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Lisbet
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We will be moving (very very soon I pray! God's time I know...) to Southern MI, a few acres just north of where we live now. 20 minutes to dh's job (well, his job for now at least, but that's a whole 'nother post...) 20 minutes to our traditional parish, and straddling two very good homeschool communities, one in Ohio and one in Michigan - with a lot of overlap. The homeschooling laws in MI are wonderful - no regulations whatsoever. Michigan has such an outdoorsy feel to it. We visited the UP before (very tip of the UP to be exact!) and part of me would love to live there, but I think it may be too rural.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
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Nick, 17
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Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
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MarilynW
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I have so been enjoying everyone's responses with my afternoon cup of tea. Thank you for responding.
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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I love the idea of Alaska - my children would love to move there - I do not think I could handle the winters and all that snow. Like Molly - I am finding the extremes of hard - but I really do not want to move back to the South of France 
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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Jen - I love what you said about creating the Avonlea spirit and I so agree. But I DID grow up in a place very similar to Avonlea and although I very rarely look back (and it certainly is not the same now) I do miss the close community and friendly people and open front porches. No tv, no electronics, no cellphones, no stressed lifestyyle. Just lots of playing outside and visiting and opening your home to others. My children have never known this. They find it odd when I tell them that my sister and I would disappear for hours on our bikes- or go up into the woods - my parents would not worry - they knew we would be safe in nature and would return for lunch. Here my children have to let me know if they walk to a neighbor's house!!
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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guitarnan wrote:
I need to live somewhere with a good library system because I check out zillions of books every year.
Snow is not my friend. That - and the summer humidity - are the two things I don't like about where I live. (Besides dh's commute - but we'll have to move to fix taht. Sigh.) |
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Ooh - I forgot the library. I LOVE our library system and always have more than 100 books out (ok Mary M - I know you have more than that ) - but seriously it helps keep our homeschooling costs down and provides my children with so many resources - books, dvds, periodicals etc etc. We did a very detailed 2nd WW study with very few books I had to buy because my very extensive book and dvd list could be found in the library. This year - we have hundreds of books we are reading and movies we are watching for the World Geography and Cultures study that I wrote - and I have not had to buy many texts at all. There is no way I could have provided all these resources for the children if I had to buy them all.
And Nancy - I so hear you about the weather. (and I want to add those infernal hordes of bugs that come out in the summer - so hard to be out with all those critters in the summer!)
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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Angela - I forgot to mention family like you did. This is so important - we have always lived by family. In England it was near dh's - here it is near mine. And this is one of the main reasons we moved to this area.
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Marilyn
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Angel
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MarilynW wrote:
Another reason for wanting a possibly more rural lifestyle - I think there MAY be a possiblity then for my boys to do more "meaningful work" then living in the suburbs. Here they can cut grass and shovel snow and help with household chores and repairs - but not much more. Whilst my boys are talented athletes and musicians - I really do not want them to be typical suburban teenagers who are just ferried about to soccer games and orchestra events but never really do any REAL meaningful work. I would love for them to have more "functional exercise" and physical work too. I would love for them to be able to grow and reap and hunt and raise animals and have more of an outdoor lifestyle (other than the soccer or baseball field!!) - but it is kind of hard in a suburban yard of a third of an acre with strict homeowner rules!!
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Yes, this *is* a big bonus of country life, IMO. My boys can chop and load wood, work in a big garden, dig extraneous holes and ditches if they want, chop vegetation (always a favorite activity), help build chicken coops, etc., and then go out to do chicken chores even when it is 20 degrees below zero because the chickens have to be cared for. I believe that my eldest would rather live in the suburbs sometimes. 
But it is a big advantage to a rural life, IMO. Also, according to my dh who grew up in a suburb with rather snooty laws... it is much easier to tear the engine of your old truck apart in the driveway if you live in the country.
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Angela
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Three Plus Two
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stacykay
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Lisbet wrote:
We will be moving (very very soon I pray! God's time I know...) to Southern MI, a few acres just north of where we live now. .... The homeschooling laws in MI are wonderful - no regulations whatsoever. Michigan has such an outdoorsy feel to it. We visited the UP before (very tip of the UP to be exact!) and part of me would love to live there, but I think it may be too rural.
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 Welcome! 
I have always lived here in MI. I love the lakes, the out of doors opportunities, and the fact that it isn't a super long drive to even that top of the UP. (I measure all drives by our former yearly drives to FL.)
