Once Upon A Time...

Sorry folks, no free cars here today- just a simple story of finding home...


It's hard to believe that it's been a little over 5 years since my husband came way too close to losing his very life.  (you can read about that  here but I must warn you it's a very long and involved post.)  It was not long after that moment when the two of us decided that it was time to start living like we really meant it.  No more dreaming of 'one day' as we had safely been doing from our little corner of the world.  It was time to really put it all out there.

Naturally, for my husband and I who met online way back in the day- when only researchers and supergeek college students lurked among the interwebs, this involved an internet search.  I guess we figured after finding a spouse online we could certainly find a suitable place to live.  We decided that a good bold move for us would be try to find a place where we could make our own way in this world, a place that felt like our very own to call home.  And not to simply rely on one of the places that either one of us had happened to land on, when we arrived on this planet.  My husband was far ahead of me in having already left his place of birth and NOT having so many people clamoring to assure him that the place he was born in was really the ONLY place to be.  I was excited to join in a new adventure and to find a 'home' of our own.

After a thorough internet/map/ideas of what appealed to us search, it was Texas, and specifically Houston, that came up as what might be the answer.  So we visited and we enjoyed and loved what we found.  Many people said we were crazy and that Houston was certainly not desirable, even Texas people said so.  But we loved it anyway and we set about to get there.  I felt sure we would do it.  I even started this blog.  And for those who have hung in there reading said blog, you know how much this has meant to me.  And also how hard this has been to achieve as we have come up against some major roadblocks- things like a nasty recession in which we would have had to sell our home at a huge loss and simply finding a new job anywhere was near to impossible.  But we pressed on, never giving up and remembering how awesome it felt to realize that one really could live in an affordable place where the sun shone in the sky far more often than in Seattle.

During this time, my husband and I learned a lot.  As our frustration grew we tried different angles.  We opened up our search to other sunbathed yet affordable cities and even purchased a vacation home in sun-guaranteed yet job poor Palm Springs, CA where we visited as often as we possibly could.  We even tried to secure some sort of remote position to no avail.  Meanwhile, we figured out that not all cities in the sun would feel right and that long drives to Palm Springs would get old.  So there we were having found a place we loved that we couldn't live in and still searching for a way to depart from the grey that we still felt we were paying too much for in Seattle.

Last Spring, we seemed to come up with at least a partial answer to our connundrum.  Having secured a job and sold our house, my husband and I would move to southern California where we could wait out finding a job in Texas while being close to our Palm Springs home and certainly getting our fair share of sun.  It would be fun; it would be like one big extended vacation!  We felt good and jumped in.

And we were right.  It has been good in many ways and very much like a long vacation.  Some of that has come as a surprise that we probably should have seen coming.  Have you ever noticed that after a long vacation there are lots of bills to pay and by the end of it you get a bit cranky and the only thing you really want to do is go home?  Yup, that's the point we got to.  Only now we felt like we didn't really have a home to go to and the closest we could find was our vacation home for the weekends.  And about a month ago, my husbands job took a turn towards watching many people in the organization lose their jobs and the offices being downsized in several locations.  Naturally, we realized the 'vacation' time was over.

But never fear, all that is good in the universe did not bring us to the land of Disney and crystaline swimming pools only to dump us on our butts and leave us bitter.  Oh no.  Suddenly all that work of making connections all over Texas was about to pay off.  My husband got a call from a firm in Dallas that had previously filled their position from within.  They were looking again and remembered him.  We were thrilled and my husband impressed them for the second time.  We were quickly in the throes of negotiation and planning a move to Dallas!  Finally, we would find ourselves in Texas! 

But wait, our story doesn't end here....  While we were super excited about finally getting to Texas, my very selfless husband suddenly had to admit that there were things about the JOB itself that left him concerned.  He wondered aloud at whether he was really a good fit for this particular job and if we might not find ourselves possibly needing to make changes yet again.  He was just not totally comfortable and decided to seek more information.  In talking things out with the Dallas organization, a truly amazing thing happened.  (Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up!)  Although the people from Dallas were convinced that my husband would do well with their company, one of them suggested that he check out a more traditional type of position in another location that might at least give my husband a good comparison.  This location had been looking to fill their position for a long time and it couldn't hurt to make sure everyone was happy in the end.  I was in shock yet again at just how nice those Texans are!

