We're Here!

Written on 1/20/10

Where do I begin… Well, we’re in Texas now! We have been here for a little over a week now. We have been living as what I like to call “minimalist” until our things arrive which is supposed to be tomorrow. We still have no internet or TV. -- Time Warner will not make any installations or set-up until our TV’s arrive. As a result, we have become frequent visitors of our apartment complex office and Starbucks where free wifi is available. The office staff at our apartment have been very warm, friendly, and helpful. To keep Spencer and I entertained during the evenings, we have been borrowing movies from the DVD library located in our apartment office and watching them on our laptops.

As some of you may have already heard, we experienced our first thunder and lightning storm out here in Austin, Texas. It was pretty much one of the most frightening things ever. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if our building was hit by the lightning. When they say things are “big” in Texas… they really mean it! Most of you may find it silly to imagine unless you come out here and experience it yourself—pretty sure your arm hair would stand straight up. I’m still dreading the infamous golf ball sized hail that will eventually fall.

Roads out here are very confusing. I think its going to take me a long time to memorize where roads lead to and what direction they are running. A lot of the roads have two names, so this means that the GPS can be easily confused. Luckily, we have not gotten lost yet, but I won’t count my chickens just yet. Can I also just say… why in the world aren’t speed limit signs posted on the streets! Such a cop trap!

Spencer now has a car, and I will be getting mine in the next week or so. So far, people have been quite friendly out here. We joined a 24-hour fitness sport club close to us. It’s fairly new with a basketball court which Spencer really likes along with spin and zumba classes that I can’t wait to start.

Grocery shopping has gone quite well, prices are significantly less than the bay area. H.E.B. stores claim most of the market share which I can now see why. Prices are very competitive compared to Safeway while still maintaining equal quality. The other thing I just love is that there is no tax on unprepared food. It’s just so wonderful.

We went downtown last weekend to catch a movie, “Youth in Revolt”. We went to a small theater called “The Alamo” formally “The Ritz”. Why I feel this is so blogworthy to mention is because this was no ordinary theater. This theater was a full on service theater. It’s stadium seating with a waiter that serves you drinks (yes alcoholic drinks included) and dinner throughout the entire movie! Spencer and I thought it was the best ever. Prices are slightly cheaper for admission and picture and sound quality are absolutely up to par. They have occasional themed sing alongs which are supposed to be a blast, and $1 midnight showings. After that experience, I don’t really think I could go back to a regular theater ever again.

All in all, our apartment is quite lovely and spacious. Our location is fantastic. We are conveniently located just 10 minutes from the heart of downtown and less than 20 minutes from the airport. We are surrounded by great restaurants and shopping centers. My closet is huge, truly a dream come true—and I don’t have to share it with Spencer because he has his own equally huge closet!

We hope to have jobs soon, and will be more proactive as soon as we have an internet connection in our apartment. Until later, adios!

Eureka! We've found it!

Yes, it’s been a while, but this is because I have been sick with a terrible cold and was in San Diego, CA for a PRSSA Conference. Despite being under the weather, Spencer and I have been able to get the apartment situation squared away. We are both really excited--me probably more--because we found a two bedroom, two full bath apartment in Austin! The apartment is located about 10 minutes north of downtown Austin and is just lovely. Thank goodness for Paula, she was able to physically check out the apartment for us and take a plethora of pictures of the apartment and its property. This helped us in making our final decision, along with a rent price we were willing to pay. Like I have said before, it is hard to make a decision on apartments when we physically are not there to see them for ourselves. Luckily, Paula has been an amazing help. This would have been terribly difficult without her.

Magnolia Court Apartments (http://www.magnoliacourtapartments.net) are where we are looking to settle into once we reach Austin in January. We just sent our deposit and are ready to sign all the paperwork. It's so nice to know we have found somewhere comfortable for us to live in. The apartment will also come equipped with a full-size washer and dryer! Yes, we are really lucky. So along with a dedicated guest bedroom, this means that everyone that would like to come visit us in Austin will have a comfortable stay with us.

