East Coast Boy....MidWest Girl

When an offer came in for me to work in the New York area for a large consulting company at their client, a large regulated electric utility, we knew it was going to be a huge step for my career but with it comes a lot of stress.  We have always had an understanding that if either of us gets a great job out of state we would go.  Instantly Tara was excited and anxious to move, but with a kid on the way the timing would have to be thought out more.  We decided to send me out there and get an apartment for 6 months.  When the kid is on its way, I’d jump on a plane and get to the hospital, which there are plenty of flights.  Deciding on a temporary apartment was a smart idea, as apartment searching in Manhattan is a challenge and even more so from Chicago. 

As it was the 29th of May, the odds of finding an apartment for June was slim.  By some miracle Tara found a place online that seemed like it might work for stepping stone apartment and I contacted them immediately.  They had one unit left, a one bedroom on the top floor.  Figuring the building was just over a year old, I sent in the application and once approved I paid the deposit and first months rent without even seeing the unit.  After work I checked out of the hotel, rented a car, headed down to the new apartment and was pleasantly surprised.  It is really nice. 

Next stop was to raid Target for everything from an air mattress to sleep on to laundry detergent to a plastic plate and cheap silverware I was set.  Living apart has its challenges, like making sure you call your wife enough and not having her keen sense of direction you find yourself relying on GPS more.  The apartment I call home is right near a train station in a cute small town in New Jersey with plenty of bars and decent restaurants.  The apartment is about a year old, it has a gym and indoor parking, and is across the street from a running path that hugs a stream and takes you to a large park.  It takes me 30 min to get to my office in Newark and it’s about 45 minutes from NYC.  With my Kindle, I have plenty of time in the day to read during my commute and I even find myself reading at restaurants while I drink a bourbon or two and eat dinner.  Currently, I am keeping my cell phone on me all the time in anticipation of the call to get on the plane. 

Overall we are really excited to see how we adjust to the life out here.  While living in Chicago was great, we were ready for a change, but not ready for a suburb yet.  Our plan is to move to Manhattan at the end of the 6 months and see what adventures await us.  Stay tuned for even bigger news…