After wading through the estimates, we have finally decided on a moving company. They are coming on Monday, October 4th to Cornelia to pick up OUR ENTIRE LIFE. I will take the morning/day off of work to coordinate the movers.
We will spend our last week in Chicago at Brian's Dad's house. We will then leave on Sunday very early in the morning, on October 10th. We should be arriving in Las Vegas very late on October 11th and will spend the first night in our apartment on aero beds. Our furniture should be arriving in the morning on the 12th, and then... that's it! We'll be in our new home less than 2 weeks from today.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A Plethora of Estimates
I have basically spent the past 5 days on the telephone with men and women who work for companies with various incarnations of American Moving Company. They all want to talk to me for at least an hour, they all want me to go through everything that I have in my apartment, estimate the number of boxes that I anticipate boxing, want to know various zip codes and parking situations etc. It's EXHAUSTING!
As if packing all of one's belongings into cardboard boxes, plastic bins, and suitcases isn't difficult enough, there aren't any companies who will come out to your apartment, look at your stuff, and give you a price that doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out (there are companies who come to your house and look around, but they give you prices that make you want to claw your eyes out).
Most people who find themselves in this situation will have their move sponsored by their company. Ours is only partially sponsored, since they are giving me a nice pay increase. In the end of course, it's worth it because our way of life will be much easier out west (no shoveling snow! no driving in the snow! no walking in the snow!), and you know, the potential for growth within the company is much better, yada, yada.
But this part SUCKS. We've decided to make a decision by the end of the week. So I have 2 more days of dealing with estimates and picking a company, etc. Then, the real fun begins!
As if packing all of one's belongings into cardboard boxes, plastic bins, and suitcases isn't difficult enough, there aren't any companies who will come out to your apartment, look at your stuff, and give you a price that doesn't make you want to claw your eyes out (there are companies who come to your house and look around, but they give you prices that make you want to claw your eyes out).
Most people who find themselves in this situation will have their move sponsored by their company. Ours is only partially sponsored, since they are giving me a nice pay increase. In the end of course, it's worth it because our way of life will be much easier out west (no shoveling snow! no driving in the snow! no walking in the snow!), and you know, the potential for growth within the company is much better, yada, yada.
But this part SUCKS. We've decided to make a decision by the end of the week. So I have 2 more days of dealing with estimates and picking a company, etc. Then, the real fun begins!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Birthdays!
It's Brian's 29th Birthday today! In lieu of gifts (movers are expensive!), Brian has requested that I prepare beefsteak tagalog and apple pie for dinner tonight. So that is what he will get!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Vegas Apartment Hunt
Brian arrived in Vegas very late on Thursday night. I had to work for at least a few hours in the morning, so we went straight to sleep. The next morning, Brian and I were ready very early (thanks to the 2 hour delay), so Brian decided to drive me to work in the borrowed '96 Montero, and then drive down to see the strip until I was done.
We had an appointment with a rental broker at 11am. He drove us around and showed us apartments that were Condo rentals in the vicinity of my office. We really liked the first place we saw. The apartment looked relatively new, the complex had a very nice pool, but we were afraid it might not fit all of our stuff, and all of the stuff that we needed to store. At 900 square feet, it was significantly bigger than our old place, but didn't have any storage areas other than the closets. The broker took us to a few more condos which were bigger, but were total dumps. I mean, stained carpets, dead cochroaches everywhere, and even one place that still had food in the refrigerator from the former tenants. None topped the first apartment.
Then, we stopped for lunch at the famous In-N-Out Burger. I had texted Fabi the night before to find out that if you ask for your burger "Animal Style" you get it with grilled onions and a special sauce. It did not disappoint. Brian loved it. We had it for lunch both on Friday and Saturday!