So it was off to Greensboro, North Carolina, where we had once visited my great aunt.  A whirlwind of interviewing, neighborhood touring and sincere consideration followed.  We had to take time back on the west coast, away from all of the excitement and possibilities, to really weigh out the choice.  There was Dallas- where we would be in Texas, the place we've been trying to get to for several years now.  There was Greensboro- where the job felt like a better fit and we realized could also be a wonderful home for us.

In matters of choice over the years, I will readily admit that my husband usually very smartly defers to me.  I am decisive, don't spend time regretting stuff and usually have the stronger opinion.  This story would be a true fairy tale if I told you that this time we gave the decision to my husband.  I would also be lying.   But I know he still got what he really wanted, because he told me so after the fact.  And I believe him.

In the end, the choice is easy.  In January we will be at home in Greensboro, North Carolina!  The job is just right.  The details of the offer and benefits will be life changing.  And after 2 years, my husband will be free to tranfer to any other office within the company that he chooses, including offices in Texas.  It's nice to know that offer exists, but somehow I doubt we'll need it.  After everything we've been through we've managed to find a place to call home that has a wonderful cost of living, a greater percentage of sun than Seattle ever saw, and is much closer to my husbands relatives and best friends.  There's not much more we could ask for.

Sometimes we dream of  home being something like this:

 But we are only truly happy when home feels like this:

A Healing Surprise

'Seascapes' by 9comeback found at freedigitalphotos.net

After 40 years of living in a place that didn't suit me and holds all kinds of crummy stuff that didn't work for me at all, you'd think I wouldn't be so surprised to find that there is so much more for me here in SoCal than I ever could have imagined.  Whew, that was a mouthfull...

And here comes another one... 

What I'm trying to say is that along with seeing the sun on a real daily basis & no more northwest tree and mold allergies & enjoying painfree joints & spending more time on a bicycle than I have in years & having the luxury of being able to swim or do any other outdoor activity EVERY DAMN DAY if I feel like it & no longer feeling cold all the darn time, I have also discovered that even though I thought that being far away from my seriously screwed up family would be a nice side benefit- it turns out I was wrong.

It is SO FRIGGIN' GREAT to know that there is 1200 miles between me and anyone I really don't want knocking at my door.  Seriously, I am beyond happy to find this unexpected wonderfulness is way more than a mere side benefit.  It is just about the most FREEING thing that I have ever experienced. 

Yeah, just had to let y'all know!

Will I Ever Get Back To Blogging? Absolutely!

AND I'll be making the rounds to your blogs as well, just as soon as I can!  Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get myself moved and functioning again. :)

Of course it's been an adventure, as all moves are.  We were so happy to leave gray Seattle behind and we headed straight to Palm Springs, where we could relax for a bit while we waiting for our stuff to get shipped 1200 miles to our new home in Orange County, CA.

We picked up Nathan and his Dad in Oregon along the way.  We never told Nathan about the move until that day and he was so surprised!  He was thrilled to know that he will be visiting us only in California now as he loves it down here.

Nathan is getting so big!

 

While in Palm Springs, we also entertained my husband's mother who had flown in from New York.  It took her a while to realize that the states out here are not small, so she couldn't just visit a bunch all at once.  Also, she had trouble learning how to just take it easy and enjoy her surroundings without having to run around everywhere like a chicken with her head cut off.  Ah, New Yorkers- ya gotta love 'em!  I let her know that we would not be getting up at the crack of dawn to go, see, and do everything in sight after she woke us up slamming doors and talking loudly in her New Jersey accent on the first morning!  After a couple of days, she did calm down a bit..... and she admitted that it was more fun to hang out in the pool than to try and run around in the summer heat.

