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!