Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Midnight Train

In the last two days a lot has been going on at our house.

We've pretty much decided to move to Augusta, Georgia.

The WHY:
Scott is currently employed by a company whose contract for his job is up October 1st. Instead of going with the new company to keep his job and get less pay, less vacation, no hurricane pay and a host of other non-benefits, he has the opportunity to take a position WITH his current company but in Augusta at at least the same pay rate and benefits.

The WHEN:
Scott will likely go in about two to three weeks, I will probably follow within about three weeks to a month.

The CONS:
I'll be giving up my job at the pet store, which is the job I've enjoyed most anywhere.
We'll miss our friends here in Key West - my coworkers and especially Jenny.
Augusta is not a tropical island.

The PROS:
I've already applied for a real-estate closing assistant job in Augusta, which is basically the same type of thing I was doing in Washington before moving to Key West. If that doesn't come through, there is a general manager position available at a PetCo in Augusta and a few other things that look interesting.
Housing in the area is significantly less expensive than in Key West. We've already been scouting out possibilities and I've found beautiful five-bedroom homes on huge lots for a hundred dollars less per month than we are paying for our two-bedroom here in Key West.
We'd be about a two-hour drive from Atlanta, which is a hub for several airlines thus making it much cheaper to fly anywhere anytime, but more importantly to Portland.
Then there's the conveniences... Target, Red Robin, Trader Joes, Old Navy, and my favorite - Old Spaghetti Factory all within driving distance.

We're hoping to make strong headway on saving up a bunch of money so that when we DO have the opportunity to move to Portland/Vancouver, we have more freedom with what to do once we get there.

7 comments:

Jill said...

Trader Joe's might make it all worthwhile for me.
Best of luck!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you will enjoy Augusta. It's not the Keys, but it's pretty nice. If you like the small town life check out North Augusta. The houses are cheaper, taxes lower, and you will still have a quick commute into the city. You won't be far from Savannah or Charleston if you want to get some salt air and do some fishing. I keep a boat south of Charleston and it usually takes me about 2.5 hours to drive down at a leisurely pace. Good luck!

Unknown said...

And all this time I thought you wanted to join Daughters of the Confederacy...oh well, jobs and savings accounts are important too! I will have to stop in and see you in Georgia as I fly thru Atlanta when I am going to grad school stuff. Good luck with the move. Hopefully the skunk doesn't get too upset by the changes!

Anonymous said...

Augusta! Well, you're already used to the heat, so you should be fine. Hope it works out well for you.

Mandi Sue said...

Wow! Big changes! Dad & Denyce lived in GA for many years and really liked it. Southern hospitality is not just in the movies! :)

Sagacious T said...

One step closer, no steps back!
I love & miss you guys. Call if you need anything.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully all these "pros" still apply, after all the agonizing back-and-forth.