Is where you are living your ideal situation?

[brigmaman]

Often jobs, family, schools, etc. dictate where we choose to settle. I'm curious as to how comfortable everyone is with living situations.
I often think that if our families weren't close by we'd move off of Long Island and see what's out there.

[trumansmom]

NO! :)

I married a man who was raised on a farm in South Dakota, about 3 miles outside of a town with a population of 350. Somehow, I thought I'd be okay with that.

Anyway, we live in a slightly larger town (pop. 1800! LOL), but we're only 12 miles from Sioux Falls. Although the people here are nice, it has become apparent after 6 years, that this will never feel like home. So, as the kids get older, I will try to travel more. Get my city fix from other places, and remember to appreciate the fact that my children are being raised with a good sense of home - something I never had. We moved around a LOT as a child, and I like the fact that my kids will live in the same home from birth to college.

I'm off to the Twin Cities tomorrow to refuel!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[octmom]

General location-- yes. Neighborhood-- yes. Specific house-- no, simply because the layout/ style is not my favorite. (It's a split foyer design.) I'd love to buy another house in our elementary school district one day, but the prices have really gone up since we bought 4.5 years ago and we will soon have two $$ daycare bills each month. I don't think we will be in a position to buy another house until DS is in public school, but that's probably only because I get sticker shock looking at the listings these days and I am happy that we have a very low interest 15-year mortgage on our current house.

The area I live in (in VA) is often ranked highly in those "best places to live" articles. It's got lots of natural beauty, four seasons, a terrific University with great architecture, lots of good restaurants and cultural offerings, etc. We are getting some sprawl though and traffic is getting worse, IMO. That is one of the dangers of being written about in those best places to live articles, I suppose.

I grew up on Long Island, but went to college in VA and never moved back after I graduated twelve years ago. LI offers lots and lots of conveniences, great proximity to NYC, lots of good schools, etc., but I don't miss it at all. My parents just moved from there over the summer and it feels a little strange not to have a reason to go back anymore, but I am glad that I found another way of life with a slightly slower pace and less congestion.

My brother also went to college in VA and lives about an hour away from me now. My parents moved further south to Hilton Head Island, SC. They are in a great place, but I sometimes wish they moved to VA instead so that we were closer. I grew up with my grandparents in our neighborhood and it was great. Having family nearby really is wonderful when you have children.

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
expecting #2! EDD April 1, 2006, but anticipating a C/S in March

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[barbarhow]

I miss my friends from NY-but know that I would not want to raise a family in NY-not to mention that we could not afford our current lifestyle there(not that we are extravagant in the least). I would not mind being closer to a city-Sometimes I think I might like western Mass, to.
In reality, my ideal place to live is wherever DH and my kids are.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!

[R2sweetboys]

Yes, pretty much. Of course I'd love a bigger house and we really need to put a garage on with a room above but I like the neighborhood,town, and state that we live in. We live in a basic colonial with an open concept which I love. The school district is great which was very important. My sister and family are less than 10 minutes away, parents are 20 min., and brother is 25 min. Our family is close so it's nice to be able to get together often. I guess after thinking about it, ideally we wanted to live in the town I grew up in but the real estate market is just out of control there. So, our town is the next best thing. I really can't complain though!

Oh, P.S.-For DH's sake, I wish his family was closer. His parents are currently in Chesterfield,VA and his brother/family are in Savannah,GA so not exactly an easy commute. His parents keep moving though for his dad's job(FIL NEVER refuses a move even if he hates where it is-poor MIL) so we'll never even try to move where they are since we can't trust they'll be there very long. Fortunately, DH likes it here in Maine anyway.

~Leslie

SAHM to...
Ryan 8/14/00
Matthew 2/14/03

[kboyle]

We live in the town we grew up in b/c his family business is located here. A lot of his childhood friends are pretty local and getting married/having kids so it's nice to know that our kids will be going to school together. My friends have moved or don't want to stay here, I didn't think I'd want to either, but now b/c of his work I really have no choice.

We have a tiny house that is ok for us right now, but in a year or two it will start to get cramped real quick. It's on a great street and w/in a 3 min walking distance to the K-2 school. I'd love to move just to get into a bigger house and we've discussed it, but I think w/ just the 2 boys we'll stay here. If we had a #3 we would HAVE to move.