We did take in some new sights that we've never visited before in the Palm Springs area.

First we drove way up to Lake Hemet:

Lake Hemet is near Idyllwild and the town of Hemet,CA.  It sits at about 8500 feet above sea level and is always about 30 degrees cooler than Palm Springs.  So on the day we visited, Lake Hemet was a cool 78 degrees while in Palm Springs it was 109.

We also finally visited the Palm Springs tram.  Another place to escape the high summer temps. in the desert.

This is the view from the top, looking down over the desert floor.

And this is how different the scenery is up there in the mountains, compared to what we have going on in Palm Springs.  No palm trees and no desert!

All in all things have been remarkably smooth and we have been blessed to be able to take some time in between the first half of the move and on this end in Orange County.  Nathan and his Dad are now gone.  They took the train home.  Nathan was so sorry to go and he and his Dad have already floated the idea of moving down here too!  Meanwhile, I am surrounded by boxes everywhere and spend most of my days on the phone with service people or changing addresses.  Our place here is temporary and really tiny.  We have basically no furniture.  Our outside surroundings are gorgeous and the dogs think they have hit hog heaven as we walk around the lake area here every day and I still can't believe that I actually get to live here.  Even in the midst of the mess that is our post move current condition, having the sun shining and so many things to do is a great way to spend time.  The unpacking can wait!

A Terrible Blogger

...but an awesome mover!

After waiting for so darn long to be able to get to a warm weather place, this move sure is happening fast!  We found out that we would be moving for sure when a final offer came in from my husband's soon to be new workplace on May 29th.  We will be moved out of our house completely by June 25th, with said house being sold and closed no later than June 27th.  Now that's some seriously fast moving.

Everything is whizzing right along and happening as it should.  We are so excited to be seeing this through!  In the meantime, it doesn't leave any room for anything extra at all.  No time for playing around.  No time to think twice.  Just get rid of stuff, pack and move, and repeat.   That means my blog visiting is seriously lacking.  I will be back at it just as soon as I am in the new place, which should be shortly after the 4th of July as we are spending time with family in Palm Springs for the holiday.  I am so looking forward to getting back to more blogging interaction.

Let me leave you with a wonderful little coincidence:  while picking up some dog supplies at our local pet store, I ran into Tanner's trainer.  She told me that the English Bulldog that had trained along side him and his owner will be moving to SoCal as well.  It turns out Tanner's good buddy will be in the very next town over, a little closer to the beach.  We are already planning to have them meet up to play!  How cool is that?!

Let's Try This Again!

For anyone who tried to head over to a new blog that I had planned to use, I am sorry but that just didn't work out.  I have reposted below the main info. from the one post that I managed to get out before I realized that the new blog was a bust...

We have 'jumped at' the chance to have a life in 'the sun'!  In just 24 days my husband and I will leave the Seattle area and make a move down to Orange County in Southern California.  We are looking for a warm weather lifestyle and seeking to challenge ourselves to reach higher than we ever have before.

This follows a long journey that started with a desire to move to Texas and a proclamation that California was not for us!  After purchasing a second home in Palm Springs, CA and realizing that there was a good reason why we kept coming back to SoCal every time we had the chance, we could not deny that SoCal is where we belong.  At this moment SoCal feels right for just a time, but we don't know how long that time will actually be.  It feels good to be open to whatever life brings.

Please join me as the journey continues...

I now have just 3 weeks to go before the big move.  Yesterday we started the process of selling off half of everything we own.  It went great!  We sold so much that I had to really dig for stuff for today's sale.  Then I plan to take a 'break' and just pack stuff over the weekend. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me and there will be a change-up of this blog soon, but I will continue to post only HERE!

OK, So That Didn't Work Out At All....

