November 7, 2013

Where to Call Home?

This is us...we are gypsies. (Van Gogh "Encampment of Gypsies with Caravan")
By Amy

Right now my husband, baby, and I are camping out in my Aunt and Uncle's basement.  We are vagabonds and gypsies, living the wanderer's life.

Ok, that might be glamorizing/exaggerating it a bit.

We will be here for a month and half while my husband does a clinical at a nearby hospital's physical therapy office. (He's half-way through a physical therapy program.)

I already miss our friends and neighbors and the people we know at church. (Especially the ladies I exercise with in the mornings!)  And, of course I miss being in my own cool little home with all my stuff.

BUT, all in all, it's gonna awesome.  My Aunt and Uncle are way cool, and they've helped us be totally comfortable.  We get a bedroom and Hayden has his own room, so life is good!  (Oh, and my cousin wanted me to include: "Oh, and I have the best roommate ever!" Haha...she is pretty cool, though! )

Best of all...I live within an 45 minutes of my three sisters, as well as an hour from my little bro and his wife, and we're close to about a million cousins, aunts, and uncles!  Therefore, this will be a month-and-a-half long PARTAY!  WOO!!!  I am so pumped!

I most likely will never live this close to my sisters again, since they live in the busy Salt Lake and Provo Valleys, and my husband gets stressed out in traffic and busy-ness.  He prefers the country and small towns.  (This traffic brings out the road rage in him...ha!)  Therefore, I am LIVING IT UP for the next 6 weeks!  After that, my husband has another year of school and 4 months of clinical and we're done with school...FOREVER.  (That is, besides the credits I will take to keep up my teaching certificate.)  It will be freakin' weird to be done.  By that time, we'll be up to our ears in a stinkin' pile of student loan debt, hopefully we'll have another kiddio, and my husband will be a bona fide Physical Therapist.

Then, the Big Question: WHERE TO LIVE?  

People often ask us this: "Where do you guys want to end up?"  We have no clue.  Fortunately, there are jobs for Physical Therapists all over.  Unfortunately, that leaves WAYYY too many options for a person like me, who struggles with decisions.  (Like at Subway, I panic: "The classic turkey?!  Black Forest ham?  Delicious Sweet Onion Chicken?!  WAIT, Should I try something NEW!?" Then I am writhing on the floor and hyperventilating.)  So, I love and hate the fact that we could go anywhere.

I'd love to spend a few years adventuring before we have kids in school...like finding a job in Germany!  But it would be so hard for me to be far from family.  No mom or mom-in-law to come help when I have a baby, and no family for birthday parties, Christmas, baptisms, etc.  But, OH it would be amazing to explore and experience life in a different country!!!

Or, we could move to some isolated place in the US where my husband will be paid well, like Alaska or New Mexico (places where it's hard to get people to stay...usually because of harsh climates.) We could plow through our student loan debt, then come back to the west after 5 years or so, blissfully debt-free!  Or, we could just go to where we want to live from the get-go, and start our lives there, even if it means less pay and paying off loans for a couple years little longer. 

There's so many factors to consider.  Job availability, good schools, cost of living, the outdoor recreational stuff available, proximity to friends and fam...I've always wanted to be within 10 hours of both sets of parents if possible, cause that is a LONG car ride and it sucks to travel with any kids farther than that.  And I want my kids to know their grandparents.  I'd love to be within several hours of my siblings and their families, too!  I'm not a person who needs or even wants to be next-door neighbors with family, cause I think it's good to be independent and make lots of new friends, but weekend visits are so fun! :)  

Then there's always the question of weather...I HATE constant rain.  Rain makes me a lethargic, depressed, over-eating slug.  All I want to do is wallow in a mountain of fuzzy blankets, read ginormous books, and stuff as many warm, gooey carbs as I can.  And watch movies that make me cry.  It's bad.  My husband, on the other hand, grew up in Washington, and doesn't mind rain...but he hates snow.  I don't mind a couple months of snow, but I don't do well in extreme heat.  I lose the will to live.  I have zero energy.  It's not cool.  So, no extremes of hot or cold (Southern Arizona is out, as is North Dakota.)  We both like having seasons, though.  Oy, where to live?  

