From Jan 2nd to Jan 12th we got to visit Texas. TML flew me out their for some training, orientation, and paperwork. They are a very good company. More on them soon.
Flying with two children
We left our house around 3:30am to get to Philly for our flight. Let me tell you how fun it is to carry 2 kids, 2 car seats, 2 carry ons, 2 checked suitcases and all the jackets and everything else we needed. We had to tell Micah that its so much fun to take off our shoes and walk through the big scary metal detector to get through security. Then they had to open our carry on because we had a portable DVD player in it. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you say that we needed to take it out as my kids were screaming and I was trying to corral their car seats. They eventually realized that it wasn't a bomb but actually a real DVD player.
The flight home was a little better. We checked Gabe's car seat this time so it was easier to maneuver through security. Oh, and we accidentally left our DVD player on the flight there so we didn't have to worry about getting it screened on the way home. The last flight home started to get a little rough though. We decided to sit in a row where there was no one in front of us. I know, how thoughtful! Well some lady decided to sit in the seat in front of Micah. Two empty seats to her right and plenty of empty rows behind us. So every time Micah kicked her seat she would turn around and give us "the eyes." and then when Gabe would cry she would plug her ears with her fingers. I guess she really liked her seat though because she never moved.
So that was our flight. I just downloaded some pictures of the houses we looked at so I will have them up soon. As well as some more info about TML.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Here's the Backstory
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away....
OK, OK! Maybe Atco, NJ isn't so "far, far away"
We have been talking about moving to Texas for quite some time. Ramon's grandparents live there and we have been wanting to go visit but just never did. One day we just decided to stop talking and start doing. So Ramon put his resume out on monster.com to see what would happen.
We figured it would take a couple of months to find a job but we started getting offers for interviews right away. Although, most were in every other state but Texas. We did find one place on monster called TML IEBP (Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool) that was located in Austin and they set up an over the phone interview.
The first interview with the IT Director and the CIO went well so they set up a technical interview with one of their technical people. I passed that interview with flying colors and before I knew it they were flying me out to Austin for an in person interview.
The in person interview was more like a meet and greet. I left the house in the morning around 3:30am so I could be in Texas around lunch time. As soon as I got there we went out to lunch at the Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse with the HR Manager, CIO, and IT Director. Great place to eat! After lunch we went back to the office and introduced me to everyone in the department and even showed me their systems and what they did. Then it was off to the airport so I could get home around 11:30pm. I was in 5 different states across the country in one day.
So by this time I was ready for them to offer me the job. When they finally did, they had to check references first, I accepted. and the $15K raise over what I was currently making didn't hurt either.
Oh, and everyone is also asking...why Texas? Why do you want to leave NJ? Let me give you that before I sign off as well. First off, while I know every state in the country has its downsides, NJ sucks! It's run by the mob, it's a very liberal state, taxes are outrageous, the cost of housing is so high we could never afford a single family home, should I go on? Oh, and did you hear about the 2% exit tax?! Don't get me started. But our family is here aren't they? Kinda...Ramon's parents are moving to Texas soon, Erin's parents are thinking of moving to Washington in the near future, Melissa - while she doesn't know where she is going - is going somewhere, Diane and Eric live in CO. Sure there are cousins and Aunts and Uncles on both sides that are still in the area but we gotta do what we gotta do.
Texas on the other hand, is a lot more conservative as a whole, is nice and warm, has no State tax, property tax is better, cost of housing is like 40% better, schools are better, etc. So yeah....off to Texas!
OK, OK! Maybe Atco, NJ isn't so "far, far away"
We have been talking about moving to Texas for quite some time. Ramon's grandparents live there and we have been wanting to go visit but just never did. One day we just decided to stop talking and start doing. So Ramon put his resume out on monster.com to see what would happen.
We figured it would take a couple of months to find a job but we started getting offers for interviews right away. Although, most were in every other state but Texas. We did find one place on monster called TML IEBP (Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool) that was located in Austin and they set up an over the phone interview.
The first interview with the IT Director and the CIO went well so they set up a technical interview with one of their technical people. I passed that interview with flying colors and before I knew it they were flying me out to Austin for an in person interview.
The in person interview was more like a meet and greet. I left the house in the morning around 3:30am so I could be in Texas around lunch time. As soon as I got there we went out to lunch at the Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse with the HR Manager, CIO, and IT Director. Great place to eat! After lunch we went back to the office and introduced me to everyone in the department and even showed me their systems and what they did. Then it was off to the airport so I could get home around 11:30pm. I was in 5 different states across the country in one day.
So by this time I was ready for them to offer me the job. When they finally did, they had to check references first, I accepted. and the $15K raise over what I was currently making didn't hurt either.
Oh, and everyone is also asking...why Texas? Why do you want to leave NJ? Let me give you that before I sign off as well. First off, while I know every state in the country has its downsides, NJ sucks! It's run by the mob, it's a very liberal state, taxes are outrageous, the cost of housing is so high we could never afford a single family home, should I go on? Oh, and did you hear about the 2% exit tax?! Don't get me started. But our family is here aren't they? Kinda...Ramon's parents are moving to Texas soon, Erin's parents are thinking of moving to Washington in the near future, Melissa - while she doesn't know where she is going - is going somewhere, Diane and Eric live in CO. Sure there are cousins and Aunts and Uncles on both sides that are still in the area but we gotta do what we gotta do.
Texas on the other hand, is a lot more conservative as a whole, is nice and warm, has no State tax, property tax is better, cost of housing is like 40% better, schools are better, etc. So yeah....off to Texas!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Come follow us!
Follow us on our journey to Texas. I will be using this blog as a place to keep everyone in the know about our move to Texas. Sooner or later I will start posting pictures, thoughts, stories, and anything else that might pertain to our trip. So stay tuned.
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