On another note, I am also really excited because I just found out Austin has an Ikea, CPK, and Jamba Juice (three of my favorite places). Hopefully this will help with the home sickness I may end up feeling.

Next mission—booking the rental truck!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

What would you like to order? A roach-free apartment please.

Each day consumed with events and tasks, is quickly fading. Most of this weekend has been spent researching apartments when it should have been spent working on homework. The apartment hunt has become very tiring. I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. Spencer and I have outlined a budget which has led us to look right outside of the downtown area. I went through at least 70 apartments within the 6 mile radius of downtown Austin this weekend. The apartment pictures and websites display very appealing apartments which could fool anyone if one does not already live in Austin, but luckily Google satellite map has helped me weed out those apartments located in an undesirable area. Out of the 70 apartments searched this weekend only about eight passed my test so far – I still need Spencer’s approval on these eight and to consider any of Paula’s advice. I will have to say, this is no ordinary apartment test and is very selective. First, after selecting an apartment that meets our budget, I look at the location on Google maps to see its exact proximity to 6th Street. Next, I choose the Google satellite option to see what the street looks like and to get an idea of the neighborhood. After this, I check apartment reviews which can get ugly (yes, some had cockroaches as fellow occupants). Not to worry, because of our high standards the apartment we will live in will be roach-free and hopefully resemble a resort. After the reviews, I look at the apartment main website to view the amenities. Final stages will include verifying openings in January and qualifying for the rental application. Am I missing anything? As you can see, this is not easy – especially since we cannot physically be there to tour these apartments ourselves.

I think when we finally have the apartment situation figured out and the rental truck dates locked in, I will be less stressed. I do not want to enter this holiday season worrying about getting things organized last minute for Austin. I want to enjoy this holiday season peacefully in the bay area with family and friends. Only two more weeks, and KOIT will begin their 24/7 Christmas music. I can already start to hear Feliz Navidad!

When it all started

For friends who know we (Spencer & I) are moving to Austin, TX and those still learning, we didn't just decide this overnight. We have been planning this for almost a year and a half now!

It was Spencer's idea, without a doubt what I believe a great idea. The excitement began as we researched the city learning about their taxes, entertainment, job market, housing costs, school districts, crime, environmental progress, etc. We loved everything we were reading, and decided that this may be a great place to start as a young professional and move forward in our lives. Since Spencer has already completed his Bachelor’s degree, we agreed that we would wait to move as soon as I graduated from SJSU in fall 2009 -- despite how anxious we are to start moving.

In March 2009, Spencer took a trip out to Austin with his buddy. They enjoyed the great eats the city has to offer along with checking out some home communities. They stumbled across a master planned community in the hill country part of Austin called Steiner Ranch http://steinerranch.com. Spencer returned home from the trip quite excited about this community and we immediately popped in the DVD where I discovered our dream homes. It didn't even take a second for me to realize this is where I wanted to live and grow with a family.

We immediately got in touch with a realtor, Paula Gold (http://paulagold.stanberry.com), located in Austin who was referred to us by my mother’s co-worker. We discussed with her our interest in Steiner Ranch and she agreed to show us homes located there. Our flight was quickly booked -- now it was my chance to finally experience Austin in May 2009.

Austin was everything I imagined and it lived up to my expectations in every way. We toured homes in Steiner Ranch which I adored. We ate some of the most flavorful food imagined; thank you Trudy's for your wonderful chicken stuffed avocado. Experienced the nightlife all along 6th street like taking in the intense live music scene Austin nurtures. We certainly did not miss out on the millions of bats fleeing at dusk to catch their pray or come to figure out the hard to miss lady/gentleman who walked passed us in south congress was the ‘famous’ Leslie that many austinites friend.

To catch you up to speed, we are now in the stages of selecting an apartment to move into come January, with the help of wonderful Paula of course. We are trying to focus in on downtown so we can experience all the city has to offer on a daily basis.

This is our journey to Austin, Texas and our accounted experiences moving forward.

-Amanda