Our families both live 5 min away so that's really nice.

I guess I am pretty happy with my living situation, I just want a bigger house. I live in a box.

[mmaimp]

No.

Our house is small but affordable. We will probably move to North Carolina or Pennsylvania in the next year or two. I wish I could know the future because I hate being in limbo for this amount of time.

[pb&j]

I live in the same town as Jerilyn, and love it here. I was raised here, left for college swearing I'd never come back, and discovered 10 years later how much I really liked it here and wanted to raise my family here. Currently, we are living with my parents (yikes) which is not ideal, but in just a couple weeks we'll be in a brand new house, which I'm so excited about. We have no intention of moving from that house in the forseeable future, and I will certainly not consent to moving to a different town while my kids are growing up. Like Jerilyn, we're dazzled at rising real estate prices, and don't expect to be able to afford to "upgrade" homes anytime in the forseeable future. That's okay with us - our new house is plenty roomy, in a great neighborhood and school district, and has opportunity for expansion. It's definitely ideal for us!


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, edd 01/15/06 - it's a HEALTHY BOY!

http://lilypie.com/days/060115/3/25/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[almostamom]

It's mostly ideal, but not completely - how's that for being wishy washy! We love our house but if we have another child I'd like one more bedroom so we can keep a guest room and the office. I absolutely love my community. It's very family-oriented with parks, playgrounds, a waterpark, community center, activities, and classes for children. We have the best neighbors I could ever ask for - truly! I find it amazing that we didn't know these people 3 years ago. If someone knows you're doing yard work or a project, they stop by to help, lend tools, whatever. My family is within a 30 minute drive so I see them about once a week. DH's family is within a day's drive (7 hours) so we see them a few times a year as well.

The downside - it's hot and it's hot for a long time. The weather right now is beautiful, but it's taken a long time to get here. I would love to live somewhere with four seasons. We drove up north this week to show DS the fall leaves as we don't have ANY where we live. We've been talking about CO, but it would be hard to move someplace where we didn't know anyone and didn't have family. Of course, there is a Hanna outlet in CO :)

~Linda~
DS 11/9/04

[HGraceMom]

I love our home, neighborhood, & town - great friends, and lots of family relatively close by. If winter just didn't last from Nov1 - April 30 it'd be perfect!

We chose to move back North b/c DH had the opportunity to start his own company - I really wanted DD to grow up knowing & being close to our families. So, winter it is...

[mudder17]

Yes! It would be nice if our house was a little larger, but otherwise, everything is where we want to raise our children. Awesome neighborhood, awesome neighbors, feels somewhat rural because of all the trees, but easy access to the city (and suburbs) since we're 1/2 mile from the city line), great schools, awesome church family, etc. The only problem is that most of my family is far away, but otherwise, we love it here and look forward to raising children here.

ETA: For the most part, the climate is pretty good as well since we get sheltered from most of the worst weather by the Bay. We have all four seasons and while I occasionally wish for a shorter summer and longer fall and spring, I'm very happy with the climate. Also, the house thing can be remedied as we have plans in the next several years (when constructions costs become more reasonable) of expanding the house.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[murpheyblue]

Our situation is pretty close to ideal. We settled in a suburb of San Francisco that I adore. While it's very suburban, it's pretty old (by Bay Area standards) and has a lot of neighborhood charm.

Our house is a little cottage built in the 40's on a realtively large lot. I love its details though everyone once in a while I see pictures of someone's large, new construction house and drool. We don't have a garage which I would really love. We're near a commuter line that takes me in and out of the city hassle-free.

The thing that's not ideal for me is that I grew up in NY and my family is in that area. DH grew up here. We met on the east coast but he really wanted to come home. Of course, within 2 years of us moving here, both sets of his parents retired and moved away so we really don't have any family in the immediate Bay Area save for one step-brother.

