Saturday, May 9, 2009

to move or not to move, that is the question...

As I mentioned in the last post, my buddy Heidi and her husband Mike bought Joe and I a trip out to Eugene, Oregon for a couple days. Our time there was so short and packed with running around trying to see and do as much as possible - it was quite the whirlwind trip. But it was so unexpectedly wonderful and seriously one of the coolest gifts. I wish we were still there!

Here are some of our snapshots:

Trying to avoid contracting the swine flu.


Heidi, Collin, and Mike.


Moss covering every inch of a tree.


Joe standing beside a really small tree.


Heceta Head.


lighthouse at Heceta Head.

View the rest of our pictures from Oregon HERE in our online photo gallery!!


For quite some time now, I have wanted to travel up through the Pacific Northwest. I don't really know why - maybe just because of the fact that the weather is quite opposite that of Phoenix. Whatever the reasons were, our time spent there blew my mind - we were able to spend some really nice quality time with Heidi and Mike, went on some quick hikes, visited Veneta, went to the Saturday Market in Eugene, got rained on, traveled out to the coast, enjoyed the fresh ocean air, poked around looking at anenomes, climbed rocks, relaxed, fell asleep to the sound of rain, played with cutie-pie Collin, drove around town, and even saw Portland (even if only for about an hour).

It was just plain awesome.

And a real wake up call for us in terms of figuring out where we want to settle down to start a family. I still have a huge soft spot for New England - the family, the people, my previous employer who I still keep in contact with. But one interesting thing is that the Pacific Northwest, we found, actually reminds us a LOT of New England (just tending to be not as frigid in the winter time and a little greener because of all the rain). On the other hand, there might be an opportunity for us to consider in Illinois with my friend, Anna, and her family. But at the end of the day, I also have a huge soft spot for Arizona - the family, my history here, and the multitude of things that we have yet to explore here.

So this is the question - with Joe and I having explored different parts of the country and narrowing down our choices as to where we want to "set up shop", how do you select one knowing that there will be things that we will miss so dearly, and knowing that our decision affects others as well? We feel like we are being pulled in a few different directions, so how do settle on one, especially when the feelings of family and friends are involved? And how do you know which decision is the right one? This is a decision that we will definitely not be taking lightly, that's for sure.

1 comment:

Samara Link said...

Hey, guys. Your new banner is really cute! Lucy is beautiful. And wow - so is OR. You got some really nice photos on your trip. Glad you had a good time. It's gorgeuous there! I've never been, but I've had half a dozon people tell me they picture us there, interestingly enough. The idea of moving is a big one. It's much easier to when you have something like a job with an official start date to propell the decision. It's exciting that you're talking about it. Personally, I love moving! It's so exciting -- new things to see and do, new people to meet, new culture, history, smells, etc. Good luck as you hash through your options. And keep us posted!

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