We're getting closer and closer to moving time--my official start date at Microsoft Research will be 7/5/05, which means I'll be moving in about 2-1/2 months. Ack!
We'll be renting out our house while we're gone. Rather than moving our household goods cross-country and then back again (a non-trivial expense), however, we're going to try to simplify the process as much as possible. We'll be storing our furniture and many of our possessions--some of it in the basement, and the rest in climate-controlled storage at Store-to-Door--they drop off a bunch of storage "vaults" in your driveway, you pack them up, then they cart them away to their storage warehouse. Neat idea, and reasonably priced. It means we don't have to rent, drive, and unload a truck...just cart things out to the driveway and pack them up.
We'll ship our personal belongings to Seattle--clothing, housewares, linens, kids' toys, a few books, some electronics. We'll rent furniture while we're there, which doesn't look like an outrageous expense, and purchase a few pieces for the kids's rooms while we're there.
Microsoft is being quite helpful with the relocation process; while the relocation benefits for visiting researchers aren't quite as generous as those for new full-time hires, they're better than most people get for a sabbatical year, and I'm so not complaining.
Since I'll be in Redmond for a couple of professional activities in April, Gerald's going to come out and join me from 4/20-24 and we're going to look for an apartment or townhouse on the eastside. I've done some poking around online, and it looks like there are a lot of options. We want the Lake Washington or Bellevue school district because of their good support for homeschoolers. We also want an apartment complex with a fitness center and pool and playground for the boys. Rent.com shows a lot of places that meet our criteria, and I suspect the Microsoft relocation folks will have suggestions, as well.
Alex and I will probably drive out to Redmond in mid June in my car, with Gerald and Lane following in the van at the end of the month. That gets both our cars out there, since we'll need them, but doesn't involve two kids traveling together. And it means I can get there early enough to settle in a bit before starting work, without forcing Lane to leave before the school year is out--something I'd promised him he could do.
So, it's getting more real all the time. And the "oh my god how will we do this" is giving way to "this is going to be so cool"--which is a very good thing.
You are going to have such a great time! What a wonderful adventure it will be for the whole family!
I am totally delighted for you -- I hope you have a marvelous time and enjoy every single minute.
Yes, it will be cool! I'm glad to hear you are getting more excited and getting more details decided. Hope to see you sometime soon in Seattle. :-)
I can't wait, Liz! It's going to be an awesome time!
It *will* be cool and exciting. And, I'm happy for you - I can't think of anyone who deserves the opportunity more. You go girl!
On the other hand, I myself will miss you like crazy ...