

For my main point... when we move, we will be far away from all of our families and friends. I thought this would be a good way to document our lives out there, and give people a place to keep up with us!