We're Moving!

Today is Ken's first day at his new job with Fortify Software. http://www.fortifysoftware.com/
Before Christmas Ken accepted a new job in California. Specifically in San Mateo (bay area). He is really excited about his new position and the opportunity he has to work for them. They make security analysis software. If you want more details about his job or the technology you will have to ask him...

Anyway here are the questions we are asked most frequently when we have told people we are moving:-)

When are you moving? Thankfully the company and his position are very flexible, so we have about a year to move. We will put our house up for sale sometime in April or May, we want to stay in our home until the boys are finished with school and move during the summer. Ken is actually in California right now for two weeks, then he will telecommute. He will be working about one week a month in California and the rest of the time at home. Me and the kids are very sad when he is gone, but we are looking forward to him working from home the rest of the time.

Where is San Mateo? It's halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It's on the peninsula, and his company is very close to the bay.

Do you know how expensive it is in California? Yes, we realize CA is more expensive then TX. (you would be surprised how many people have asked us that) And we took that into account when he recieved the job offer.

Will you be able to buy a house? Yes, but we will probably be renting a house for the first year or two until we get our bearings and home prices are just barely starting to go down in this particular area of CA.

What about Stephanie's parents? We have really enjoyed them living 5 houses away and are sad to move away from them. Nathan is particulary sad, we are trying to convince them to move with us. My father was laid off in July and he still hasn't found a job so they are expanding their job search area too. We really hope they end up living near us again.

What does your kids/family think?
Darin- He is excited because he always says he is from CA, since that is where he was born. He is also very excited because that is where MythBusters (one of his favorite shows) is at and he wants to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Plus, the Tennis League he is part of here is also in the Bay Area (it's random but they are in major cities in CA, TX, and FL).
Nathan- Not very excited about moving:-( He is excited for his Dad to have a new job that he really likes though! He is very sad to be leaving Lola and Papa, and he is especially sad his cousins won't live close by. He loves spending time with them when school is out. And he is sad to leave his friends, but he said if we move he will try to make new ones. He is being a really good sport about moving.
Rose- She's pretty good so long as she has her purple blankie and her right pointer finger. Depending on where we move too, she will probably miss the backyard and playground Ken built. She plays in the fort a lot more then the boys. She is also our outdoor girl, she loves to go out and play in the backyard.
Ginger- She has been all smiles since Ken accepted the job offer, and she never really smiled before. Maybe that has something to do with the timing though since she is only 2 1/2 months old. She has been growing fast, she's already over 13 lbs and sleeping through the night!
Stephanie- If we make it through the first two weeks he is away then I will be good. I am excited to move back to CA. I love the fresh fruits and restaurants. I'm excited to have lots of interesting weekend trips to take the kids on, I can show them alot of the fun places I went to when I was growing up. I'm a little nervous about finding a nice area to raise 4 kids, but I think if we stick to good school districts we will be fine. I am sad about moving away from some good friends I have made in TX.
Ken- He is super excited about his job, especially to get back into doing security work. He can't wait to have fresh seafood again and he is looking forward to the donuts. And he is so excited to live near the ocean, he has felt pretty landlocked in TX. He has been getting ready to work from home and is really liking that he can arrange his office precisely how he likes it. He says he is looking forward to taking the kids camping in CA, but we'll see when he is actually out on a camping trip, I usually like it more then him. But at least he will be able to reclaim his manhood and be able to start a real fire. Let's just say the humidity is a factor when camping in TX:-)