Life update

[christopher575]

I've mentioned this in various people's blog comments, but it's time to finally announce for real that Garrett and I are moving. We're getting the keys to our new apartment in Everett on March 7th, with a tentative move-out date from the condo on March 14th. We're using this place as a foothold and are planning to eventually get a house up there.

You may wonder why we'd do that instead of just wait and sell when we are ready to get a house, and the answer's quite simple. Living here's extremely expensive. Our new apartment is slightly bigger than the condo and we'll be paying roughly 39% as much to live there. The money we'll save will add up much faster than the value of the condo ever could, and we were planning to move up there within a couple of years anyway, so it made more sense to just go ahead and go for it.

Garrett was super smart and found us an apartment complex right by the South Everett freeway station, so it'll at least be easy for us to come down or for people to visit us. And it'll be one stop to downtown Everett, which has better options for an evening out than our cute little Silver Lake neighborhood. I'll also be working from home all the time now, instead of just Fridays.

This is a very big change, but also a huge relief. I'll miss Seattle very much, but I've had nearly 15 years here to enjoy it. Most importantly, I found Garrett, a great job, and wonderful friends here, so I'm definitely not leaving empty-handed.

Comments

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a great change for you, but I'm sorry I won't get to meet you when I come up for Spring Thaw in April!

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

I'll still come down for Beareoke if you're for sure going! Easy bus trip.

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

I'll still come down for Beareoke if you're for sure going!

It's supposed to be an easy cab trip from the hotel, and it sounds as if it's going to be a highlight of the event...

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

If you wanna join Uber you can get a credit toward a fare up there using my referral code. :)

https://uber.com/invite/uber575

Hell, the number 2 bus would also get you there and back quite easily, within a couple of blocks.

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

If you wanna join Uber you can get a credit toward a fare up there using my referral code.

I just registered. I'm guessing from your referral that you've had good luck with them

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

Yup. I've had lots of miserable experiences with cabs and am so glad Uber came along. I've had to give the drivers directions occasionally, but other than that, I've had no complaints.

Be sure to ask the driver what your name is when he or she pulls up. There are a few people with towncars who drive around trying to pick up people waiting for Ubers who then demand fare once you get there. I didn't think it was a real thing but two of them tried to pick us up after Pride.

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

BTW the Renaissance is an awesome hotel. Be sure to check out RView, the bar up top.

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

the Renaissance is an awesome hotel

Good to know. My last Spring Thaw four years ago was at a hotel that the hosts were less than happy with (at one point they were charged $100 for one urn of breakfast coffee), so I'm assuming that the Renaissance is the better choice.

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

Make sure you post what night you'll be there so I can be sure to also be there!

[notmypresident.livejournal.com]

Make sure you post what night you'll be there so I can be sure to also be there!

Beareoke is on Thursday, April 10th. That seems to be THE social event for the Thaw.

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[myrrhmade.livejournal.com]

Congratz!

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

Thank youuu!

[molasses.livejournal.com]

and Everett's not that far!

congratulations!

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

[xvsharrax.livejournal.com]

Dang! And you just got that super amazing shower built!!!

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

It's a bummer for sure, but since we knew we were leaving 2016 at the latest, it was always mostly for resale value and to enjoy in the meantime. And it wasn't really optional since that bathroom was in such bad shape before. We'll miss it, though!

[xvsharrax.livejournal.com]

If you're comfortable answering, about how much did all that cost? I desperately need to get a new shower, myself. I live in a manufactured home (not a trailer, it has a foundation, it's just prefab) and all 3 of our bathrooms have plastic showers and tubs that I hate

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

Somewhere around 12-13k. Kinda hard to say because we got a loan for 10k but each of us also ended up buying some of the materials with our own accounts. That was for everything in the whole bathroom: new floor, shower all the way up the wall, vanity, mirror, medicine cabinet, sink, shower, toilet, electrical, etc.

[xvsharrax.livejournal.com]

For an entire bathroom renovation, that's very reasonable. One of my co-workers did a remodel last year that was around 25k. Thanks for the food for thought!

[suxdonut.livejournal.com]

sweet on working from home! It'll leave more energy for walking around and going out at going-out-time. Sounds much cheaper, with the same wages being put to Everett grocery/living prices. I'll miss your CHS posts but I hear that...Steve pointed out how this $17 bag of Chia seeds at b'way qfc is $8 at Redmond QFC (and $2 at Redmond TJs). Still, the same store had such different prices! It's quite marked up around here.

[christopher575.livejournal.com]

We visited the Safeway down the street from the new apartment today. It was huge and there was almost nobody there. Paradise!