Just an update for anyone who attempted to move on over to a new blog that I had wanted to start:  ugh, what a mess!  I will be changing this blog up soon and THIS will remain the ONLY place that I post at.  I tried the whole google plus thing and ended up having to delete the account, (which was way too much like facebook anyway and that stuff just scares me) because it was trying to take over my computer and crashing it like crazy!
Anyway, I will post as I can here soon and let you know how our SoCal move is going.  I am up to my neck in that for now so I will be here few and far between for now!

Newsflash!

Please join me over at my new blog: Jump At The Sun
There is big news!

Dear Universe, We're Ready Now

Lest you forget, as I am so prone to 'detours' along the way, this blog was mainly created to document and share my process of moving out of state- to a place that suits my inner self a bit better than the 'lovely in many ways- yet not quite for me' Northwest/Seattle area that I was born into and am still currently residing in.

This week as I slave away at making my typical Northwest jungle of a yard (yes, I had a friend from Texas ask me why people don't ever trim their yards out here and I had to reveal that we do trim them all the time and then the Sasquatch comes along at night and sprinkles the vegetation with magic dust that makes it all grow back to where it was before) come into some type of less unkempt shape, my husband is working over 3 different job possibilities.  Any one of these jobs will be good for us in some form or another and they will all get us to SoCal.  My husband is in different places within the process with each of these jobs and there is no guarantee that any one of them will actually be offered to him.  However, let's face it, the odds are good that he can get at least one of these to become a bonafide offer.

I am hopeful and accepting of the idea that whatever job comes around, it will be what we need.  I am also simply amazed at how this process has resulted in my husband becoming more secure in who he is and what he has to offer.  I am just so pleased to see a tiny bit of ego coming around for that man.  He has worked hard and deserves to believe in himself.

This process has been crazy.  From coming into the idea that I could ever even think of leaving the only place I've ever called home, to landing on the fact that we love Texas in ways we never could have imagined, to realizing that for this particular season of life Southern California is the right place for us.  This has been a roller coaster of surprises and realizations.  And my husband and I both sense that it is all coming to a resting spot soon.  We have good plans for what each of us would like to do for the next 3 years or so and a direction for where to go over the next decade.  We are excited to find out what the universe has in store!

This Time It's Different

Where the heck have I been lately???

Ah, I have been scrubbing and painting and selling and trashing and planting and just plain getting this house ready to sell!

I had the first of many garage sales, that will end up with me having very little of what I currently own, last Friday.  I sold so much that I barely had anything to take to the Goodwill after the sale.

My husband has applied for a remote position with his current company just in case we have trouble with him getting another job in SoCal.  Either way, we have both agreed there will not be another winter spent here.  Nope, it's just not happening.  We'll probably have a more definitive answer as to exactly what job my husband will end up at in another month.  It sure would be nice if we weren't so darn responsible and were willing to just go without employment.  But these days, that's just not prudent...

All I know is that throughout this whole process of wanting and planning to move, we've never been more certain of a direction and a purpose.  So Southern California it will be.  And I am still in shock as to how good this feels and how right it all seems.  Although Texas is a place that feels welcoming and wonderful, I am now feeling that Southern California is a place that has always lived in my heart.  I know I need to experience living there, at least for a while.  It's not simply a coincidence that we ended up with a second home in Southern California.  And our hearts literally ache every time we leave our place in Palm Springs.  Now it's time to make SoCal our full time home.  (Yes, all words of not being willing to do such a thing are being eaten as you read this!)

What I long to be closer to......

Now for another thing that's different this time around.  This one is not so much fun, but honestly to be expected. 

My sister went to prison last Thursday to serve out her time.  She failed in the drug rehab and was caught lying to the drug court judge.  She won't be spared this time.

Of course I am disappointed, but again not surprised.  As my nephew so appropriately commented:  "Why can't she just do what she's supposed to?"

I'm sure I will have deeper feelings about this at some point.  Honestly, right now, I have just accepted the fact that this is who she is.  For now, I feel stronger than ever that moving on from my sisters drama is the healthiest thing to do.

And in that direction, I shall head back to my moving related tasks.  Heck, at least it keeps me busy enough not to cry at all the government overreach that is currently scaring the hell out of me!