We are close to Ann Arbor with its great campus and medical center. We are close to Detroit and museums/sports/Fox Theatre/DSO. There are tons of walking and bike trails nearby. Homeschooling here is super. We have such a wealth of Catholic speakers and radio (just went to a talk by Steve Ray on Tuesday night at our church, plus we have Al Kresta, Teresa Tomeo, Fr. John Riccardo, and Gary Michuta.)
What would I change? Larger yard so I could have a veggie garden (our whole yard is filled with maples, oaks, their summer shade and root-filled dirt.) And as others have mentioned, a shorter commute for dh.
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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mom2mpr
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MarilynW wrote:
I think one of my main reasons for sometimes wanting to move to more acreage is because I would love to have what Erin has - a piece of land to then build on (though um.. 140 acres in the US is not going to happen!!!). Why - so that when my children are older them can all build their homes on this land and we can be fairly close to each other. This is really something I dream of and hope for.
Another reason for wanting a possibly more rural lifestyle - I think there MAY be a possiblity then for my boys to do more "meaningful work" then living in the suburbs. Here they can cut grass and shovel snow and help with household chores and repairs - but not much more. Whilst my boys are talented athletes and musicians - I really do not want them to be typical suburban teenagers who are just ferried about to soccer games and orchestra events but never really do any REAL meaningful work. I would love for them to have more "functional exercise" and physical work too. I would love for them to be able to grow and reap and hunt and raise animals and have more of an outdoor lifestyle (other than the soccer or baseball field!!) - but it is kind of hard in a suburban yard of a third of an acre with strict homeowner rules!!
But sometimes I wonder if I could live in the country - I am quite a city girl in many ways. |
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Here in north east Ohio that 100 acres might be a possibility. And a lot of families live in their own homes on the land that has been in families for years. It is so cool.
As a city dweller as a child, I have adjusted pretty well. Even though I lived on a 50 by 50 lot most of my childhood, I dreamed of a Little House on the Prairie lifestyle. Now, even though I had a very hard time moving here I realized,recently, I can have Little House. But for the record we only have about 6 acres.
I totally understand the work thing with the kids. My ds would rather do anything outside than vacuum--and I have a zillion outside chores for him. And he is in a better mood after having done some man work.
And taking the car apart and leaving it for a few days--that drove me crazy but I am loosening up. No one really cares.
Ds is so into our land and exploring/playing and building/digging on it. He is planning on raising chickens in the spring for fair and a few for food for us. I have a huge veggie garden and while last summer I was too busy planting 120 seedling trees with dh, this year I plan on making a big effort to put up some food for the winter.
Ds and dh recently took the state hunting course and hope to hunt soon. I am getting used to that. And we need a good bow or gun. We are surrounded by hundreds of acres of state hunting land. As a friend said to me,"When in Rome do as the Romans." So, my kid will hunt. And as long as the animal doesn't hang in my garage (there is a nice Amish butcher down the street that can do the yucky stuff for us)I can make some venison stew and tacos. I think.
And we have the orchestra, culture, universities, big hospitals and museums and all within 40 minutes or so. So, that has helped me a lot.
Dh's commute is 20-30 minutes.
The whole point of this was to say there probably are places in the US you can get some big acreage and you might be able to also learn to enjoy rural life.
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Anne, married to dh 16 years!, ds,(97), Little One (02), and dd (02).
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Sarah M
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knowloveserve wrote:
If I had to leave the Pacific Northwest, there'd be a hole in my heart forever.
I love being close to both mountains and beaches (and even a rain forest where we live now!). |
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Me too. And funny, since I've been thinking about this (thanks for starting the fun thread, Marilyn), I keep thinking of places I'd love to live-- they're all in the NW. Every last one of 'em is in Oregon, Washington, or Idaho.
I've always lived on the western side of the Cascades, though, and (we'll be moving to the Eastern side soon) I'm excited to experience a bit more seasonal change. Although- gosh. Is Eastern Washington considered the Pacific NW? Or is it just NW? Hmmm...
My all time favorite place that I'd move to in a heartbeat is Wenatchee, WA. (I know, I know: where?!, right?) It's the heart of apple country here in the Pacific NW, right next door to a beautiful bavarian village (Leavenworth), and I just love love love it there. The nature is absolutely beautiful and it has the small-town feel that I crave.
