DAY 68 - LOOKING AT HOUSES

OK.. as I am getting my arms around the thought of potentially moving out of Michigan, what better activity then to check out real estate and figure out if this is really feasible or not. The problem is that I am not exactly sure where we are supposed to live. I got some advice from a man who heads up the Jewish Federation in PA. He was really nice and told us that we would probably be happy in a particular area. I thought to myself ... this is great to pinpoint the right community. However, when I spoke to the relocation manager for the company and told her about the area, she said "oh that is where some of the executives live - it is a very nice area." This gal maybe someone who reports to me in the future and all of sudden I felt like I was a snob. I mean, I am happy that I am moving up in the organization but I certainly don't think of myself as an executive. It also made me nervous about the house prices and if I locked myself into something that I cannot afford. I quickly backtracked and told her that I received this recommendation from someone that I spoke with during a 15 minute conversation and was happy to take her thoughts too. I hope I saved my image on this one.

I quickly went to a real estate website to look up some properties in this area. Yep, a little pricey but luckily found a few houses in our price range. But then I thought, who wants to live in the wannabe neighborhood... I guess I have to check it out when we get out there next week.

EASTER TRIP

Yes, we are going to be on the road to Pennsylvania on Easter. This is the final trip and look see around the area. I am fairly certain that I will get an offer but then again who knows. Every time I think I am done with the interview, there are more steps. Now I know I added this step because I could not possibly accept an offer if my family has not seen the area. The Relocation Manager mentioned that I would be interviewing with another slate of people on Monday and then hanging out with a realtor on Tuesday.

This means that I have to wear the suit. If you recall, I had this great suit that I guess I gave to the Salvation Army. I then went and bought a replacement suit and had it altered on the spot. I ended up not wearing it because I felt kind of like a she man in it. I then bought another suit (which is so cute) that I have already worn to my last all day interview with the company. So today I tried on the she man suit and actually thought it looked OK. Now I can't figure out if the suit is actually flattering and I imagined the whole man thing. At this point I am slated to wear it. I hope I don't change my mind because I won't have any options so it better stay cute!!

Realization
Getting a series of recommendations from various people will most likely get us to the best area for our family. I suppose it is an unfair questions to the Jewish Federation guy since he has know idea how much I can spend on a home. Realization 2 - I should embrace the fact that I am actually motivated to wear this suit. It was nice in the store so I am sure it is fine for the interview.