Calendar planning

The Goal: Each month Sean and I (or just me) will take action steps towards finding the place to settle down.

Here are some prelim action plans for the months ahead:

April, May: researching cities, schools, housing market
June, July: visit Fort Worth, Austin, Houston
August-Nov: continue researching, job hunting
December: New Year's in California researching cities there
Jan-March: researching job hunting continues
April: give 60 days notice to Moreno's
May: begin packing up, finalizing move
June: Gone, baby, Gone!

Pollen...

So just checked the weather in FW. Pollen levels are high! This needs to be something to consider.

YIKES!!!

Top Ten Best Cities

I have recently done searches to find the top places to live and found this one today. Interestingly enough Austin is the top city for jobs, hipness and hippiness.

2. Seatle (too rainy)
3. DC also cold.What I love about DC are the trails, mountains, and coast so nearby. Also, I can count on the schools and universities nearby.

4-10...too cold.

K...so let's check out another link. On that very same site, I found Best Cities to Live, Work and Play (July 2008). "Look for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, then demand reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do." Ok, so it might be dated, but let's see how these cities compare.

1 and 6: Houston and Austin. Houston would be fine, but it does get really hot there...and it is Houston. But Leah and Adam are there with their families. And they are fun people. Plus Galveston is close by, and they have decent schools in the area.
2. Raleigh NC - pretty place. don't know much about it.
3. Omaha
4. Boise
5...you get the picture.

Here is a list from Huff Post. Here is how they get their list: "The annual survey produced by the global consultancy firm assesses the quality of life in 221 cities around the world by measuring them against New York, which is given a base index score of 100...Living conditions in the cities are analyzed according to 39 factors in 10 categories such as political and social environment, socio-cultural environment, schools and education, and natural environment."

1. Vienna
2. Zurich
3. Geneva
4. Vancouver
*are any of these in warm climates?
5. Auckland
...looking for anything in the states...
31. Honolulu
33. San Francisco
37. Boston...Too cold.
45. Chicago...uh huh.
45. Washington, DC (ties with Chicago??? no way.)
49. New York
50. Seattle

Top Eco-Cities
23. Washington
big list of world-wide cites, but nothing in the warmer climate of the States.

Setting down: 14 month Fact Finding Mission

These past few months have been torturous. I have struggled to get out of bed, I have been sick, I have had headaches, I have ignored Sean...yep, depression hit hard.

Is it because I hate the weather here in Chicago, or do I hate the city itself? Or is it because I am a new mommy and my life is dictated by when I have to get home to feed Owen. Or am I just unhapy with my husband and my new life with him and baby?

What ever, I am unhappy in this space of my life. I need a change and I need it yesterday...

BUT I am willing, after talking it over with Sean, to put aside my complete need for change NOW and do work to stay here one more year. 14 months exactly. Good bye Chicago...Hello_____?

_______. That is what the next 14 months or less will be for: to find out where we want to live to be happy together. I love sean and I really want this relationship to work, but there is a time to sit idly by to twiddle your thumbs (retirement), and a time to make your dreams come true (ok that could also be retirement, but it could also be life!)

So what am I looking for?