I have spent the last couple of days organizing everything we own, trying to sell it. We are going to sell basically everything we own and move to Colorado with only clothes, kitchen supplies, and some toys (and maybe the vacuum cleaner?).
So, I've been thinking a bit more about us moving away from here and what that means to us (for those of you not in the know, we are currently living in the Minneapolis, MN area).
*Here's a summary of what will be happening before I go on with this story: Vern will be spending his last trimester of chiropractic college studying under a doctor in a suburb of Denver. We will be moving there from mid-August until late December. After that, Vern will have graduated, and he is going to go on to do some additional chiropractic business training for 6 months (or longer?) in either Naples, FL or (possibly) a suburb of Chicago. And that will be from January through June of 2011. After that, we'll have to figure out where to set up shop and live (theoretically, for a very long time).*
The plan had always been that we would not come back to Minnesota (and that is still the plan, for the most part). I am not entirely in love with a city this size (too big), nor with its suburbs (too homogeneous), BUT (and this is a big BUT), I have made myself a part of a parenting (as well as birth as well as food) community here that is truly amazing and inspiring.
Awhile ago, I did a lot of research on other places we could possibly move (places that met my criteria: smaller in size, had a "crunchiness" factor, good food sources, fours seasons, homeschooling groups, etc.) and we (kind of) settled upon Burlington, Vermont. (Note: I also have a thing for quaint New England towns). And Vernon even ended up being okay with it (he used to have a thing about not wanting to live where it's cold, but that doesn't seem to be an issue anymore).
So, anyway, Vernon recently got an e-mail from his chiropractic business training group saying that everybody would need to narrow down their locations because they are going to need to start focusing on things like site selection, marketing, and stuff like that when they get to their training in January. So, we're both, like, "I guess we'll put Burlington, Vermont then?" With a big question mark in our voices because it still seems just so random (even though I put a lot of research into it) and final.
But here is what I am thinking about moving back here (which is still kind of an option, but not really): This community that we have all so wonderfully created... it won't exist in five years the way that it does now. (I mean, sure, it will still exist... but it will be with The Next Generation and not the original cast members.) If my friends don't keep procreating, in five years time, all of their kids will be school-aged. Therefore, they will no longer be coming to playgroups nor be as central a part of "the community" as they once were anyway. They will enter a different stage in their parenting life (as will I) that doesn't include a lot of mommies-sitting-at-the-playground bonding time.
So, I've decided that we could just start over somewhere else since things are going to change here anyway.
We might as well. We're selling all our stuff anyway.
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7 comments:
is it completely inappropriate of me to be on the verge of tears to hear that you're moving? My parents live in Golden, Colorado. We are going there July 23 through August 2 for vacation. Which suburb will you be in?
No, Ruth, actually I enjoy bringing people to tears... especially if it is in conjunction with how much I mean to them.
We'll be in Northglenn, CO.
I grew up in Ithaca, NY...VERY CRUNCHY TOWN! I'm now living south of Chicago, you would not be happy here. I think Vermont (or Londonderry NH) would be a wonderful place to raise a family. Any move is incredible difficult and I wish the best of luck to you. Someday maybe I'll get to move back east, sigh.
"This community that we have all so wonderfully created... it won't exist in five years the way that it does now. (I mean, sure, it will still exist... but it will be with The Next Generation and not the original cast members.) If my friends don't keep procreating, in five years time, all of their kids will be school-aged. Therefore, they will no longer be coming to playgroups nor be as central a part of "the community" as they once were anyway. They will enter a different stage in their parenting life (as will I) that doesn't include a lot of mommies-sitting-at-the-playground bonding time."
My school aged kids(9, 15, and 16) still love their play time, which includes mommies-sitting-at-the-playground ;)
I think Austin is ideal for you. We totally have 4 seasons - summer, post-summer, december and pre-summer.
We meet all the rest of your criteria, too! :) Haha. In all sincerity, good luck with your choices and your moves. I've moved a lot in the past 14 years or so, and I've come to find that it's your attitude, not the place, that matters. If you want to be happy there, you will be - period. If you are constantly comparing it to someplace else/somebody else "This isn't quite as awesome as Minneapolis" - it never will be. You have the power to make a place more awesome, more like home, more special. You also have the power to bring people down and make a place a real bummer(I've had a lot of experience with both types of people).
Having lived in Burlington, VT for 4 years and having grown up in a small Vermont town, I can say that this is an excellent place to raise a family. You would be living in a place where people come to vacation. Crunchy? Check. Green? Check. Lots to do? Check. Excellent music scene? Check. Quality of food? Check.
There are some downsides though. The Burlington area and all of Chittenden County is expensive to live in, but not necessarily compensated with higher wages. Winters are tough and we all get a little crazy when a big snowstorm comes in April.
I totally hear your point, and I am waaaaay back in your blog so mine might be moot at this point, but....
My kid is bigger. I used to go to the playgroups all of the time, but then she got bigger and in school and I didn't have another.....and we stopped going to those things. You're right. It does change.
But do you know what? Those same moms that I REALLY clicked with (not all of them, cause for some you are definitely just there because your kids are the same age - but then there are the ones that you discover you REALLY like, and I am talking about those...)have now become my real, regular life friends. We hang out, go out, etc. It's not all about kids anymore, although it sometimes still us.
I guess my point is that they have become my REAL friends. Friends that I will keep forever, no matter what age our kids are. Heck, maybe we will have a grandma playgroup someday! I don't know - but you definitely can stay friends with those people that you love, and it is hard to make friends as adults.
That said - I am going to move away (and I don't know if I will come back or not either). Not for about 8 years, and my kid is already older.....but I want to see the world. I do think it will be hard to make the kind of friends that I have here, some of the best of which came from those initial playgroups.
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