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Hello All,
Well, I haven't written much, but I've read a lot on the message board and it's been a fantastic tool. So, first, thanks to all who give advice - it's pretty terrific.
My husband, Lew and I arrived October 15th and Donna Wheeler met us at the airport and showed us how to get to the condo we rented - if anyone needs a Realtor, I'd highly recommend Donna. She was fantastic. We sent our household items and truck via Tropical out of Miami on the 15th as well - the household items were available for pick up on the next Monday. It was a breeze - customs, etc. was literally about 10 minutes. We hired Fernando at the docks from Fernando trucking and he brought up our items with three guys to help. Total time was about 3 hours from going to Tropical to having everything in the condo. So, we thought the truck should be a breeze. Well, it arrived on Wednesday and it took about SEVEN hours to get it! Wow. If I had not read the posts, I might not have made it, but I brought a book and just dealt with it. We are lucky, the post office is delivering mail to our door.
We flew in on AA and we had our service dog with us. They were wonderful - he's kinda a big guy, so they bumped us to first class so he'd have room to stretch out! Hmmm...I think I should always take him! 🙂
We, so far, have just had a wonderful experience and I look forward to meeting some of you in the near future. We moved from Washington State, so some folks have joked we brought the rain with us! Sorry about that.
Take care and thanks again,
Lesa
There are quite a lot of us in the islands from Washington and the PNW. Even with all the rain the past few days, it's still warm and wonderful to be here. My sons up in Washington reported clear skies this weekend, but there was frost on the ground in the morning. I don't miss that!
I just read your post, I am also moving to the islands (STX) in September 2008. What part of Washington State did you move from? I have been planning this move for 15 years and it is finally right around the corner. I am excited and scared all at the same time! Can you fill me in on how you are adjusting to island life?
Hi - sorry it took so long to respond. You can PM me and I can give you more details. We come from near Vancouver, WA - where are you? Our move, overall, has been wonderful. Of course, a few glitches, but that's to be expected. Bottom line for us is you can see the amazing water, and sky and views and go to the beaches and love it or you can see the pot holes and abandoned cars and the ridiculous line at KMart and not love it! I wish you luck in September - it is a big move from WA and I'd be happy to share what we learned.
Lesa
Hi,
Well, it's all relative. We decided to rent our first year to make sure we knew where we wanted to live and get a feel for the Islands. $2900 Stateside could be comfortable depending on where you're at. I think depending on your lifestyle, it could be difficult here. It is very expensive - $6.59 for a gallon of milk! But, depending on what you want and where/how you are willing to live, it could be done. But I would think a part time job to supplement that might be appropriate. Rent is high here too - I've seen some places for $800 - $1200 per month, but you need to really check out the neighborhood, etc. Other people have been here much longer than me, so maybe they could also give you input? Also, I haven't gotten my new power bill since they raised the rates - I might need a part time job just for that! Also, I don't know what your bills are - if you're retired, maybe all the credit cards are paid off and no kids left in college (we have two in college, so you all know where all of our money goes!). I don't mean to sound discouraging. We made the move and it was a big leap of faith - we have changed our lifestyle and don't regret a minute of it. I would also suggest you have at least 3 - 6 months worth of living in the bank just to make sure you have what you need while you get set up. Good luck and if you want to come down, there is really no place more beautiful! Take care,
Lesa