How about you?  What's up in your world?  Are you headed in a new direction?

Updates For Those Who Pay Really Close Attention

Today I am going to give several quick updates to a few loose ends that exist among the archives to this blog. It's for people like me who are always wondering, "What ever happened" with this or that.  I have a shockingly good memory and am always thinking things like that.  If you have only stopped in once in awhile this post may be strange for you or, at best, annoying.  You've been warned!

1)  I saw my friend with her special needs child the other day and absolutely could not believe how well the first of many surgeries that her child will go through has turned out.  If this is an indicator of the future, then God has decided to take his own hand and literally heal her.  The surgeon who did this surgery noticed a small imperfection in the result right as he was about to finish and proceeded to do the entire thing over.  Yeah, God is doing his thing.

2)  My friend with colon cancer is getting worse.  She doesn't have much energy and can't tolerate the chemo very often anymore.  On the positive side, her husband finally got a job after a whole year without one.  Talk about a stressful situation.  I know it may sound weird, but I feel like now that he has a job and she sees that as him being O.K. she is starting to allow herself to go.  I'm sad, but then I see how much she suffers.

3)  My husband has decided to get himself into better shape before having any reconstructive work done.  He seems pretty serious about his efforts and definitely paid special attention to the results that my friends baby got out of her surgery work.  It is such a good example of how different results can be when you go into the work as a completely healthy person, instead of being on the verge of death!  It gives us both a lot of hope.

4)  We have also realized that barring total collapse of our plans, my husband and I should be in a warm weather place in no more than a year.  Based on his work towards associate level and then fellowship in the Society Of Actuaries and the tests that he has already gotten through this year, his progress is ramping up.  We are thinking that maybe one more winter is worth waiting through to be sure we end up in Texas, but are not opposed to some wonderful opportunity that arises elsewhere!

5)  My nephew, Nathan, is healing up quite nicely from his bike wreck.  His Dad says that the scar on his cheek is already barely visible.  It does my heart good to hear this, even though I know I can't save him from all of his boyish antics.  I will see him again for the Independence Day holiday.  I can inspect him myself then.  As a side note:  I sent his teacher a great big bouquet of flowers for today- the last day of school.  She has been just what we needed for Nathan this year and I know it has not been easy having him come into her class in January of this year.  She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for him.

6)  We are still experiencing June-uary type weather here.  We have had a total of 3 days that have edged up into the low 70's.  I know some of you would like some relief from your relentless heat and humidity.  Until I can get an audience with whoever is in charge, we'll just have to suffer through and continue to believe the grass in greener on the other side.

7)  My dog seems to have hit a nice mellow spot in his journey with dementia.  The meds. are really helping and he has not had any problems with negative personality changes at all, which I have been warned can get ugly.  He is continuing to stay true to his nature of always bouncing back just when you suspect that he might be headed downhill.  I will be so grateful if he can just fade away quietly in his sleep one day...

I think I have hit on just about everything I can think of.  So, if there's anything else- feel free to ask.  I like keeping up with others and what they're up to as well.

There's Still A Plan

I started this blog a little over 6 months ago when I was just sure that my husband and I were on our way to becoming new residents of Texas.  Then a few months ago, we decided that if Texas wasn't having us in any big hurry, well, we would just open up our hearts and minds to the idea that anywhere with warmth and sun would be just fine with us.  This kind of willingness to bend would surely get us to tan lines and high air conditioning bills fast, right?

Here we still are, in the rainy Northwest.  We are in the midst of enduring the coldest, wettest Spring ever on record...  officially.  I finally got the chance to mow the yard when the rain managed to stop for about 36 hours.  There are puddles in places that I never knew would puddle.  My flower pots are actually flooded.  My dogs look out the door when I open it and then look at me as if to say, "Are you kidding?  Would you want to have to go out there to do your business?"  When there is a moment of reprieve and it looks like there might be some sun, the dogs run out to lay on the deck only to return within a few minutes to lay on the floor and look depressed when the sky clouds up again.  We were totally teased by a beautiful sunny 65 degree day last Saturday and then I woke up to rain on the skylights for Easter.  So, yes, I am annoyed.