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Nina Murphy
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For now, nowhere else.
One daughter goes to college 5 minutes away.
We have a son in So. Cal at his college, and don't want to be too far away from there.
We live very close to our Traditional Parish and large community of homeschoolers and large families who we have known for so long and who our children love.
We KNOW this place in and out. I could probably walk blindfolded through my neighborhood grocery store and shop sufficiently!
We love our primary care physician who is not TOO far.
We are very, very close to a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Center, which is huge.
I would love to have a place with land for my kids to run on, surrounded with many trees, perhaps not too far from an ocean with that fantastic salty sea air for our lungs.. That is my dream domicile. But is there a place like that that has all of the things we are so dependent on and comfortable with at this time in our lives.....? I try to meditate on that. I NEED to meditate on that----and remember!
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~~Nina
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JodieLyn
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Sarah M wrote:
Is Eastern Washington considered the Pacific NW? Or is it just NW? Hmmm...
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I think that all of WA and OR are generally included in the PNW. Though I don't think most people realize how drastically different the climate is on the East side of both from the normal assumption about those states.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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KauaiCatholic
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JodieLyn wrote:
Sarah M wrote:
Is Eastern Washington considered the Pacific NW? Or is it just NW? Hmmm...
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I think that all of WA and OR are generally included in the PNW. Though I don't think most people realize how drastically different the climate is on the East side of both from the normal assumption about those states. |
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WA and OR are definitely the Pacific NW if you live there. ID is part of the NW and can even be included in the PNW if you are talking to someone who thinks the upper left-hand part of the country is one big green blur.
of course, in the NW itself, Eastern WA and Northern ID are the Inland Empire; dry-side Eastern WA/OR are "over the Cascades," or "on the moon" to those on the West-sides; and Southern ID is either the Treasure Valley or Northern Utah, depending on whether you're LDS or not. (OK, I'm getting a little punchy here. but if you've lived there, you know what I'm talkin' about.)
Sarah and Ellie, you are making me seriously homesick for the beautiful Northwest, even in all her wintry glory.
my DH likes to say "you live in a place for 3 reasons: family, job or location." we have been blessed twice in our married life to get 2 of 3; maybe someday we'll hit the trifecta. in the meantime, I'm enjoying the 2 that drew us here (his job that lets us enjoy this amazing location) while missing the third terribly.
I'm enjoying reading all the reasons people love their home states!
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 Viviane
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We can do no great things; only small things with great love. -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
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MaryM
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Nina Murphy wrote:
| But is there a place like that that has all of the things we are so dependent on and comfortable with at this time in our lives.....? |
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I have been coming back to something along those lines while reading this thread. I don't think there is a perfect place for me that has everything I could want. Because in choosing certain aspects in one location I have to give up others.
First there are the whole geographic and climate aspects of this question. Then there are the lifestyle options: rural, suburban, or urban. And then the specific amenity requirements. Which are most important and can you find them together? If not, which do you give up in favor of other more important aspects. This is all very interesting to contemplate. And I think there are many, many places that have a lot of what we would like. I think there are many places and many different environments we would enjoy living in for different reasons.
Prior to living here I've lived in the NW, desert SW, the east and the midwest. I've lived in rural areas, towns, suburbs and large metro areas. I have loved aspects of all those locations.
I can't have desert and mountatins and ocean, and lush forest, and orchards in the same place. I can't have a secluded 140 acres in the city. I can't have a great library system and live near my parents. And I could go on...but in that is my challenge in picking the perfect place. Oh, and did I mention I'm melancholic - can't make decisions....
But the bottom line is I'm a true western girl at heart and need big sky, mountains on the horizon, and low humidity. Give me a great church & diocese as well as library system. Proximity to recreation and nature. A professional baseball team. So I'm happy where we are. I'm content to live almost smack dab in the center of the country and travel a lot to all the other cool places I want to live... 
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Mary M. in Denver
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MarilynW
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Mary - I love your post
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Marilyn
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LeeAnn
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Sarah M wrote:
knowloveserve wrote:
If I had to leave the Pacific Northwest, there'd be a hole in my heart forever. |
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My all time favorite place that I'd move to in a heartbeat is Wenatchee, WA. (I know, I know: where?!, right?) It's the heart of apple country here in the Pacific NW, right next door to a beautiful bavarian village (Leavenworth), and I just love love love it there. The nature is absolutely beautiful and it has the small-town feel that I crave. |
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I grew up in West Seattle (and San Diego) and now live in the Everett area, but I would dearly love to live in the Leavenworth-Wenatchee area...or maybe Darrington, up in the Mountain Loop. Another place I like is Anacortes (beautiful parish church) and I've always had a whim to live on Lopez Island, which has a general store and a Benedictine convent as the two major businesses, plus a one-room public schoolhouse.
