Our luck is changing!!

It has been a challenging time since we arrived at the west coast in the middle of May. First we stayed north of Vancouver and started our job search. As you guys all know, the campground was far from ideal with the train horns blowing all hours of the night and the logging trucks over the bridge all day long. The job search itself did not go good either, since we were not even able to get an interview with any companies.

Doug had an interview on the east side of Seattle and we decided to find a place up there and start looking for work. Of course, that was not an easy task either, since all the campgrounds that are actually big enough for us don't do monthly rates over the summer and we just can't afford to pay $40 per day for campground fees. We got lucky when we found an ad on craigslist from a private residence that is renting out part of their property to RVers. We drove up on a Friday in the beginning of June to make sure the place was big enough and moved up to the Redmond area the following Monday.

So now we are sitting in Redmond and the first two weeks it rained almost every day. It surely did not help our spirits, but again we started applying for jobs in the area. As of today, the company that Doug applied for originally has still not filled the job as far as we know, but we have given up waiting for them to come through. We posted our resumes on job sites and I even met with an employment agency, which I have heard from twice in one month. I really should not be surprised, since I had the same experience with an employment agency in New Jersey. Next we went to a job fair at the Seattle football stadium and besides it costing us $11 to park there, it was a total waste of time. The ad on the internet said that you would be able to speak with potential employers, which was totally not so. There was maybe 25 booths with people handing out leaflets and telling you to apply for their job openings on line and I was so hoping to be able to talk to a potential employer and be able to explain my four year gap in employment.

And then last Monday I saw an employment ad on craigsllist that actually was looking for an administrative assistant with the German word "Sekretaerin". It sure caught my attention and I sent my resume. Within ten minutes I had a response asking if I could come in for an interview the following afternoon. Of course I said yes and to make a long story short, I got the job and started last Wednesday. I might have not asked for enough money, but at this point I am just glad to have a job and we will have major medical insurance available to us after 90 days. Check out the website of Lavera, which is the company that I am working for. The company is located in Kirkland, which is only 10 miles from here and I am the inventory control/purchasing manager. It is a small company and they are definitely in need of somebody to get a handle on their inventory. It will be a challenge, but that has never stopped me before.

Now we just need to find a car for Doug, since he really can't take the truck on a job interview. Life sure is looking up for us and I am convinced that Doug will find a job soon too. And on the weather front I can happily report that the sun finally has found its way to our area and from what I hear, it should stick around for at least a couple of months before the rain comes back.