If that's moving up then I'm moving out...

We've been talking about moving. For years. We go back and forth between deciding we are for sure moving to a new place and just thinking we will remodel this place. Both are expensive propositions and so it becomes sort of a toss up where money is concerned. We aren't sure what C is going to do after graduation so we go back and forth on how small we could go. Even if he doesn't get a job right away he would get one sooner rather than later and it could be anyplace in the US. Or Canada. Or Japan. So who knows what we will end up needing. A place with a guest room or a place with actual space for him?

And then the toss up between do we want a small house with a yard in the hills or a cool condo with a lovely deck downtown? And I want certain things that we are discovering seem to only come with bigger houses. Like a nice kitchen. With a decent hood vent. And smooth counter tops for baking and pasta.  And I want a nice tub. That's not as important as a nice kitchen, but I've missed having a nice tub so that would be lovely. But hard to find in a house that isn't a McMansion, which we don't want. So we've stayed put. And looked at houses online. And gone to a couple open houses and looked at them. And today we are going to look at a farmhouse on 3 acres where I could have chickens and bees and maybe a cow.

Yeah, I know right? The chickens and bees are probably more realistic than the cow unless I could find someone to help me take care of it. But chickens and bees I think I could handle on my own. I like the idea of having fresh eggs and taking care of a few chickens. Not a lot. My grandfather had a really large coop and that's more than I want. Maybe three. And the bees just seem like a good idea if you have land. Just to help set up colonies. And we have people here that will take care of the hives, they just need space to place them.

Will we end up with the house in the hills with the farm land? Who knows. But you never know until you look. Maybe what I want isn't the downtown city condo with the restaurants and shopping in walking distance but the farmhouse with the woods of my own and chickens to give me fresh eggs and a cow to milk and a yard to tend. And really cute farmer overalls to wear while I do it all. I've never really thought I would end up tending to farm animals but over the past few years the idea has taken root and seems more and more appealing. Instead of high heels and business suits maybe rubber boots and work gloves? Who knows...

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. -” Joseph Campbell

Moving and shaking...

Brent and I are thinking about moving. This isn't a surprise to anyone who knows us, we are almost always thinking about moving. We moved every two years when he was in the Navy and then again his first few years with Intel. We only stopped being so mobile when C went in to middle school and we decided it was best for him to have stability through the rest of his school years. But we had talked about moving as soon as he graduated.

Brent actually interviewed with a company in Pittsburgh C's junior year but it would have meant him being there and us being here for just over a year and that puts a strain on a family financially and emotionally so he turned down the job. The there was the interview last summer with the company in Tennessee. If that had been a better fit and a slightly bigger town we would have accepted the job offer there. Instead he ended up with a promotion and a new position at Intel so he moved (desks) and we stayed here.

But that doesn't mean we aren't still thinking of moving. It just might not be to a new city. Though if an offer in San Diego came  about we would be packed and out of here so fast it would leave a little cartoon dust cloud behind us. So for now we are thinking of moving in to town. Or farther out of town. One of those. We are waiting until after C graduates college and settles down someplace. With the way the economy is we feel like we need to make sure we still have space for him just in case he doesn't fall right in to a position after graduation. Though, honestly, we both think he will do fine. He picked up a very marketable minor so he has double skill sets going in to the workforce. But just in case it seems like a good idea to keep room for him for another couple of years.

But then we move. Maybe. I am torn right now between three ideas. One is the downtown condo that I have dreamed of for years. Something with a view of either the skyline or, even better, a slice of the river. Something neat and tidy and within walking distance to just about anything you can imagine. The second is moving toward the coast or up in to the hills.  Going more rural instead of more urban. Living on the beach would be outstanding, except for Brent's commute. Trying to get in to work could be a real challenge and would be super time consuming. Living in a little house in the middle of a wooded lot would be excellent as well. I love both ideas equally. Beach and mountain. *sigh*

And then there is the third option. We bought in to the townhouse at a pretty darn good price. We didn't get caught up in the refinancing boom when the houses were being over appraised so we don't owe more on it than it's worth. With only Brent working it's a nice manageable mortgage. There are benefits to staying put. We need to start doing the maintenance that you do after being in a house for 10 years. And part of me thinks that maybe I should just redo the floors and the kitchen and the bathrooms and stay here. We could take the money we aren't spending on a bigger mortgage and use it to go have fun. Maybe travel to mountains and beaches all over the place instead of moving to one or the other.

And I do like where we live. The inside and the proximity to things at least. I'm not thrilled with the car lot outside my window (seriously people use your garage!) and it makes me sad that they have pushed the urban growth boundary (and are petitioning to do it again!) so instead of the apple orchard and the farm land across the street I will have a new bright and shiny Arbor Homes development. But should we stay or should we go?

I have just over a year to decide I guess...though if we are staying I am doing the floors soon.  George McPukington the First aka the Vomit Comet has pretty much trashed my carpets and wood floors seem like a gift from heaven...

Anyway...what do you all think?  A new place on the beach, in the hills, downtown? Or this place just gutted and redone fancy and shiny? And how often do you get itchy feet and want to move and go someplace new? For me I am ready to leave a city after about 18 months. The fact that we have lived here for 10 years this time and two years before that shows how much we do love Portland. Maybe I just need to bite the cheap bullet and book a lot more travel to solve the itchy feet issue? It's a problem I have, for another day to discuss, I get a vacation all lined out then see the price at the end and FREAK THE FUCK OUT and don't book.

Hmmm....things to ponder...moving on up...to the East Side...to a deluxe apartment in the sky....or in the hills...in the woods...on the beach...to the west....