[jesseandgrace]

This is the question we are struggling with right now! Almost 2 years ago we moved from MA to CA to take care of MIL who has terminal cancer. It seems that at this point she has at most 2 months to live. We always planned on going back, we have all of my family and lots of friends in MA. Well, now that we are putting that wheel in motion it is so hard. I think lots of the issues are weather related. Because the weather is just so fabulous here in California, basically year round, there are endless things to do with the kids. Going to the mall is almost a thing of the past for us as we can get outside every day, and the town we are living in has more activities than we could ever do. We are also starting to make friends here, but when MIL dies we will have no family in the area, and it just seems like it would be hard to stay. I am very torn, I think it would be a nice thing to be back by my family, but it is hard to weigh that against a lifestyle that has been very healthy for us, vs. going back to a place where our lifestyle wasn't the same.

[aliceinwonderland]

We live in a house in "the city" but not in the "happening" area, and not in a city I love.
We are far from both sides of grandparents and I hate that. I cannot walk to my next coffee cup or next drink, and this is a huge problem as I do not drive. (I was telling DH one day during a fight that I want to slam the door now and go have a cup of coffee by myself, but I cannot even do that unless I want Dunkin Donuts!!" LOL

We will move either to NYC or Chicago in exactly 1.5 yrs, I will ride a pink Vespa to work, at least one set of g-parents will be very near us then (both if Chicago), and we will live happily ever after (in very cramped quarters if NYC, but that's ok too, I was raised in an apartment) :)

[jec2]

definatately not just because we will never ever be able to afford anything here :( Also, I'd like to live a bit closer to family/friends and in a a slightly bigger city. One of the coolest sites that Susan, (slknight) posted about once is findyourspot.com The website is amazingly accurate! My #1 spot is Portland Oregon and that is what the website suggested as well!

[kath68]

No. I am grateful that we own a house, but we are in a crummy school district and have had our cars broken into five times in five years while parked out front. There aren't any decent play spaces with in walking distance, either (not a consideration when we bought the place). The house is small, and needs a lot of work.

I love the SF bay area, but our commute to SF is miserable, and impacts our job opportunities. So, we are moving when we get a chance.

My parents are about 1 1/2 hrs away, which is good, but closer would be better.

[babystuffbuff]

Yes, pretty ideal. :) The city is lovely, with old historic areas and cool houses as well as all the "modern conveniences" (big mall, movies, shows, concerts) within a close distance. We are by the water and there are all kinds of boats to watch and beautiful views to look at. DH has a job that he likes very much and could see keeping for a long time. I will have my third (and hopefully final!) interview on Tuesday for my dream job, which I couldn't have really gotten if we lived anywhere else.

The schools are good here, and there is a large public library system, nice parks, and other things that we both want our kids to be raised around. We are renting an apartment right now as we try (and try and try) to sell our house back in NY, and I would love to buy a house here when we are financially able to do so.

For maybe the first time in my life, I truly love everything about where I live. It's a great feeling. :)

Sarah

[kijip]

To echo Eri...NO NO NO. Seattle has about 17 million things that grate on me.

I am not really happy with Seattle but we are entrenched...aging parents that need care, political structure, elibility for in-state tuition to finish school, large support network of friends.

We may move later on, just have not decided anything for sure.

So I checked out that find your spot website and here are my top cities by its suggestion:

Many cities in Tennesee
Little Rock
Boston

[Karenn]

Close, but not quite. Our house is not my dream house, but it's in nice neighborhood in a good school district. I would love a remodeled craftsman or turn of the century house, but they just don't have those kinds of houses in the school district that we want. Instead, I have a "classic" 1970's house. It's plenty big, and it's not a split-level, but it's not really my style, and needs some updating. We sacrificed house style for schools and neighborhood and I'm okay with that because everything else is pretty close to perfect. :)

[elliput]

Nope. Currently we live 1700 miles from my parents and 2220 miles from my IL's (who happen to live in one of my Top Spots according the the quiz mentioned above). Something that I need are tall snow covered peaks nearby, and where we are now there aren't any for miles.:-( I'd like to be much closer to both our families.

