> Let this be a reminder to you all. Build the hell out of your network.

Not that this is bad advice, by all means, but I think there is a more concrete lesson here:

> I went so far as to convince her to quit a great gig back in Chicago (knowing she could work remotely)

In most cases - including this one if I understand correctly - you don't need to quit your old job and then find a new one. You can and should do it the other way around.

Best of luck on the search.