The Final Countdown

At last, an update:

As planned, I left Harvard on May 27, the day after Commencement, so that I could focus on packing up the house (in addition to saving money on before/afterschool for Artie and daycare for Vivi.)  Our house went on the market in early May, but we didn't get an acceptable offer, just over our asking price, until June 24 (one offer was less than what we originally paid!).  Then the rush was on to find a place to live, but first we had to see where I would land a job.

Art finally got my resume into the right hands after someone left, so I interviewed with his company in mid-June.  In late July, I was finally offered a position as an admin assistant in the Clinical Development & Regulatory Affairs division.  However, since the department apparently has met its hiring quota for the year, they can only offer me a temp position through December--but assuming all goes well, I'd get a signing bonus upon becoming permanent in January.  (Art wonders if they used that as an excuse to avoid giving me relocation benefits, since his own were extended an extra 3 months past his original deadline.  But whatever--I think it gives me a chance to see if I like it, and if I don't, I can look at what is out there in higher ed.)

As for housing, timing was too tight to search for and close on a house; we will be renting a condo in Danbury, CT.  It's about 45 min from Regeneron with traffic.  The girls and I have not seen it yet, because after seeing 4 properties, our first choice was taken by the time we tried to submit an application, and the second was rejected (they didn't understand we were in the process of selling our house--GRRR).  So Art saw a couple of properties after work one day, and liked this one.  (Fireplace, 2-car garage under the house, community playground and pool--I'll take it!)

And why do things the easy way? We get the keys AND I start my new job this coming Monday, the 15th.

It's been a rough 14 months, and I'm ready for this move to just be over with.  My anxiety levels are through the roof, especially since the girls fight more than they play together, and Vivi has severe separation anxiety--she shadows my every move and wants to "help" with everything.  So now it's crunch time; today Art stuffed the Corolla with boxes and I followed behind with the girls, Little Susie the guinea pig, and her cage.  After setting up Susie's cage in Art's current apartment, we had dinner, and then the girls and I drove back to Boston.  Whew!  See you on the other side...

A Long-Overdue Update

"Whatever happened to the Contreras's move to New York?" you might be asking.  Well.  The obstacles have been nothing short of a novel, so I'll try to summarize with bullet points:

• I was lucky enough to land interviews with two places.  One of them was a perfect fit, though the position was rather entry-level; after a great interview and the beginning of reference checks, I found out the salary was 50% of my current one. The other position was put on hold after I went through FOUR interviews (one of those via Skype).  After that happened, the academic year had kicked in and I had no energy to start all over again.
• We tried to buy a house, but our offer was declined because we still own the Boston one.  So we tried to rent an apartment, but since my salary is currently paid in Massachusetts, they would only consider Art's salary, which did not qualify for the monthly rent.
• Once we were turned down for the apartment, it was the beginning of the school year for Artie, so at the last minute (since we had withdrawn her from private school) I had to apply for a spot in Boston Public Schools.  As luck would have it, she got into one of the most sought-after elementary schools in a fantastic neighborhood near our house.  She loves it; her teachers say that she fits in so well, it's as if she has been there since pre-K.  
• Art was connected to someone at work who needed a roommate, so together they share a 2BR apartment about 10 min from Art's work.  Between the executive housing that ended in August and November 1, he had been AirBnB-ing.
• Meanwhile, work has been insanely crazy: the Dean stepped down after 11 years in June, so after that, I was assisting the Acting Dean and Incoming Dean, in addition to the Chief of Staff. In August, I was the last woman standing with the Chief of Staff (one colleague went to another department, and the other moved to Atlanta).  Luckily we gained a replacement for one of the former staff in late September, who has worked out phenomenally.  I really can't thank the Chief of Staff enough for being so understanding with having to shift my schedule for drop-off/pick-up with the girls, since I'm single-parenting during the week.  After giving it some thought, I asked for a pay increase for all the extra work I've been doing in exchange for agreeing to stay through Commencement (May 27). Luckily, that's been agreed upon.  
• Art continues to enjoy his new job--they were just named in the Top 100 Places to Work.  He recently went 2 weeks without having to bring lunch: he was told that if a room looks like a meeting has ended, and there is leftover food, then it's up for grabs. He joined the bowling league (free beer and food) and the softball team.

Needless to say, it's been a stressful time.  So stressful, that when we went to Florida for a week-long vacation in mid-February, I spent a day and a half in bed with a bad headache.  The Monday I went back to work, I went to the clinic to get it checked out.  My blood pressure turned out to be dangerously high, so they called a cab and had me taken to the ER, where I spent 6 hours resting with an IV to treat a combination migraine-tension headache.  Yay me.  Art had to drive back from NY to pick up the girls, who were understandably scared to meet mom in a hospital room on a gurney :(  

I'm feeling much better, and have slowed down since that incident.  I think we might end up renting the Boston house.  Family friends mentioned that co-workers are moving out of the city due to excessive rents, but that makes commuting a nightmare, so perhaps we can get one or two of them to rent the house.  We'll likely be in NY come hell or high water by July 1.  Stay tuned!