But then I have to feel like a real horses ass when I complain like this as I have been watching people who are truly suffering with all the tornado and storm damage all over the South.  I have a home.  With flower pots and a deck, no less.  I'm not out searching for my dogs or even lost family members.  So yeah, it is all so relative...

I know there is a plan at work.  I'm just not totally clear what that plan is anymore.  For our part, my husband and I are working the recruiter and ourselves hard, searching high and low for a good job that will allow us to pursue this dream of being where the sun shines most of the time and the cost of living is decent.  My husband is still working hard to fulfill his requirements to become a member of the Property/Casualty Society Of Actuaries.  He knows that within a year he will be at the Associate level.  This should make looking for a job a bit more fruitful. 

In the mean time, we are living and preparing as if we could up and move at any moment.  I am still getting rid of more stuff and making decisions about stuff that I will get rid of the moment I know we really will be leaving.  We are saving up cash.  The house looks great for all the prep work I did last Fall.  And, we are still trying to make the most of what is going on in our lives today, while we are still here.  We will be running another 5k on Sunday and enjoying a get together with friends this weekend.   I am also planning a small event for our neighborhood next week with my neighbor.  Most of all we are both learning that appreciating what you have, even when it's not exactly what you want is sometimes the most important plan of all.

In 'high test mode'

There's about 3 weeks left for my husband to prepare for his next big exam, so we are in high test mode.
Things are looking positive.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.

We have again taken a break from almost any extra activities that we ever allow ourselves because there is just no time right now.  We miss our band and our dance club friends thought that maybe we had already moved away without letting them know...
Meanwhile, the one thing my husband allows himself as a 'break' is his bowling leagues.  He bowls twice a week.  He's done it since he was eleven.  He is pretty darn good.  He is currently averaging 221.  This is also a good sign for the upcoming test.  It seems the better he is bowling, the better he tends to perform on his exams.  A funny coincidence? 
Hey, maybe if this actuarial thing doesn't work out, he could join the PBA tour...

Meanwhile, we have put in the word with the recruiters that we would like to look at anything along the gulf coast area that is within a reasonable distance to a beach- no more than about 3 hours for us.
Our first choices are in Texas of course- Houston, San Antonio or Austin.
Also anything in Florida, except maybe Miami because of higher cost.
Finally, anything from Florida to South Carolina.
We'll have to look at details of individual places to see what we think as we go along, but I sure hope this makes for a quicker departure to warmer weather.  Soon!

14 Years

Its that time of year again, when my husband and I share a month of celebrations.  Both of our birthdays and our anniversary fall in January.  This was not by design, but it has turned out to be a great way to get through long winters.  January is also when we take a sort of inventory of our lives.  We look at everything, the big picture and the mundane- like insurance.  (My husband IS in insurance after all.)

Its kind of a yearly life evaluation that we started back on our 2nd anniversary when we went to Manzanita Beach on the Oregon Coast.  It was really nasty weather and we ended up watching the waves from a high bluff, crashing onto the shore during a big storm.  I guess it made us think about different possibilities and making plans for the future. 

Up until I met my husband back in October of 1995, nothing in my life was very stable.  Since we were married 14 years ago (we picked the next available 3 day weekend and eloped.), some really amazing transformation has come into my life. 

Some of these things are small: 

I have had the same last name for 14 years now.  Up until we got married, I had used 3 different last names and I had never been married before!  My mother had been married twice after I was born and subsequently changed my name along with hers each time as she didn't want me to feel left out.  (Funny, I still felt left out.)  Not a great plan! 

I have lived in only 4 different homes over the last 14 years.  We have lived in our current home for 8 and a half years!  Longer than I have ever lived in any other home.  Sure beats the 16 moves I made by the time I was 9 years old...

