Finally, a Job

After about 4 months of searching and a couple of close calls, I accepted a job yesterday! I'll be working for REI at their headquarters in Kent, WA, a suburb south of Seattle. Although it has been fun to have some time off during the summer, I'm looking forward to getting to work. I start after Labor Day, which works out well because my parents will be visiting us over Labor Day weekend.

I will be a Business Analyst working with their Online (rei.com) and Marketing divisions; my responsibilities will be similar to what I did at Target. I'm excited about working for REI, and not only because I like shopping at their stores. They're a very respected company amongst people in the retail industry, and they've been named one of the "Best Companies to Work for in America" by Fortune magazine for the last 10 years in a row.

Really the only downside to the whole thing is that we'll have to buy a second car. There really isn't any way I can commute to REI using public transportation...Seattle's bus/train system isn't set up to accommodate reverse commuters. Although Anya could use a bus to get to work it's simply not practical (it's a 60-90 minute ride each way and is actually more expensive than driving).

This weekend and next week I'll be spending my time car hunting, which is an activity that I'm only mildly looking forward to. There just aren't very many cars out there that I like, and they all seem irrationally expensive (for what you get).

Crystal Lakes

Yesterday, Anya and I went on a hike to some beautiful alpine lakes and took a few pictures.

We drove to Mount Rainier National Park and hiked the Crystal Lakes trail. It climbed 2300 leg-burning vertical feet through dense temperate forest to sub-alpine forests and meadows filled with wildflowers. The objective was a pair of crystal-clear alpine lakes at 5800'. Although it was too cloudy to see Rainier itself (a few miles away up the valley), we did get great views of the jagged and rocky peaks surrounding the lakes. Overall it was a cool and cloudy day, but it was sunny at the lakes and warm enough for some hardy (or crazy?) people to be swimming.

August in Seattle

Sorry about the lack of recent updates.

I'm continuing to search for a job. I've had several interviews with REI for a position at their headquarters in a suburb of Seattle; I feel pretty good about the job but will have to wait for a couple more weeks for their answer. I've thoroughly enjoyed having the summer off, but it would be nice to have some income (I'm sure Anya would appreciate that as well).

Over the past few weeks we've been semi-seriously investigating the possibility of buying a house or townhome of our own. Although we already knew this, we're finding that real estate in Seattle is very expensive compared to Minneapolis. We toured one small, dingy house built in 1904 (and hideously remodeled in the 60's...it probably hadn't been cleaned since then). The house had noticeably settled to one side; it seemed that even a minor earthquake could cause a total collapse. Because it was in a desirable neighborhood it was listed for more than $400,000. We found one nice (but not luxurious) new 3-story, 1800 sqft townhouse in a very good location (a leafy residential neighborhood within a few blocks of coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, a grocery store). It was $815,000.

Since we're not really serious about buying anything right now, it is fun - although a little discouraging - to look at what's out there.