mama says om: yo yo
Here we go again. Just when we were settling down and being practical, that old familiar voice we have tried to ignore has begun calling to us again:
"Move to the moooouuuuntains...you don't belong in the buuuuurbs...you're wasting your liiiives...."
We've been here almost a year now but strangely, this house still doesn't really feel like home. We've had ideas of doing some improvements to make it more our own, but I think we just don't care enough about it to do anything. When we were in our first house, we felt at home and in love with it right away.
This all came up again when my youngest saw a giant tree at a place we were visiting and acted like he'd never seen anything like it in his two years on earth. I told my husband we should think about moving somewhere with a bigger yard and trees. He raised his eyebrows. Then yesterday, his friend at work who lives in the mountains told him about a house down the street from his that's up for sale. Immediately we were online, looking at pictures and MLS listings with our hearts in our throats...our emotions yo-yo-ing, from an elated high to a disappointed low by the practical, parental voices in our heads.
Currently, the view out my window includes rooftops as far as the eye can see. Rooftops of houses that are about one foot apart and have yards the size of postage stamps and trees the size of shrubs. But there are lots of reasons we (and 86,000 other people) decided to live here: We can walk to the school, grocery store, restaurants, rec center and community pools. It's also only ten miles to my husband's workplace. But I often feel suffocated by how completely bland and ordinary it is here.
Then there is the lure from the West...trees, fresh air, open space. A small community. The boys could spend hours in our backyard exploring, that is if they didn't get eaten by a mountain lion. Breathtaking views and peace and quiet would be part of our every day life. However, there are many drawbacks: Hospitals are far, my husband's commute would be almost an hour (he could commute with his friend, though), I would have to drive down from the mountain to get the kids to school. The winter is longer and there's much more snow up there. And I wonder, would living on a mountain be like having children, a romantic idea from a distance and once you're there, there is romance but also harsh realities? Icy roads, isolation, long treks to the grocery store...
So I'd like some advice from someone, anyone. Anyone who's picked the impractical over the practical and lived to regret it or love it. Or visa versa...
mama says om
"Move to the moooouuuuntains...you don't belong in the buuuuurbs...you're wasting your liiiives...."
We've been here almost a year now but strangely, this house still doesn't really feel like home. We've had ideas of doing some improvements to make it more our own, but I think we just don't care enough about it to do anything. When we were in our first house, we felt at home and in love with it right away.
This all came up again when my youngest saw a giant tree at a place we were visiting and acted like he'd never seen anything like it in his two years on earth. I told my husband we should think about moving somewhere with a bigger yard and trees. He raised his eyebrows. Then yesterday, his friend at work who lives in the mountains told him about a house down the street from his that's up for sale. Immediately we were online, looking at pictures and MLS listings with our hearts in our throats...our emotions yo-yo-ing, from an elated high to a disappointed low by the practical, parental voices in our heads.
Currently, the view out my window includes rooftops as far as the eye can see. Rooftops of houses that are about one foot apart and have yards the size of postage stamps and trees the size of shrubs. But there are lots of reasons we (and 86,000 other people) decided to live here: We can walk to the school, grocery store, restaurants, rec center and community pools. It's also only ten miles to my husband's workplace. But I often feel suffocated by how completely bland and ordinary it is here.
Then there is the lure from the West...trees, fresh air, open space. A small community. The boys could spend hours in our backyard exploring, that is if they didn't get eaten by a mountain lion. Breathtaking views and peace and quiet would be part of our every day life. However, there are many drawbacks: Hospitals are far, my husband's commute would be almost an hour (he could commute with his friend, though), I would have to drive down from the mountain to get the kids to school. The winter is longer and there's much more snow up there. And I wonder, would living on a mountain be like having children, a romantic idea from a distance and once you're there, there is romance but also harsh realities? Icy roads, isolation, long treks to the grocery store...
So I'd like some advice from someone, anyone. Anyone who's picked the impractical over the practical and lived to regret it or love it. Or visa versa...
mama says om
posted by Nicole | 1:23 PM
8 Comments:
The nice thing about your present home is you don't HAVE to spend nights and weekends doing fixups. It's all fixed up. You have a room for everybody with one for visitors, and everything works and looks great. So you have time to go hiking and shopping and spending time with the kids...just a thought.
I have no advice for you. But I can't wait to read what those wiser than I have to say! EVERY year on the drive back from Estes, we have this conversation. "We could hike every weekend... We FIT in Estes... It's SO beautiful..." But we'll never do it. Austin is home.
We're in a gypsy phase of life right now -- three moves since our wedding seven years ago, and one more anticipated next year. My criteria for a neighborhood are as such: a grocery store within a five minutes drive and a Target in town.
After reading about your first house I think you have strong gut feelings, so I say trust your gut. If you move up on the mountain and you hate it, can't you move back sometime, nothing has to be forever. I live in the boonies for a few months of the year and it has taken me a couple years to really appreciate it. So what does your gut say?
I don't know if you have ever read the "Little House" books, but you sound like Pa Ingalls. Always lokking toward more wide open spaces and less people.
I am of no help to you. I live in the "burbs" too. But, gosh, the way you put it, now I think I want to move too! HA!
I grew up in Woodstcok Ny- and now live in the burbs. We do have a semi private back yard with some trees, but I still miss the woods and the idea that my son won't be able to take hours exploring the woods.
It is a tough choice.
It is tough. We are in the process of moving from a rural are to the city. My advice would be to think about the winters. I did fine here during sunnier months, but when the rain hit (we are on Vancouver island, so the rain lasts a while!) I felt really isolated. That said, there are so many beautiful experiences we have had here. It's a tough one!
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