On The Road Again

Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Thats West Virginia. Flatten it out and it would be as big as Texas. We spent the second night in Frankfort Kentucky. Ate at Captain D's. Rained like Noah. The TV didnt work in the room so we had to talk to one another instead. All got to bed early.

We're Off!

We are off to Sioux Falls! Many friends helped us pack the U-haul. Many hands make light work. The packing job took hours less than planned.
I'm towing our little Kia and Kay my wife is following in the mini-van. My u-haul only gets about ten mpg. Chugging up the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, the pedal to the metal, barely making 50! Tuckered out. Stopping at a motel in Covington VA, weaving the truck and towed car through the thin parking lot, only to be told by the desk clerk that there is a separate entrance for trucks. A great employee named Steve, even though his shirt said Mike, guided me perfectly to the location. I tried to get him a pay raise. No dice.
Slept like a baby.
Now off on the road again through West Virginia. Next Stop - hopefully - somewhere in Kentucky or Southern Indiana.

A Man Of Means

I am now a man of means! I have a job in Sioux Falls even before I get there! Starting August 22. We get there July 15. Talk about taking a load off my mind. Applying online for jobs 15-hundred miles away is a challenging occupation, but in this case, there was a difference. In our last scouting trip to Sioux Falls, I met a guy who knew a gal who was in charge of hiring at a certain company and he trusted me with her name and number. A combination of phone calls, e-mails, applying online, phone interviews and lots of prayer got me the job. Never give up. Get your face...or at least your voice...in front of the decision makers somehow. It can be done even if you are 15-hundred miles away. And dont stop praying.

South Dakota On My Mind

I can't help it. All I can think about now is South Dakota. I'm a short timer. Only seven days before we leave Virginia. I find myself googling anything about South Dakota or Sioux Falls. You want to know about Handi-Riders outside Sioux Falls, I can tell you. You want to know when the rodeo is in Irene, SD, I can tell you. How far is it from USF to Empire Mall? No problem. Ask me. What is the best way to get from SF to Mclaughlin, SD? Don't need a map. Its all up here in my head, bursting with South Dakota trivia of all varieties. If there were a South Dakota category on Jeopardy I would be a millionaire!

Little House On What Used To Be Prairie

We have purchased a home in Sioux Falls! We will name it "Little House".....as in Little House on what used to be prarie.
Little House is only a block and a half from USF where our youngest son will be going to school. So, we have a house in Sioux Falls and we are not even there yet! The U-Haul pulls out of Virginia on July 11th..and several days later the Russo caravan hopes to pull into town.

Thee Most Perfect Day In The World

Wednesday, June 8, in Sioux Falls was the most perfect day in the World. 70 degrees, blue skies, with a fresh breeze blowing out at Wall Lake. We inhaled great gulps of clean cool air off the lake. The park was a perfect picture of bright green grass and blue water. I will never forget it!  

Black Bird With Bright Yellow Throat

Here we are in Sioux Falls, looking around, trying to buy a little house on the prairie. We brought the hot weather with us from Virginia. I took my wife out to eat....at Hy-Vee! Don't chuckle. What a deal. Great Chinese dinner for under 6 bucks. We couldn't finish it. Great taste. Great Service. Friendly smiles. We drove out West of SF to get in the country and wound up in Parker, SD. What a wonderful little town. Outside of town by the side of the road, my wife spotted a medium-sized black bird with a bright yellow throat. We had never seen such a creature. What was it? Then a few miles on, we spied a small striped gopher or prairie dog scurrying into the high grass by the side of the road.
Back into Sioux Falls, locating storage facilities, U-haul places, and job connections.

Light At End Of Tunnel

We have our house in Virginia rented to begin July 15th, so we have to be cleared out and on our way to South Dakota before then. This is a good thing. It stablizes this end of our challenges. We now have only the other end - the Sioux Falls end - to stablize. We have another exploratory/house hunting trip to Sioux Falls coming up. Trying to set up face-to-face job interviews while I'm there since trying to get hired from 16-hundred miles away over the internet is like trying to hit a bulls eye blindfolded. I may be wrong but it appears I will have to be on the ground in Sioux Falls, already settled, before I snag a job. Any insider tips on the job market will be greatly appreciated.
See you in Sioux Falls before July 15th!

