4.5 Years and 2054 Miles Later

Nanette shared a little news with me last week that they are moving to Portland, Oregon and it got me thinking, "What would I say about my experience moving to a new state?" It has been exactly 4 1/2 years since Rob and I left California for Iowa and really, what hasn't changed about our lives? New jobs, new house, new kids- I think our XTerra is the only constant we have besides each other! Some of my thoughts about the move were positive but others weren't so much. So for Nanette's benefit and anyone else contemplating/recently making a big move (and I know there are a few of you!), here are my thoughts on the matter.

Starting with the glass half full... The Positives.

1. Quality of Life- I do enjoy the clean air, Midwestern people, no traffic, and very low crime. The best part is being able to stay home with the boys while they are young. The way they eat, I will certainly have to work when they go to school to be able to feed them, but I love my time home with them for now. Schools are another big part of this that we haven't really gotten into yet but a future positive, nonetheless.

2. Cost of Living- Depending on where you are moving from and to, this may be on the negatives list but for us it was a positive. Affordable housing and goods are also a big part of why I get to stay home with the boys.

3. Four Seasons- The period of time when we get snow could be shortened up a little and you wouldn't hear me complain, but I do love having four distinct seasons. A white Christmas just feels so much more... Christmasy. Spring and summer are so much better after a snowy winter, seeing the white melt away and the green take over. And a crisp fall day with the leaves turning bright colors- I don't know if it gets any better than that.

And now, The Negatives...

1. Missing Family and Friends- Without a doubt, this is the toughest part of moving to a new state. It wasn't so bad when it was just Rob and I because we had the money and ability to fly back to California often. Then Rex came along and it got more expensive and challenging and now there is Wyatt and it just seems impossible. He hates driving more than about 30 minutes in the car and I can't imagine him on a plane for 3 1/2 hours. For now, we have to rely on people coming to see us. We miss seeing everyone anytime we wanted and having the kids away from grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins is about as bad as it gets. And then It really hit me how tough it is not to have any family to help once Wyatt came along. When it was just me and Rex during the day, it was fine to take him all around town on errands and he just didn't wear me out like the two of them do. I can't imagine what it would be like to have more than two kids! Not having grandparents nearby + more than 1 kid = REALLY HARD.

2. Food- I miss a good bean and cheese burrito and In-N-Out burgers (my mouth honestly started watering when I looked at their website just now!), Rob misses George's shish kebab and we both miss Teriyaki Don just to name a few. We try to recreate these things but it is never the same. Of course we have new favorite things and places here, but we still miss the old favorites.

3. Making New Friends is Tough- It just takes time to build up a group of friends- I mean, it took me 30 years to know all the people I do in California! I'm sure once the kids get involved in more activities and school, we will be meeting a lot more people which will make it easier. And there aren't too many people our ages with young kids so either we have friends our age with older kids, or younger friends with kids the same ages as ours.

After 4 1/2 years, I still think we made the right decision by moving to Iowa. The pros outweigh the cons and if we felt any differently, we would be back at the Penske truck rental to pack it all up and move back to the Golden State.

Good luck with the move Nanette and Brent, we hope you love your new home and we can't wait to visit you in Portland!!