Some of the things that have changed in my life since I married my husband are HUGE:

What a true gift it has been to know him.  My husband has allowed me to be safe enough, to be open enough to discover who I am, and should have been, if I had never been through so much.  It has been an amazing sort of do over.  Before I knew my husband I never would have acknowledged that I needed a do over.  I was tough.  I was strong and I had made it through just fine.  Ha!

This is sort of what I tried to get at in my last post, but missed.  I've been left feeling guilty lately for all that I have in my life.  We've discussed it and my husband believes that this is part of what makes passing his exams so difficult.  With each one passed comes much reward in the form of compensation and relative freedom.   The actuarial field is very tight and those who can do the work well are highly prized.  Sometimes it's hard for him to remember that his success doesn't take away from anyone elses' chances.  It can be so hard not to worry about others who are just as deserving, yet haven't been in the right 'place'in their life- emotionally, spiritually or otherwise.  How long will they have to wait?  There are those who seem to suffer needlessly no matter how hard they try and those who seem to bring it on themselves.  Though it may not be our business to try to take care of, it is especially hard to let go of poor choices that people we love have made. 

My take on all of this is that yes, there will be guilt.  Anyone who gets through tough things can't help but feel for others who may get left behind in some way.  At the same time, the world is better when people use the talents they have to their fullest.  We all owe it to society to give freely what we have to offer.  Holding back not only hurts ourselves, but everyone in some way.  It will never be easy to see others suffer, but our own suffering does not necessarily save anyone- unless we do something bigger once we get through whatever life deals us.

So for anyone who might be curious, here's the plan for this year:  (knowing of course that there may be unforeseen bumps in the road), we have made the following plans for the coming year and the future in general:
Next (and hopefully last of the high level calculation multiple choice type) test- February 22, 2011
After that, relative free for all- meaning we concentrate on getting ourselves to the sun in one way or another!  We will add as many possible locations to the list as we can with the criteria being that said places have these qualities:  warm weather place, very little or no snow, low cost of living, have larger property casualty firms that my husband may find jobs with, prefer laid back people and lifestyle.  So far we have added Charleston, SC, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Tallahassee, FL. (Of course, we still really want Texas.)
Get ourselves to one of these places by Fall 2011.
Move on to the essay type tests that I am just sure my husband will be fabulous at in November 2011.
As always, will keep you updated.

Finally, Some Vacation Pictures As Promised... and then I'm gonna' get all intropective or something up in here...

So first things first-  I needed some sun.  I got some sun.  My husband and I took a little jaunt to Palm Springs.  We had never been there before.  We were there for over a week during New Years and the temperature didn't get over 65.  People in town couldn't remember a New Years this cold in at least 10 years.  Most of the time it was only about 55.  I know, poor me.  But really, next time I put in a request for sun I'm going to be a little bit more specific.  Anyway, as you know already if you've read my stuff before, I enjoyed the sunshine and I drank in as much as I could.  So here's the proof:

Yes, Palm Springs is a desert.  It is surrounded by mountains and is full of beautiful golf courses.  No, we don't golf, but the views are nice.

This is the pool that I intended to spend a lot of time in.  This is the hot tub that I actually did get into.

After seeing this pet area, we really wished we had taken at least one of our dogs with us!

We visited a 'Cactarium'.  It was actually pretty cool.

Some of the cacti were just beautiful.

Some were scary lookin'!

Some were fodder for my husband and his weird photography humor...

(Palm Springs really did have some of the bluest skies I have seen in a long time.)

Speaking of weird humor-  Here is how one of the signs in

Joshua Tree National Park appears to most people:

Here is how my husband sees it:

Yeah, you're welcome...

More photos to come, if you can stand it!



So here's the deal.   Along with having a good time, which is what we truly did, this trip served to remind us of two very different and distinct things.  1.) that we are really fortunate to be able to get away and just kick it around and be forced to shop in cool boutiques and eat at yummy restaurants in town because it's too cold to swim.  Especially when others around us are struggling so mightily lately- our friends with the special new little lady have discovered that her diagnosis will require MUCH more treatment than doctors had initially thought before she was born.  For many people we know, this would be a dream trip of a lifetime.  Or they may never get to do something like this at all. 

