As many of you know, Jared and I have been praying for a move out of Arizona in 2010. This has been our heart for many, many years now and we are believing God to fulfill this dream, as we believe it is his dream, too.
This picture was taken during a few short minutes outside the other day, in the blazing, stupid heat of Phoenix in July. Doesn't his expression just say, "Why do we still live here, mama?"
Anyway, a few possibilities follow, and I thought it would be fun to include the pros/cons we see about the areas. Many of them are completely ridiculous and unfounded I'm sure, but that's what makes this a blog. :)
Canada
In our mind's eye (at least until recently), we thought Canada was the place for us - a hippie-loving place with universal healthcare, gorgeous scenery, a cool climate and lots of extended breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, crunchy Christian parents like us. Not so, according to my friends on Diaperswappers. Apparently Canadians surrender about half their income to the government and wait up to 10 hours to see an ER doctor. It's pretty, sure. But hippie-central? Not more so than the U.S., they say. Just like here, there are cities that are more progressive and "crunchy" and others that are old-fashioned, misinformed and could give a crap about the planet.
Tennessee
For a long time, we thought this is where we would go. My mom lives there and it's a very green, lush area with lots of lakes and rivers. It gets hot and humid in the summer but nice and brisk cold in the winter. You can definitely get your fix of layers there. But the fact that there are no laws protecting breastfeeding mothers from being arrested for public indecency, or for being removed from a public place for nursing a child older than 12 months (even discretely) says it all. Again, my DS mamas from the South have confirmed that it's annoyingly conservative and slow-moving.
Another perk (or so we thought) was that Tennessee is in the Bible Belt, but a few visits there with some of my moms friends have taught us that living in "the Belt" doesn't mean you're surrounded by people who love the Lord, just by people who claim Christianity as their faith in the same way that I claim to be white - I've just always been told I am. An interesting witnessing challenge to say the least, but I'm still not sure TN is for us. :)
Monterey, California
For almost a decade now, Jared has been friends with a wonderful pastor who has been hinting at ministering with him for years. He once pastored here in Arizona and now pastors a church of about 600 in Monterey. We know very little about this area, although one of our hearts' desires about moving is to raise our family in a place with seasons, snow, falling leaves, thunderstorms. From what I know, this doesn't fit the bill. But could we sacrifice those things for year-round sunshine and breezy, beautiful weather? Possibly. But the housing prices there are sky high, even in this economy. Despite his pastor friend's promise that the salary would be scaled up to the area's inflated cost of living, there's still almost no way we could own a home in this area.
Other Possibilities
Lately, I've brought up Wisconsin (not as urban as Chicago, but still close to my parents), Montana (we have a friend whose parents live there and the pictures are to die for), Washington (my sis lived there for a while and we *heart* everything we see and hear about the state, but again the cost of living far exceeds our projected income) and Colorado (not terribly far from Jared's parents, seems to be progressive, more moderate weather).
As you can see, we have no flippin' idea where we're going to end up. But I'm excited to see what God will do to show us the way. He's cool like that, and I know He will. In His own good (definitely-not-my-own) time. :)
3 comments:
Hi there. I followed the link to your blog from DS.
Might I suggest Idaho? We have 4 distinct seasons (and its very low humidity), the town I live in is the most hippie loving in the state. Breastfeeding is the norm, baby wearing is common, cloth diapers are gaining popularity, and homeschooling is huge. We have a great government which basically stays out of the personal lives of it's citizens.
I am a 'zonie native and would NEVER go back. We moved here from the Valley about 8 years ago...lived a quarter mile from ASU and were members of Tri-City Baptist over on Southern and Price.
There are a few things I miss, like Harkins popcorn and Dunkin Donuts. Oh how I miss those! haha
Hey you!!! I just discovered your blog, via facebook!
Let me take a moment to tell you how much you would love California if you moved to Monterey (or any other CA coastal area). It is so beautiful, you will (culturally) feel instantly at home (I'm willing to bet) and I've got 2 words for you: the ocean! Plus, if you were to buy a home in CA, this would definitely be the time to do it! Sometimes it just requires adjusting your idea of what you're looking for around here, ie downsizing. Arizona has such giant suburban houses, but we really and truly have not missed the square footage yet. One reason we don't miss it is because we're not trapped in the house for 4 months anymore. We takes walks and such daily, and we have been able to do this almost every day since we moved back (in November). Small houses don't quite feel so small when there is a beautiful outside accessible year-round, you know? At least, that's our take.
And plus, from a selfish perspective, having you 2 hours away would be, like, the best thing ever!
PS Have you guys looked into Oregon or Washington? I'm still voting for CA, but it seems like a lot of likeminded people end up there.
Good luck!
Hey, you could move to North Dakota. The cost of living is reasonable; it's a safe, great place to raise kids, there's several AP/LLL or like groups in the big towns.
And my church is looking for a worship pastor. So perfect! :D
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