[octmom]

Same thing with our mid-1970s house. :)

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
expecting #2! EDD April 1, 2006, but anticipating a C/S in March

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[bluej]

Jeanne is living in my ideal location! And I say that with all seriousness. Actually, it's my second ideal location and admittedly, the only reason I want to live there is b/c my family is there and I'm rather fond of them :) My ideal location is the Twin Cities. I've lived in 3 different suburbs of the area and I'd move back to two of them in a heartbeat and I can think of 3 others that I know I would enjoying living in. DH says he's done with MN and SD isn't in our future for at least another ten years, so I'm content with where I am at. I love our current neighborhood, even though I have no desire to live here longterm. The neighborhood is especially great for Caden, but it's really good for all of our kids.

DH is looking into jobs for our next move and I think planning this next move has been our most stressful so far. Alex will be a teenager at our next location and so we want to make it a good one so she doesn't rebel against us too much!

[Karenn]

Yes. :) I almost just posted "ditto" under your post. :)

[kath68]

What is it about Little Rock? It came up for me, too -- #1 on the list. And cities in Louisiana. Shocked the heck out of me. The rest were predictably California cities, including my beloved Sacramento, which I blathered on about here a couple weeks ago.

ETA: re: findyourspot -- they really should ask where your MIL lives -- her town was in the top choices, too, and there is NO WAY I am living there! :)

[trumansmom]

Jen, where ARE you living these days? Do I remember is was somewhere in the Pacific NW? Because that is MY ideal place to live!! :)

And when are you going to come visit your sister?!

ETA: Jen's sister lives in the same small town I do. :)

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[hobey]

I'm where I should be according to findyourspot.com (Portland, OR). :) City yes, neighborhood no. I'd rather be in the city on the East side but I'm in the west side burbs. I can't beat my current commute but DH & I are already talking about moving when DS hits school age.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[bluej]

Jeanne, I live in Ohio now.

We'll be home at Christmas time. We are home for a week and divide our time b/w my parents and my ILs. As soon as I figure out what days we'll be in your area, I'll let you know. I know we'll be there the 25th :) We'll also be there the 26th. I have plans for 7 in the morning (Target) but I'm sure I can meet up with you later if you're around.

[cilantromapuche]

In most ways yes. We live in upstate NY because DH is from here and could never live anywhere else. I grew up in Buenos Aires and loved it there. So living in a small, rural town is not where I picture myself and the winters KILL me. But, DS has his grandparents nearby and we travel enough to compensate for "provinical" living. I do visit other places and thank my lucky stars to not have to deal with traffic, etc. so there are compromises.

Christine

mama to A (7/03)

[rfeibelm]

Where in VA do you two live? DH, ds and I are in the midst of moving from Sugar Hill, GA (45 min outside of Atlanta) back to Richmond, VA where I grew up and dh moved to while in high school. We both went to VA Tech in Blacksburg for 8 yrs and then moved to GA.

The housing prices in Richmond now are ridiculous! In order to live in a house comparable to ours now, we'd be paying twice as much!

So, we will not be living in our ideal house, but the city and other factors (within 10min of both grandparents) will be ideal.

[trumansmom]

Crud. We may just miss each other. :( Email when it gets closer.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[bluej]

Christine,

We are looking into a move to Cordoba. Would it be possible for me to email you for information if this move becomes my reality? I'm a tad bit nervous to say the least!

[octmom]

I just e-mailed you through the boards. :)

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
expecting #2! EDD April 1, 2006, but anticipating a C/S in March

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[cmdunn1972]

If I had my druthers, I'd either move back to my hometown of St. Louis or closer to where my parents live in the Wash DC area. We decided to move here because 1) DH has a good, stable job in northern NJ within commuting distance, 2) it's roughly equidistant between both sets of grandparents, and 3) the cost of living is cheaper than DC, NYC, or NJ.

DH doesn't seem to mind the Lehigh Valley since this IS a big town compared to where he grew up. (DH comes from a tiny town in Middle-of-Nowhere, PA where the population is 2000.) For me, though, I'd like to live closer to Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Nordstroms, and Costco. Those places haven't seemed to quite "discover" our area yet, though, and to travel to any of them means to drive at least an hour. DH is happy, though, since it means there's less incentive to spend hard-earned money at the mall, but still.

I'd also like more variety in cultural things such as art museums, zoos, Broadway shows, and major league sports.


Eventually I hope that DH will at some point get a promotion that would allow us the income to live closer to a big city, but I'm honestly getting a bit impatient.

