Well, changes are afoot for Team Odette. Big changes:
We're moving to Idaho.
What? Idaho? Who moves to Idaho? Apparently, we do. And we are. In April, when our lease is up, our Miami Adventure will be complete, and we will skedaddle on across the country in a U-Haul.
We will be carrying, as of right now: Two adults, two teenagers, one tween, two small dogs, four cats, two gerbils, and one guinea pig.
And a household-full of memories. And stuff. It's my plan to take the next five months and really clean up and inventory what we have and what we don't need. I want to get rid of as much as possible, to lighten the load and to put money toward moving.
We are hoping to rent a house with four bedrooms, so the kids can each have their own rooms for once. We want a yard, and a decent-sized kitchen, and neighbors who are friendly. And space! This 3½-year sojourn in our cramped apartment - with too much stuff, really, not the company - has been wearisome for all of us.
Yes, we want to live on a boat or, barring that, in an RV, but for right now we need some permanence and space. Maybe it's the age of our kids, maybe it's their temperament, but I guess they just didn't get the strong nomadic, adventuresome genes from their parents? Maybe the tween, but not the teens, anyway.
Miami has been nice weather-wise, so we'll have to get used to the colder, crisper temperatures. But hey, I'll have an excuse to knit again! Maybe I'll start something special for each of us. Who knows, but right now it's not a big priority. Warmer clothes for blustery winters, aye.
These are our top 10 qualities we were looking for in a new home state, in no particular order:
- Somewhere new and interesting.
- Somewhere with mountains and rivers and lakes and fishing and hiking, where Rob could be happy for once.
- Somewhere with a school, so Rob could do his nursing degree and use his GI Bill.
- Somewhere with neighbors and friendliness and kindness and warmth, less dog-eat-dog and citified.
- Somewhere Chloë could be happy and make good friends, because she has been desperately unhappy down here.
- Somewhere very homeschooling-friendly, because we are very eclectic and "relaxed" in our methods sometimes, but not always.
- Somewhere Sophia could still have and ride horses.
- Somewhere Jack could just be a boy.
- Somewhere affordable.
- Somewhere we could have a good medical community, with a VA presence.
It turns out, Idaho fits the bill on all of these. Rob has been looking at Boise. I don't know anyone who lives there, but I am excited about this next new chapter in our lives. We're 16 years into this gig, as of November 1st, and there has been so much change in our lives that change is now nothing new. Ha! Yes, I'll be cold, and cold affects my pain, but I'm willing to suck it up and go for the good of my family. I think I'll be okay.
So. Idaho.
What do you think?!
Fin.
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