Wheels Within Wheels

Like wheels within wheels, I have schedules within schedules for our move to South Dakota. The best case dream scenario would be that we leave for Sioux Falls the end of June after the youngest son graduates from high school. But that would require the sale of our home or at least a ratified contract.

The absolute 'drop dead' deadline for moving looks to be August 1st or very soon after. We leave by then even if the home here is still unsold - off we go even if it's vacant.. It may come to that, considering the glacial home market here in the Williamsburg area. 

These layers of uncertainty add to the stress or the excitement, depending on your point of view, of moving to a place you have never been before and where you do not know a soul. Of course, my wife's people are only five hours away in Mclaughlin - five hours away in South Dakota on straight roads is nothing, I keep telling myself.
 I like those stories in the local media about how friendly Sioux Falls is, about how it's a great place to raise a family, big enough to grow you, small enough to know you. Encouraging words!

Sioux Falls Progress Report

The pieces of the Sioux Falls puzzle keep falling into place. My youngest son was awarded just a wonderful financial aid package from USF. We are finding homes within walking distance of USF within our price range. Another son has applied for a transfer from the Wal-mart in Williamsburg to the Wal-mart in Sioux Falls. My home in Virginia has been on the market about two weeks. Only one nibble, but in this glacial housing market I'm not surprised. I keep firing off resumes for job openings for everything from test administrators to property managers to public relations. Early responses have been encouraging.   

Jeopardy Question: What Is Chislic?

"American Cuisine" for $500, please!
Question: What is Chislic?
Answer: Cubed pieces of beef on toothpicks, marinated in Lawlors Seasoned Salt, celebrated at festivals in Southeastern South Dakota. Celebrated in Southeastern South Dakota and no where else in the World, apparently. A very local delicacy that even my wife - a West River gal from birth - has never experienced. Thats just how local Chislic is.
I bet I am the only person in Williamsburg, Virginia, who knows Chislic - maybe the only person in the whole state of Virginia, unless Senator Thune lives in Northern Virginia.

 

I'm Not A Nurse

Cruising the online job search sites for Sioux Falls, I find lots of nurses, computer guys, and phone bankers. Tough fiting my square pegs into those round holes. I certainly know how to communicate over the phone, having spent decades in broadcast journalism and in real estate sales.
I think my unique combination of skills qualifies me for customer service, media or public relations, and consulting/counseling jobs. I'll keep plugging away. I would much prefer to talk to someone face to face. The static nature of job applications online can be frustrating at times.   

Live in a College Town

Sioux Falls is a college town. USF, Augie, etc. We hope to buy a small older home near USF where our son will be attending college, so he can walk to school. Something off 26th or 22nd Streets, maybe. Walk to Panther basketball games. Walk to the Pickle Barrel for a great sandwich. Maybe get a job at the VA hospital. Lots of maybes coming up.

Snow Melts Into Spring

 The snow melts. The rivers rise. Spring in South Dakota. We are still coming. . All the usual suspects are subject to flooding in the weeks ahead in the Sioux Falls area. http://www.keloland.com/ will have a weekly flood watch update, even includes a video of the Sioux Falls.

The house in Virginia is going on the market this week. Here is a street scene. Perhaps someone in Sioux Falls wants to move to Virginia. $151,900

Memories are made of This!

My brother-in-law near Malaughlin uses a pick ax to break ice off the creeks so his cattle can drink during winter, so I know that South Dakota farmers are a hardy breed.
But I will never forget the one-handed farmer in Mitchell SD.
It was way back in the mid-70's. I was traveling the country in my blue van - The Blue Moose - and picked up a temporary job in Mitchell, helping put a barbed wire fence around the city dump. I worked with a local farmer who had lost most of one hand in a farm accident. I had trouble keeping up with him. Despite having essentially only one hand, he stretched wire like a champ and hammered away like a machine. He also shared his bologna sandwiches with me.
I hope to revisit these scenes and create new memories when we move to Sioux Falls.

Tip For Multiple Moving Estimates

As we decide to move our stuff half way across the country to Sioux Falls ourselves or have it done by a moving company, the website http://www.moving.com/ has come in handy. It allows you to fill out one template with the basics of what you have to move, and you get in return by email five or six estimates from different moving companies.

Mark Rushmore

Just call me Mark Rushmore - with apologies to George Washington. Who knows what dreams will be fulfilled after I get to Sioux Falls. You have to aim high.

