It turns out that being a ‘cloud engineer’ in the market for a job and willing to relocate pretty much anywhere in the country really lights a fire under the hordes of recruiters vying for a cut of a hefty signing bonus. The job calls started pouring in daily by the dozens and it was too much to even keep straight without our trusty whiteboard.

One short week later we had a daunting travel schedule lined up – this time for work and not just play – as multiple companies across several cities were ready for final in-person interviews. So, we packed up and hit the road for 14 days of travelling our little hearts out.

Chicago – The windy city has been on our travel list for quite some time (I loved my short weekend trip four years ago and Russell had never been).  Add to this an interview with powerhouse GE and the chance to see some friends who recently moved from Houston and you have the makings of an unforgettable week. Swimming in Lake Michigan, playing at the Science and Technology Museum and falling in love with deep dish pizza were just a few of the highlights coupled with some great urban exploring.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Chicago at night

Chicago at night

Standing in a tornado and watching Zeus-Hazen make lightening

Standing in a tornado and watching Zeus-Hazen make lightening

Philadelphia –> Denver –> Los Angeles – Certainly the most extrapolated itinerary, these three cities were actually for just one job. A cloud tech company called Trace 3 with offices in LA and Denver requested Russell complete a final interview for an LA position…with their team in Denver. Since I’ve already clued you in on just how remote our current location is (especially in terms of airports) it was actually the easiest thing for us to drive 2.5 hours to Philadelphia for Russell to catch a flight to Denver.  A brief 22 hour round-trip with no overnight stay allowed us the entire next day to explore the city of Brotherly Love!

Hazen in Philly

Hazen in Philly

Skyline at night!

Skyline at night!

18th Century Garden

18th Century Garden

Washington DC –  According to most of the professional nerds I’ve surveyed, there are three companies that represent the pinnacle of job nerdom: 1. Google 2. Amazon and 3. Microsoft.  SO, when Amazon offered to roll out the red carpet for an interview in Herndon, Virginia, a gorgeous suburb of DC, we were thrilled! Two paid nights in a fancy Marriott suite are never something this girl is gonna turn down (especially when it means strong wifi!).  Russell got spend time with some of his old high school buddies from his younger days in the DC area, we had dinner with his parents who live in Maryland, got to luxuriate in the hotel rooftop pool, and even chased an awesome lightening storm that rolled in on our last night!

The lightening rolled through the sky for over an hour! I was only able to grab my camera for the tail end of the show though...

The lightening rolled through the sky for over an hour! I was only able to grab my camera for the tail end of the show though…

At the end of this whirlwind, it was time to head back home (by way of 4th of July weekend at Gettysburg and the Hershey Chocolate Factory!) and relax for a while. I’m not honestly sure if there is a limit on how much consecutive travel I can handle at a time but….it was really nice to sleep in my own bed after all this!

Cannons at Gettysburg on the 253rd anniversary, July 2nd

Cannons at Gettysburg on the 253rd anniversary, July 2nd

4th July Collage

Even though these trips were for business and interview purposes, it was amazing how free we felt, finally able to get out and see the world the way we’d wanted and planned to. By the time we made it home from DC, Russell already had two official job offers!!  It was clear that some exciting things were beginning to fall into place and we were not destined to repeat the dire circumstances of 2015.


This is the first part of a 4 post series:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

2 comments on “The Scenic Route Part III – A Tale of Several Cities

  • Part III is very encouraging but, I still want more. The photos are splendid! I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Both to read Part IV and to see you!!

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