So..... that makes the second thing we learned seem like small potatoes. 

Still, here goes 2.) that we really need to move to a warm weather place, ASAP.  The time has come and that's all there is to it.  We are happiest in the bright warm sunshine.  My husband and I want very badly to be in Texas.  We have visited many places and that is the one that feels most like home to us.  However, the current economy, housing market and job market are complicating our plans.  We have had many leads for jobs evaporate on us.  Employers end up deciding that they want a different type of position in the end, or none at all.  Worse, they want a person who is more local.  Hello, we'd be local, if you'd let us!  We don't even care if moving expenses are not paid for.  We just want to get there.  We can't sell our house without taking a huge loss, so we have made plans to rent it out using a management company.  Yes, we have heard the horror stories of what renters will do.  We're willing to live with that too. 

So it seems as if it all comes down to this-  What are we really willing to do to change things?  Staying here in the cold, long, rainy Northwest winter is yet another reminder that this is not what we want.  It seems it's time to go out on yet another limb of this here tree of life.  After much discussion, a decision has been reached.  My husband is going to greatly expand his job search to include many other warm weather type places!  Who says a stop along the way in some other city for a year or two would be a bad thing?!  After reading other blogs and seeing what many of you have done, by choice or not, I figure we need to give this more of a real try.  What do you think?  Are we nuts?

Peeking Around A Corner

Just a quick little tidbit, because I have to say something to someone about this...
My husband got news from a recruiter last night.  News that means that he should be interviewing, in person, in Texas, within a couple of weeks!  I know this could be something real or nothing at all.  Still, my mind can't help but wander through the possibilities.  What this could mean...
There is one thing that this news definitely means.  I told myself that as soon as it got to the point that we needed to go out for a real in person interview, then I would tell people in my work world that there is a possibility that I could be leaving.  I would do this as a courtesy because in the work that I do, it would be nice to give them at least a month to start looking for other options.  As soon as I get an actual date, I will go through with that.  (We needed money to help fund this little endeavor of moving across the country, so it was imperative that I not say anything until we had a bit saved up for this.)  My friends have known for about four months now and that has been interesting to see how that changes up the friendships, in ways good and bad.  Putting work on early notice will be a brand new leap of faith for me.

You're Moving Where?!

Having lived all my life in one of those places that many people seem to believe is ideal, you get used to certain attitudes and assumptions- that the seasons here are the 'real' seasons, that there is only one temperature range that human beings can actually survive in, that here is normal and all else is well... crazy.
People seem very comfortable with the idea that where they live is superior to all other options. 
Then one day, if you dare to challenge that and do something like oh... say that another place might be an interesting and/or good experience, boy do you get an earful.
Now that I've really settled into 'it's not an if but a when' we will be moving away, I'm getting a real taste of what it might be like once I become an 'outsider'.
Apparently, I will lose IQ points upon crossing the border of our state and even thinking about staying away for any extended period of time.  I will also encounter mad, rabid, gigantic animals of all sorts.  I might even pick up some sort of strange accent that could be very hard to shake, like some kind of chronic disease or something.
With the horrors of huge bugs and hurricanes looming, one might be tempted to just stay put and never leave the cocoon that is 'the ideal place'.  I've even been asked if I'm worried that my dogs might get heart worm.
Seriously, no place is truly perfect.  But some might suit certain people better than others.  And there's really no way to find that out without just biting the bullet and going for it.
So I understand that there is much to where someone comes from.  But I never want to be one of those people who refuse to experience something different and admit that it's good.
I've been attached to one place for a very long time and I've only just begun to embrace the idea that I might actually want a change.
So I'll take my chances that I might regret the day that I ever left, knowing that something wonderful is just as likely to be waiting for me.
What's the worst place you've ever lived?  What about the best?