Patching Sioux Falls

Frustrated by the lack of news media jobs in Sioux Falls. Thinking about http://www.patch.com/.
Community-based news websites. Not yet in Sioux Falls, but maybe one day...or maybe not. Just a thought.

Just days away from putting our home up for sale in Providence Forge, Virginia. We are very encouraged by the smaller, older homes in central Sioux Falls, especially near Mckennan Park, The VA Medical Center, and USF. Hoping that the bus service is dependable since we have a son who doesn't drive.

Did I see someone on Twitter pleading with Winter in Sioux Falls that "We give up."?
Another round of big snow is coming there...and it's in the 60s again today in Virginia.

  

Sioux Falls On My Mind

Snowgates. Ice Fishing. Finally, Augie vs. USF. Bizarre NE SD snow. Frigid disc golf. Patrick Ewing, Jr. Sertoma fish with butterflies. Big Carp in the Big Sioux. Budget cuts. Presidential Thune. Great home prices!  

Some Cold Thoughts

It's in the 60s in Virginia as we continue toward our move to Sioux Falls. I can't help thinking that winter will not be my favorite season when we get there.
I remember one Christmas visiting my wife's family in Mclaughlin, South Dakota on Standing Rock when it was so cold, it felt hot. It was so cold it stung! But this is my opinion. As I was whining about the cold, our kids were out bundled up, sledding down a nearby butte having just a great time. Cold? What cold?

  

Getting Ready In Virginia for SF!

Getting the house in Virginia ready to put on the market. Maybe two or three weeks away from the sales sign in front so we can catch the Spring. Sioux Falls here we come!
Most folks when they relocate rent first and then buy after they get settled, but we hope to be able to 'sell and buy'....with no rental transition in-between.
We have a good realtor helping us - Tyler Goff who really knows the town. At least Tyler talks like he's from Sioux Falls. He's got that South Dakota accent.
Don't forget to hook up with a realtor before you move where you are going. 

Snow Blower

I find myself looking daily at the weather in Sioux Falls. Trying to get into the swing of things. 2 below and sunny will take some getting used to. Seems the locals hit it head on. They embrace the weather with ice fishing and snow mobiling.
Speaking of snow machines: what is the best time of the year to buy a snow blower in Sioux Falls and what should I expect to pay? Just planning ahead.

Job interview tip

I'll be doing a phone interview for a flexible part time job in Sioux Falls since I am still in Williamsburg and it brings to mind something anyone can do when job interviewing. Every company has a website. Go to the website before the interview. Get a good working knowledge of what they do, their culture, their expectations. You'll knock the interview out of the park! 

Great website

Just discovered a great website for folks moving to Sioux Falls: http://www.momslikeme.com/
It is from a woman's perspective. There are discussion groups. You have a question about SF, ask them and you'll get real answers.

Home Sweet Home

The housing market in Sioux Falls seems very affordable. $130,000 goes far - gets you 3 bedrooms, garage, and good square footage. I am working with a Realtor in Sioux Falls. I got his name through BNI - Business Networking International - a networking group I belong to in Williamsburg, Virginia. He belongs to a BNI group in Sioux Falls.
There are a million home search sites on the internet now - the best is http://www.realtor.com/ - but nothing can take the place of local market knowledge and local nuance and that's what a good local realtor provides.Where ever you are moving, I strongly suggest contacting a local real estate agent. If the relationship doesn't work out, you can always contact another.   

SF Hunting Tip

You find a job online in Sioux Falls, but that doesn't mean it's still there. I'm calling first to find out of the opening is still open. You can always find a number to call, maybe not on the job application but certainly on the company website.   

WINTER IN SIOUX FALLS.....NOT!

Dont worry. This is Lead, SD. Makes Sioux Falls seem almost tropical.

 

Long Distance Tips

Getting a subscription to the local paper really helps you to know a community before you get there. The Argus Leader is Sioux Falls' New York Times.
Looking for jobs long distance is a challenge. Two great search sites are Keloland (one of the local TV outlets) and the Argus Leader. Just Google 'Sioux Falls Jobs'

My vision is a fun open clearing-house of information about the challenges and excitement of moving half way across the country to a place I've never been before but for one brief visit (We loved it!)

Here We Come!

We are moving from Williamsburg, Virginia to Sioux Falls, South Dakota so my wife can be closer to her family and so my youngest son can attend The University of Sioux Falls. Be part of our journey!