[cmdunn1972]

Check your email! :)

Btw, I totally relate. It's easier to tolerate living in a "not so happening" area if at least one set of grandparents lives in the same town!

[C99]

Pretty much. There are small things that I would change about my house or my neighborhood, but these are fairly minor. I also wish that my parents lived closer, but I am hopeful that they will move this way in 2-5 years.

We live in a small house in a large city (Chicago). We have a small backyard that accomodates a small vegetable garden, a plastic climbing set, and some grass for Nate and Rose to run around in. Our neighborhood is filled with houses and small apartment buildings on streets lined with mature trees; it is gorgeous in spring, summer and fall with the canopy of trees over the street. A block away, there is a great park with both indoor and outdoor facilities and inexpensive park district programs. I can walk to a handful of small stores and restaurants (even if most of them are not really my style) or big-box shopping. I am a 5-minute walk from public transportation that can take me anywhere in the city and takes my husband to work everyday. My favorite grocery stores are a short drive away. We only need 1 car. The public schools are decent, and if we choose the private route, there are 2 good parochial schools very close by as well. Crime rates are low. We have family nearby. My M/FIL live close enough to see often, but not close enough to drop by unexpectedly.

We used to live in the SF Bay Area and although we really liked it, the family issue and COL eventually made the decision to move easy for us. We are very fortunate that our employers allowed us to make the move and agreed to let us work remotely.

[kijip]

Little Rock was my #1 too, I just mentioned TN since EVERY city in TN came up on my list.

I can't figure it out but since Little Rock came up on my husband's list as well, maybe we will have to visit to find out!

Maybe findyourspot directs all Dems to Little Rock so we can visit Clinton's library? LOL.

[spencersmommy]

No, but it is ideal in that our families live in the same town and we have lots of friends with kids the same age, but I don't love this town. I would like to move back to southern california when my oldest is almost in middle school. I want a better school system and more family activities. Plus, gangs are a bit of a problem here. The house is nice, brand new, but I am already thinking about my next house! Ha! I think I want an older house with charm...and with neighbors with kids our kids' ages. We don't really have any around us.

[mskitty]

I miss the Twin Cities. I lived there after college for a couple of years. People actually enjoy the outdoors... the roads were actually designed to get around town quick(except rushhour). Mall of America was great- I walked there two or three times a week during winter for exercise. Decent healthcare was available. The theater scene was fantastic. It's hard to believe it's been seven years since I lived there. *sigh*

My husband has family here and the ones that aren't, visit. His folks are three hours away which is a nice balance ie we see them monthly but they aren't popping in all the time. House prices are reasonable. Traffic is nothing (except in snow where they truly have no clue how to drive). I've learned to adapt and search out the things I enjoy since I don't think we'll ever leave the metro area here.

Maybe I need to schedule a girls weekend out in Minneapolis with my college buds... theater, eating, hiking, and MoA :)

MsKitty

[cilantromapuche]

Yes, please email me! I love Cordoba and it is beautiful. The only thing I don't like about Argentina is that it is SOOOO far away and the trip is brutal IMO.

Christine

mama to A (7/03)

[Momof3Labs]

Yes and no. The biggest negative is the cost of living, but we pretty much need to get out of the Chicago area to improve that. It's tough because DH and I work so far apart, and he can't change jobs without jeopardizing his pension (and there is no way to "work at home" when you are a fireman). I'm sticking with my company because they allow me to work part-time, which is virtually unheard of in my profession.

But we're now close to my family, who gives us the most support. The schools are outstanding. And it's not too hard a commute to either of our jobs.

When DH retires - could be as soon as 5 years from now - we may consider a job change for me and move to somewhere that is a lot less expensive to live. But then we'll be far from both families, so need to weigh all those considerations!

[kensjen]

No, we are definitely not.

We came here for a job (DH's) and that part has been fine. I know he loves his job, and it has been good for him career-wise. But we are a plane ride away from all of our family, which is a bad thing...we use a lot of vacation time visiting, we miss all of the holidays, important events. Now that we have children (well, almost 2!) I wish our families were nearby for support...and also, I want my kids to know their grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.

