Friday, March 15, 2013

If you could live ANYWHERE…..Where???

A few years ago when we bought our house, we were so excited at the thought that we found our “forever home.”  Our house is above and beyond anything we could have expected, especially for our 'starter home’ as newlyweds. We have plenty of room for a growing family, & it’s in an AWESOME location. Our backyard backs up to a pasture (which is extremely calming); we can see & walk to the lake; we have some woods in our backyard with a creek; and yet we’re still just 20 min from the mall of GA & lots of restaurants and shopping.  It’s also less than an hour from Atlanta, which is very convenient. It’s about halfway between our parents too, & it’s a pretty quiet, nice area. We LOVE our house!!

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When we were first looking for houses, we I REALLY wanted to be in a subdivision. Jonathan grew up in a super small town, & when we first met he considered me a “city girl”….which is funny to those who know where I grew up (and who have ever lived in a ‘REAL’ city). We were total suburbia.  I grew up in a neighborhood and it was THE BEST experience!!!! We lived in a cul-de-sac where everyone was friends & looked out for each other. We had cookouts, pool parties, get- togethers, snowball fights, etc. There was lots of front yard football, basketball, and whiffle ball games; lots of flashlight tag & catching lightning bugs in the summer.  Our awesome neighbors came to every bake sale & lemonade stand I had in front of our house, and would have all the neighborhood kids over for cookies and Kool-aid, or hot chocolate and s’mores.  I was always playing with the neighborhood kids (who were some of my best friends), & many of my neighbors had a really big impact on my life. I have such sweet memories of that from my childhood, & I wanted our kids to experience the same thing.

And maybe it’s just where we live….but it is just NOT like that! We do live in a cul-de-sac and in a neighborhood. I really thought we’d be getting the best of all worlds because even though we have neighbors, we still have a lot of our own space (which is what sold Jonathan on it).  But…our neighbors are never outside. We have lived in our house for 2 years and have never even met many of them!!! I know that’s our fault too (I take total responsibility for not going to meet them, and that is one of my goals for this year- to go make friends with our neighbors), but it is still mind blowing to me. Growing up, if someone new moved in, we would all go over and take them some cookies or brownies and welcome them to the neighborhood.

So…Jon & I started talking a couple years ago (when we were SERIOUSLY considering moving out West with some of our friends- and Brian & Chels, we still haven’t crossed that off our list of possibilities!!)….and decided we want land. (Well, Jon wanted land from the beginning…I was hard core about a neighborhood.) We want a big garden, & maybe some animals, and a huge yard (I’m talkin’ ACRES!!) for our kids to run around in.  My parents live on land and it is incredible- so beautiful & peaceful over there.  Jonathan is a (really talented) contractor and knows a TON about building houses, so I think he would LOVE to build a house eventually (although honestly, it sounds like a nightmare to me-  I HATE making decisions about all the kind of stuff, and I know it can be CRAZY stressful!!).  We never really thought about any of this when we first bought our house because it is truly somewhere we could retire…and it’s nice to have that possibility, but we are definitely open-minded about the future. Our house will be a GREAT investment in a few years if we sell…

Our game plan is to pay our house off in the next few years (fast track to debt-freedom….woo hoo!!), & then we will have options. We could really move ANYWHERE because our business (Advocare) is re-locatable and can be done from anywhere. I LOVE that the possibilities are truly endless!

My parents traveled out West a few years ago and my mom described it as “the closest thing to Heaven she’s ever seen.” They loved the slow-paced lifestyle and that it was so laid back and peaceful, and even said they’d move out there in a heartbeat if they knew our whole family could go.

I have visited several states, but have only ever lived right here in good ole Georgia. I have to admit, I love being in the Bible belt. I love the manners, the holding of doors, and the Southern hospitality….but we are TOTALLY open to recommendations.

I’m not sure what the Lord has in store for us or where we will end up, but it is exciting to think about the POSSIBILITIES.

One of the (many) great things about the blog world is that I have access to people from ALL over the U.S.  So here’s what I want to know…

If YOU could live ANYWHERE….WHERE would you choose and why?? 

We just may have to look into it in the future….

24 comments:

Always Learning said...

Come to San Diego!!! It is an awesome place to live with a lot of fun things to do like go to the beach A Lot! Even our neighborhoods are empty now...the technoligical age has destroyed community. Very sad.

Niki said...

Evansville! We have 5 acres but are only 10 min from the city. Great place to raise kids :) love ya!

Ashley said...

We grew up in very similar living ideas! M considers me a city girl because I lived in a small town, where as he grew up outside of town on a farm! Your house is gorgeous!!

LeeAnn said...

I have lived all over the US. From Savannah to Los Angeles, a small town in Kentucky to Miami Beach. When I got married, we moved to Westminster, Colorado (btwn Boulder and Denver). We LOVE it here and I could never think of moving. There are so many outdoor activities, things for kids to do and the views really do not get any better. Everyday I feel like I live in paradise!

Samantha said...

We have talked about moving out west too. We have talked about Colorado, Oregon, or Washington. I want to live near water, but not to be hot all the time. We're still considering it. It just depends on school for me and a job for my husband. Fortunately, we rent, so we can just go whenever we want if we have the jobs.