Finally, we went around to the various apartment complexes that Brian and I had found on Apartments.com. It is difficult to find an apartment complex that allows dogs. So many said online that they allowed dogs, only to find out when we arrived that they only accept dogs 25 lbs and under. Total! The first totally dog-friendly place we went to had a dog-run and some swimming pools, but the tenants seemed a little sketchy. I hate to be judgmental, but I saw someone moving in who definitely looked like a stripper. Brian didn't mind (duh!), but I don't really want to share my pool with a stripper.
Finally, we came upon Hampton Garden Apartments, a beautiful gated complex 5-10 minutes away from my office. It has two pools, one indoor and one outdoor (swimming all year round!), a little gym, barbecue areas, doggie pick-up stations, some very nice apartment managers, low pet deposits, a nice balcony, two bathrooms, a walk-in closet, a in-unit washer/dryer and 1100 square feet! We are very excited about our new home and are really starting to look forward to setting up our new life.
Plus, 1/2 mile from In-N-Out!
We had an appointment with a rental broker at 11am. He drove us around and showed us apartments that were Condo rentals in the vicinity of my office. We really liked the first place we saw. The apartment looked relatively new, the complex had a very nice pool, but we were afraid it might not fit all of our stuff, and all of the stuff that we needed to store. At 900 square feet, it was significantly bigger than our old place, but didn't have any storage areas other than the closets. The broker took us to a few more condos which were bigger, but were total dumps. I mean, stained carpets, dead cochroaches everywhere, and even one place that still had food in the refrigerator from the former tenants. None topped the first apartment.
Then, we stopped for lunch at the famous In-N-Out Burger. I had texted Fabi the night before to find out that if you ask for your burger "Animal Style" you get it with grilled onions and a special sauce. It did not disappoint. Brian loved it. We had it for lunch both on Friday and Saturday!
Finally, we went around to the various apartment complexes that Brian and I had found on Apartments.com. It is difficult to find an apartment complex that allows dogs. So many said online that they allowed dogs, only to find out when we arrived that they only accept dogs 25 lbs and under. Total! The first totally dog-friendly place we went to had a dog-run and some swimming pools, but the tenants seemed a little sketchy. I hate to be judgmental, but I saw someone moving in who definitely looked like a stripper. Brian didn't mind (duh!), but I don't really want to share my pool with a stripper.
Finally, we came upon Hampton Garden Apartments, a beautiful gated complex 5-10 minutes away from my office. It has two pools, one indoor and one outdoor (swimming all year round!), a little gym, barbecue areas, doggie pick-up stations, some very nice apartment managers, low pet deposits, a nice balcony, two bathrooms, a walk-in closet, a in-unit washer/dryer and 1100 square feet! We are very excited about our new home and are really starting to look forward to setting up our new life.
Plus, 1/2 mile from In-N-Out!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Random Vegas Thoughts
I'm here:
For the week. (That's the New York, New York in Las Vegas, for anyone who might be confused) I arrived this morning to work on the company's new Employee Handbook, and other issues. This may sound like a silly reason to plan a trip, but it's actually a bigger job than it sounds. Also, we jumped at the chance to have a scouting out trip, before our big move date.
Brian will be joining me on Thursday night, and we'll spend half of friday (I do have to work, after all) and all of saturday looking for an apartment. We've decided (almost) to go with a two bedroom, to save the extra $200/month for a 3rd room that would only come in handy 3-4 times a year. We are checking out some condo rentals, but we'll also take a look at some of the full-service apartment complexes they have out here. They are a little more expensive ($50), but come with a pool, gym, dog run type things, a playground (I like swings), and a full maintenance team. I think it will be worth the extra money, but I want to keep my options open.
The weather is gorgeous. It was 84 degrees today, but it felt nothing like the Chicago equivalent of 84 degrees, aka hot and muggy. It's supposed to be this way for the rest of the week, which means this little city should make a good impression on Brian.
The Chicago condo has not yet had any interested visitors. The realtor has not yet scheduled the professional photographer to come in. Maybe once that happens, it will get a few more bites. We did repaint the bathroom though, at the realtor's request. I guess it has more mass appeal than the purple that it was before.
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