Also where we live is very expensive, so that part has been frustrating. We moved here because the promotion enabled me to be a SAHM, but at times I feel guilty due to the cost of living...like I should really work.

Hopefully we will end up in the midwest eventually, we'll see.

[pittsburghgirl]

We like our home (the biggest downside is no powder room on our first floor, otherwise the 3 of us could live here forever :), and the suburb we live in (good schools, nice community, etc.) The cost of living for housing is great, and we have incredible culture, sports, and other opportunities for the size of the city. But Pittsburgh in general is not a thriving city and gets worse each year, it seems. It's depressing to go downtown any more. DH is a consultant and his company is organized regionally so he has to work a lot harder to find new clients than his colleagues in more dynamic areas.

But DH's family is here so I can't see us moving; he went away to college and came right back. IDEALLY, we would live nearer to the mountains, we love winter and skiing. Findyourspot suggested a bunch of cities in Utah for me, as well as several in Colorado, the Twin Cities (which would be much closer to my parents in Iowa) and Portland, Maine which is one of our favorites. There are good points to being so close to DH's family (they love DS and help out a lot with them) but it's very hard for me that my parents are not close and don't get to see him as much. And there are definitely sometimes some negatives to being so close to the ILs as well.:)

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[ribbit1019]

In a word, no.
Neighborhood is becoming crap, though it was decent a couple of years ago when we moved here. Now, we have had multiple break ins nearby and there have been several incidents where my immediate neighbors have been hit up for money in their back yards. Yep, people are walking into their back yards when they see that they are out and asking for money. WTF? I feel incredibly unsafe here these days. Which is so sad. The schools are in Academic Watch with no sign of pulling out.
The city is also in the process of moving a church community in from a very bad part of Cleveland. They are building a huge church and low income tax free housing for 1000 families. We will be gone by the time this is finished.

Christy
"My Mommy" to Maddy born 06/09/04
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and soon to Little Man due 03/02/06
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Join the BBB Preggo Pals!!
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[nfowife]

No.
We recently moved here (DH is in the military and this is where we have to be). Overall, it's a pretty nice place- GREAT cost of living- we have a huge new house that we would never be able to have in most other places, great schools, pretty good weather. But it's a very conservative bible belt-y place, and we are Jewish. There is a Jewish community here, but it is so small and you really have to seek it out (which we will do eventually for dd's sake). There are certainly worse places to be, but I think that for both DH and I, our "ideal" is a place where we don't feel like such outcasts for not putting up Christmas lights or going to church on Sunday. Sheesh, even the shops here play Christian music on their intercoms!

[vwh99]

After living in Northern VA for four years and being homesick almost the entire time, I recently moved back to my home state. I thought it was the right decision since most of my friends and family are here. However, now that I've been here for almost a year, I'm not sure anymore.

The main part is that I left a job that I really loved and traded it in for what turned out to be a nightmare of a job. I quit before 6 months and now I'm at another. This new one is okay and the people are nice (unlike the previous). However, I'm finding myself questioning whether the move was right or not, since I'm missing my job in VA all the time.

Yes, it's nice to be within 1/2-1hr of friends/family, but I work full time and so, now I'm realizing how important your 'work' family is!!! Anyway, I don't know how this will all turn out....if we will stay here or not.... but I'm not opposed to moving away from family again if I can have another fulfilling career. I find that even though I'm 'close by', everyone still has their own lives and we don't even see each other THAT much more!

Val

[aliceinwonderland]

replied :)

[Moneypenny]

Not really. DH and I are both pretty anti-social, so we'd be perfectly happy out in the middle of nowhere with no one to bother us, LOL! Also, I'd like to be either closer or farther from our relatives. We are currently about a 4-6 hour drive away from everyone but my mother (who is 2 hours away), so it's too far for day trips, but too close to be able to beg off the holidays and other family celebrations even if we'd rather not go. (I said we were anti-social!).

Alas, the need to have food and clothes outweighs all this so we live in a decent subarb of a crappy city in an okay if small house with crappy neighbors.
Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]
We made it to a year!

[pixelprincess]

I LOVE being in the bay area and our suburban community (never though I'd say that for being a city girl). The downside is being far from family, crappy schools, small homes. I just can't see us moving to a colder climate though.