Firstly, an apology for the massive delay in updating this website. The past six months have been incredibly busy:- getting married, getting a green card, moving house (twice!), buying a house and starting a new job - phew!!!.
Thanks to everyone who has emailed asking if I am still alive. You will all be pleased to hear I am very much alive and well here in the USA. Read on for the full details of what we have been up to since the last update - be prepared for a long read.........
A Wedding In Hawaii And A Reception in LA:
Sara and I decided early on that we wanted to have a small wedding and make it something very personal to the both of us. So after months of planning we set off with our families to the beautiful Hawaiian islands. We chose to have the wedding on the island Kuauii. It is called the Garden Island due to the amount of tropical vegetation and was the location for the Jurassic Park movie. We arranged the wedding on a Friday which gave our families a chance to enjoy the island and relax.
So on March 24th 2006 Sara and I said "I do" on the lawns of the Plantation House over-looking the ocean. It was a beautiful setting for the ceremony and a wonderful way to end our week on Kuauii. Here are some pictures from the wedding:
After the wedding Sara and I went to the main island of Oahu for a week as our honeymoon. We had arranged a big reception party in Los Angeles a week later for more friends and family to come and celebrate. Oahu is the main island with the capital Honolulu and the famous Waikiki beach. We had a good time but the weather was a bit rainy so I couldn't show off my crazy surfing skills.
So a week later we flew back to Los Angeles and prepared for the reception party. It was another great night with family and friends. Much food and drink were consumed and dancing long into the night:
Alex shows the US crowd his world famous dance moves!!!
We just had three days to recover from the reception before packing up our possessions and gifts and heading north to......... "Seattle". Sara had managed to secure a travel nurse position at the Children's Hospital in Seattle which included housing. Neither of us had ever been here before so we thought it would be fun to try out. Before you all start shouting "what about the weather", yes we know the rain rumours and it is not quite California but this summer was fantastic. Anyway, coming from England it is like a home from home!!!
We are really enjoying living up here and still have much to explore. There is the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains to the west, the Cascade mountains to the east and Mount Rainier to the south, it is all spectacular (when the sun shines of course!!!). Canada is only a short drive away to the North so if things get too bad we can always make a break for the border!
The famous Seattle skyline with Mt. Rainier in the background
Our top five things to do:
- Pikes Place Market - to watch the fish being thrown
- Space Needle - for the view of the city
- Boeing Factory tour - see a 747 Jumbo being built!!
- Visit the first ever Starbucks for a coffee
- See salmon leaping during spawning season at Ballard locks
The Green Card Interview
So far my status here in the USA was that of a "married fiancee" and as such my visa did not permit me to work or travel outside of the USA. The first thing we had to do after getting married was to apply for a Green Card which allows me to become a permanent resident. After three months of waiting we were invited for an interview back in Los Angeles.
The interview was pretty straight forward and they asked questions about how we met and wanted to see photos etc. The immigration officer approved me and welcomed me to the USA and my Green Card (which is actually white) arrived in the mail two weeks later. This was a big relief, after ten months of forms, security checks, interviews and mountains of paperwork I was finally a permanent resident. The next item on the list ... find a job!!!!
Starting a Job
The economy up here in Seattle is pretty strong with companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon and Starbucks all based up here. I went for the usual approach of blasting out the CV (or resume as they say here) to websites, agencies, job adverts etc. I wanted to work in the IT support area which is my background from the UK.
After about three weeks of interviews I accepted a position with a start-up company based in downtown Seattle. It is a small company (about 30 employees) that provides on-call doctors for companies and individuals. All our doctors are mobile so I support the systems they use plus all the office support staff. It is a real change from my last job at the London Stock Exchange but with all new challenges and new technology. So what is it like working in the US? Actually very similar to the UK and I have found the transition pretty easy. My accent always surprises people on the phone so that funny.
Buying a House
Not content with the stress of moving to a new country, getting married and starting a new job we decided to embark on buying a house. We were both tired of living in rented accommodation and just wanted a place of our own. So our summer was spent house hunting and learning the American way for buying houses.
We eventually found our place which is located about 20 minutes from downtown in an area called 'Green Lake'. The house is in a great location with a large lake (hence the name) just a minute from our back door. It is a three bedroom house which includes a large converted basement and small back yard.
The new house
After the craziness of the past year life has settled down (somewhat) and we are enjoying living here in the Pacific North West. USA life is also treating me well. I am enjoying living in a new country and learning new ways to do and say things. 'Garbage' has replaced 'rubbish' and the 'pavement' is now a 'sidewalk' but the accent is very much intact and holding up.
So that is a brief summary of the past four/five months. Treat this as an open invitation to anyone heading out this way. I can highly recommend the area and there is always a spare room at hotel Davis - we would love to see you. I will try to keep the next update more timely with news of Halloween, Thanksgiving and a trip to Whistler (Canada) - my first visit outside of the USA!!!
I hope you are all well and look forward to hearing from you.
Alex and Sara