An introduction

My wife and I are finishing our theses and will be joining the real world over the next few months. During this process, we're going to be moving from the San Francisco Bay area up north to Seattle. I'm hoping to use this space to talk about a few different things:

• Finishing the thesis and leaving the student life: After ten years of college and graduate work, it feels good to be almost finished. I'm sure it will feel even better to be finished.
  
• Moving away from the Bay Area: Though I travel a lot and have spent some time on the East Coast and Europe, I've had always had one foot in California. My wife and I are already making lists of things to do before we leave.
  
• Buying a house for the first time: We've started looking at the real estate market in Seattle, and have even been pre-approved for a mortgage. We like the houses we see. Unfortunately, the ones we're seeing now aren't going to be on the market by the time we get up there. That's ok. I feel an emotional roller coaster beginning already.
  
• Settling down in Seattle: I've been to Seattle quite a few times, and probably spent a total of 6 months there, all told. It's a great city and I'm looking forward to learning its ins-and-outs.