But yes, Washington is my home! I could be happy elsewhere, certainly. Virginia does sound might tempting with all the richness of Catholic culture that seems to exist there...but I love our mountains. My main dilemma would be would I prefer a view of the Olympics or the Cascades? Right now I prefer Cascades....
Oh and the homeschooling laws here are a breeze, very friendly. The main thing that stinks here are long work commutes.
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guitarnan
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So here's a question...
How do you make a certain place "home"? I'd love to be like Marilyn, bumping into friends everywhere I went, but we move so often that it always takes a while for that to happen. (We've been here 3 years and change now...what a blessing!)
I look around my house and realize I'm afraid to paint walls in real colors or hang nice window treatments (like the ones our tenants walked away with) in case we have to rent it out again...so have I made our house home? On the other hand, we have our Italian Nativity scene and our crazy kid-made ornaments and our cats...so with them, isn't anywhere home?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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JodieLyn
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Nancy it really depends on what makes it home for YOU.
As a child and young adult I moved ALOT. Various reasons but by the time I was 30 I'd moved 30 times.
Painted walls and window treatments never were what "home" was about.
As a child it was literally having the right people there and having at least some of my books out. If I didn't have books out it never felt even semi-permanant more like visiting.
As an adult, I would get my things put out as soon as possible. I was in a great hurry to make the house/apt seem "mine". Pictures on the walls, books on the bookcases.. kitchen all put away. I basically felt I didn't have time to wait and see about any of that.. I was driven to getting things unpacked. But then when you could easily move in 6 months to 2 yrs.. you didn't have a great deal of leeway if you ever wanted to feel like you weren't in the midst of moving.
And never once did the color of the walls or the rug or whatever was on the windows interfer with spreading out my home.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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knowloveserve
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LeeAnn wrote:
Sarah M wrote:
knowloveserve wrote:
If I had to leave the Pacific Northwest, there'd be a hole in my heart forever. |
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My all time favorite place that I'd move to in a heartbeat is Wenatchee, WA. (I know, I know: where?!, right?) It's the heart of apple country here in the Pacific NW, right next door to a beautiful bavarian village (Leavenworth), and I just love love love it there. The nature is absolutely beautiful and it has the small-town feel that I crave. |
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I grew up in West Seattle (and San Diego) and now live in the Everett area, but I would dearly love to live in the Leavenworth-Wenatchee area...or maybe Darrington, up in the Mountain Loop. Another place I like is Anacortes (beautiful parish church) and I've always had a whim to live on Lopez Island, which has a general store and a Benedictine convent as the two major businesses, plus a one-room public schoolhouse.
But yes, Washington is my home! I could be happy elsewhere, certainly. Virginia does sound might tempting with all the richness of Catholic culture that seems to exist there...but I love our mountains. My main dilemma would be would I prefer a view of the Olympics or the Cascades? Right now I prefer Cascades....
Oh and the homeschooling laws here are a breeze, very friendly. The main thing that stinks here are long work commutes. |
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I just moved from Whidbey Island... we went to church in Anacortes and while our current parish is wonderful, orthodox and dynamic... we miss our parish in Anacortes dreadfully.
And the island you are talking about is Shaw... not Lopez. A very lovely place... 
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Ellie
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Christine
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knowloveserve wrote:
If I had to leave the Pacific Northwest, there'd be a hole in my heart forever.
I love being close to both mountains and beaches (and even a rain forest where we live now!).
I love four distinct seasons where the summers aren't TOO hot for too long and the winters aren't TOO cold for too long.
We have an outstanding parish here in the city. We'd like to buy some acreage just outside the city someday in the near future.
Every place has its ups and downs. And I've traveled over much of the contiguous states and can say that there are wonderful things about each area... but I think we have it pretty darn great here. |
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I experienced this hole when I was in college. It is so clean, beautiful, and green here. I just wish we could afford acreage and that we lived closer to our parish.
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Christine
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Pretty Lilla Rose
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Topic: If you could pick where you lived..
