Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future.

Leaving work

As I walked into the office today it felt like I had earmuffs on. People were saying things to me but I was more caught up in the thought that I’d probably be leaving this place soon. I walked though the offices in a blur. The boss called me into his office.
“How’d it go” he asked.
“Yeah, really well.” I didn’t want to lie to him. He has been genuine with me so I decided to be honest with him.
“So when are you leaving?” I told him I didn’t know yet but probably in the next few weeks. He wished me well and reminded me he still expects the best from me while I am here. I assured him I will.
For the entire day I have been a bit sad. I didn’t think I’d miss this crazy place but after 12 years I really am going to. I don’t doubt we will have a better life in Port Stephens but it is hard to leave behind all these friends, hard work and habits but I will always have the memories (even if they aren’t all positive). No more running late for the train, no more buying coffee from the Indian guy in the lobby, no more late nights in the office, no more writing here (probably anyway). I look forward to the new lifestyle we will have. Taking the boys to the beach after work in summer, Sunday picnics, raising a puppy again (cause we promised Michael we would) and all the other fun stuff we will get up to. I also look forward to having a better relationship with my wife. I’ve always thought we have had a good marriage but it can always get better.
I guess I should go for now but I will write again soon.

Hectic Times

What a busy day yesterday was. After inspecting the house at Salamander Bay, which was quite a let down, I rushed over to Shoal By to meet with Tony, the principal of Shoal Bay Public. It is a beautiful school. Lots of trees, plenty of grass to play on and the children seemed really nice. I sat in on the class Michael will be in for 20 mins or so. Straight from that I grabbed some quick lunch at Henny Penny (my favourite when I come up here cause they don’t have it in Sydney) and prepared for my interview. The people up here are so different. When I walked into the firm I immediately noticed that no one was wearing suits and ties. The boss was wearing tailored pants and an open collared shirt but everyone else was mismatching wearing shorts, t-shirts, the receptionist even had thongs on. But from their portfolios they present themselves very professionally and work for some very large companies. The majority of their work comes from Newcastle. I think my interview went well. Mark said he liked me and that he was very hopeful I get a job up here so my family can enjoy living here. He said I should expect a call towards the end of next week.
So for now I wait, I’ll keep applying for some jobs if they come up but this one seems like the best so far. I have applied for others in Newcastle but haven’t heard anything yet.

Friday’s D-Day

I just heard from Fire Marketing, a small company located at Nelson Bay. They would like me to come in for an interview. The position is for a marketing manager but they said they would provide some training if I didn’t have the skills. We arranged for an interview on friday at 1pm. I’m going to be very busy on Friday, inspecting a house at 10am, have an interview with the principal at Shoal Bay Public School at 11:30 and now a job interview at 1. Sharron was very happy when I just told her. It still doesn’t fell like this is reality. Are we really going to move. It seems like everything is coming together just fine at the moment.

By the way, rumours around the office are that El is leaving. A few of the guys have confirmed this but she still hasn’t made it official. We haven’t spoken since that incidence.

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

House Hunting

Here are the 5 houses we looked at. I am looking through the last house on Friday as we didn’t get a chance to on Sunday.

Shoal Bay – $949,000

This house is what we are looking for, located at Shoal Bay, plenty of room for the boys and within our budget.

Corlette – $849,000

Cheaper house but not in as good location. Haven’t actually been inside.

Nelson Bay – $999,000

Awesome location but doesn’t really have a backyard for the kids.

One Mile Beach – $1 149,000

A great property on 2 acres. The boys would love it and it’s only 100m to the beach. It is quite expensive so we would have to get a good price for our house. Sharron loves this one.

Shoal Bay – $899,000

Very well priced large home. Very close to the bay. I’m inspecting this one on Friday.

We have talked about the One Mile Beach property. The family fell in love with it immediately but I made it clear that we might not be able to afford it. I hate it when you can’t buy the best for your family.

So much to do

So much to do to get organised.
•    We have to get our house ready to sell, let alone sell it in this slow housing market at the moment.
•    Find a house at Shoal Bay or somewhere close.
•    Enrol the boys at school. I am going up on Friday to hopefully look at some more houses and have a chat with the principal at Shoal Bay Public School. The boys have never been to a public school before but they think it will be fine as many of their rugby friends go to public schools.
•    Get a job up there. Either in Newcastle to start with, which is about a 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minute commute depending on where we end up buying, or somewhere local in one of the smaller firms.
•    Leave my friends at work. I haven’t told most of them yet, only suggested to my boss what my family is planning on doing soon. He was very supportive and promised me a great farewell party as I had been at the company for 12 years.
Looks like we’re going to have a busy few months.