Elizabeth Drucker said...

Y'all sound just like Michael and I when we were deciding where to move to. He wanted land and I wanted a neighborhood. We settled on 6.5 acres and bought a lot in the neighborhood across the street to have all of the amenities. We have the best of both worlds, but I would like to be somewhere tropical!

Unknown said...

I want beach, hubs wants mountains! So I guess our only bet is Hawaii :) And to Niki Riat - my husband is from Evansville and we visit frequently. Where in E do you have land? Or are you in Newburgh?

Daniella said...

Hubby and I have the same dreams for our future home! Land, animals and lots of space for the kiddos to roam! We currently live in LA (Burbank, CA) since we work in the film/tv industry. But I did live in Atlanta for several months shooting a movie there a few years ago :) We dream about moving to Lake Arrowhead, CA or out of state to some place like Colorado. We both love what Colorado has to offer, and dream about living somewhere with a MUCH lower cost of living/housing prices. Los Angeles, and CA in general is crazy expensive, not to mention the traffic and pollution. We both grew up here and we know we have lots to be thankful for, like the weather and the fact our work is here. But, we really can't see raising a family here. We're paying off our debt, and eventually the house too and can't wait to live somewhere slower pace with lots of ROOM to grow :)

Anonymous said...

I'm a city kid through and through. I don't plan on ever having my own yard to take care of! Condo life it is!

Not surprisingly, we both love Chicago and Boston. LA would be too hot, and NYC is a bit too far from family for both of us.

Tiffany said...

Southern Utah is perfection! For us, at least. :) We live in a rural area, but in a nice little suburb in a cul de sac exactly like the neighborhood you described growing up in. There are over 25 kids just in our culdesac of about 10 homes! We get four distinct seasons here which is WONDERFUL! We are only 3 hours from Las Vegas and 4 from Salt Lake City. It's a beautiful, family oriented place to live. We can get in the car and be in the mountains fishing in about 15 minutes. LOVE IT HERE!

Unknown said...

colorado. hopefully it will soon be an option.

Unknown said...

colorado. hopefully it will soon be an option.

Danielle said...

Josh and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Oregon! There are only 5 million people in the ENTIRE state (less than metro atlanta)!! The west coast is the best coast for sure. On our drive out here we stopped in Boulder, Co for 2 days and if Co wasn't land locked we'd probably still be there :)

Chelley N said...

We own a house on a 1/2 acre, but in a neighborhood for much of the same reasons as you listed. However, like you, we barely know our neighbors, and there is really no sense of community. It makes me sad. I fear that block parties and friendly neighbors are becoming a thing of the past :-(. We live in Oklahoma. It's a nice, laid back way of life.

Anonymous said...

Funny, I just left Georgia. I got back last night, was down all this past week, and I have never been South of DC (I'm Canadian). I fell IN LOVE. So in answer to your question, presently, if I could move anywhere in the US, it'd be Georgia. I was in Savannah and I just couldn't get over the beauty.

Anywhere in the world though? Australia or New Zealand. I've never been, but it just LOOKS incredible.

Niki said...

Hi Katie! We're on the north side of Evansville :)

Niki said...

Hi Katie! We're on the north side if Evansville. Love it :)

Erin said...

Peachtree City, Georgia. Life at 15 miles per hour, still in the bible belt. 25 minutes SOUTH of Atlanta. Has a 100% community kid friendly feel. Nearby locations have tons of land and a very affordable price (south atlanta is much more affordable than north atlanta). You can take a golfcart anywhere in the entire city. Over 90 miles of golf cart paths. Google it ;)

Anonymous said...

we live in texas. always have. and probably always will. we LOVE it, but i would move to colorado if i could pick anywhere other than texas. the weather here about kills me!

Coffee At My Home said...

I would choose Honolulu-but too expensive. We live in Spokane, WA (the east side of the state). 300K people live in the entire county. You have farming and acreage in less than 20 minutes any direction, the "city" (we don't have everything but everything you'd need and then some), gorgeous lakes, skiing within 30 minutes (drive 1 1/2 hours and your have so many more options)and the cost of living is fabulous! Great churches to choose from! Four seasons (warm, to hot summers; colorful falls; snow in winter; cool and windy springs). Sports galore. And Gonzaga Basketball-whoo hoo - Go Zags!

Chels said...

Lets go to the great state of Kentucky!!

Love!

English Teaching Jobs in Korea said...

California will be my choice.. I love that state form my small days and I wish if I could spend rest of my life there.

mommyof3 said...

I'm an Alabama girl but have had the pleasure of following my husband to Colorado for work (Army) & I must say other than the snow and lack of a beach nearby, I absolutely love it! I would have to agree that the west is absolutely gorgeous. I get homesick & definitely miss our huge family but wouldn't trade this opportunity. I pray that you find your forever home!

amanda said...

It's a little off the beaten path but we live in a small town in northern Idaho (Sandpoint to be exact) and it really is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Awesome lake in the summer with plenty of other outdoor activities and a ski mountain in the winter. Just an over all great place to raise a family!