Despite the fact that I have no clue where we should settle, I have already spent hours on the floor plans of my dream home.  IT IS ROCKING.  (Yes, it includes a dance studio, art studio, amazing porch, huge windows, a hot tub, tons of art, bookcases galore, breakfast nook, etc...)

But, where to build it!? 

How about you, friends?  If you're settled, how did you decide where to live?  What factors were most important to you?  Did getting hired for a new job make your decision?   Did any of you end up somewhere you never expected to be?

For those like me, who aren't settled yet, do you already know where you want to live?  Would you ever live in the town you grew up in?  Do you want to live close to family?  OH, and any amazing recommendations of great places to live?

I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)


15 comments:

  1. I've been a follower for awhile but I don't think I've ever commented. My husband's in law school and will hopefully go active duty in the military when he graduates next spring so we won't be able to settle down in one place for awhile. I would love to live overseas for a few years before settling somewhere here in the States. Deciding where to go is stressful!!

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    1. Yay! It's good to have you here, Alison! Yeah, being part of the military would add a whole new twist to the "where to live" question, since you have to move around! Yes, wouldn't it be amazing to live overseas for a while!?

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  2. We're recruiting LDS members here in Camden AR. Just the type of non-busy countryside your husband needs. It's kind of like moving to a different country. Try it. But we do plan to make it back west eventually. Colorado or Utah probably.

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    1. Hahah...Arkansas, huh? That's a little more than 10 hours away... But, I agree it is like a differnt country in the south! :) Yeah, we've thought about Colorado too!

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  3. We live around the same area of CA that we grew up in and both sets of parents are 20 minutes away. Having family around to help with the kids is a must in my opinion! We love the weather here, but hate the outrageous cost of living, but such is life. :) You sound so adventurous, Amy - I hope you guys find an interesting, warm and friendly place to settle down!

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    1. Thanks, mama Ho! Yeah, I agree, it is so nice to have help with kids! :) My parents are 45 min away, so when I really need her, she can come babysit. My in-laws visit often (the live about 2 hours away) and they are also good to watch our son so we can go out for a hot date! :)

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  4. We ended up where my husband got a job. Luckily it's near both sets of parents, in the same area that we grew up in. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Good luck figuring it out!

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    1. That's so cool he found a job where you wanted to end up! I'd love to be in between both sets of parents. Hey, didn't you guys go to Germany for a while? That would be freakin amazing. :) Did you go back to where we visited on our trip?

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  5. I would love to live in Alaska for a little while, but since you hate the rain maybe you better go to New Mexico... I think it will work out for you how ever is best. Good luck!

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    1. Oooh, I want to try Alaska too! It's so beautiful, and I have family up there! Thanks, Emily. :)

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  6. Bah! We are totally in the same boat. My hubby is about t-minus 1 year away from signing contracts after medical school residency and we can't decide. We kind of made a "game plan" for life, fell in love with it, but now new doors are opening up and are plans are changing...or are they? we don't know. I honestly think that we will end up in the same town that we grew up in, which is about as un-exciting as it gets, but that just seems to be the way the cards are playing. And it has it's advantages to being close to family like you said. But the plan, what about the plan!!?? I hope for me, and for you that something opens up and it becomes totally apparent that that is the best choice. :)
    Jaime

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    1. Thanks, Jaime! You too! Yeah, it is so nice to be close to fam. Haha, I love: "What about the plan!?!"

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  7. Ok, Amy I've got it. why not move to the booming metropolis that is... Blackfoot, Idaho!!! :) I never planned on staying around Idaho, but I actually totally love it! Good thing too - since Jakes a hay farmer we're pretty much gonna be here forever (can't exactly move all our farms with us!)

    Wherever you guys end up I'm sure it'll be great. There's ups and downs everywhere, but as long as you've got your hubby and your kiddos with you, you'll love it! :)

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  8. Amy! What an amazing adventure! We have always lived in the same region since we got married and sometimes I wish we had gotten a chance to just dream big and try somewhere new!
    Ash:)

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  9. Amy, we have discovered in our life that God takes us where He wants us and where He needs us (and we need) to be. We know this because we have tried many times to relocate but it hasn't worked out. Although challenging and sometimes discouraging (since our place is T-I-N-Y), we have had opportunities to serve and grow. You'll know where you need to be.

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