Friday, December 19, 2008

Happy dance

Ahhhhh, the last day of school before "winter break". It's two whole weeks this year--this is why I work in a school.

Tom's applying for jobs all over the place. Everything is online now, which helps. He's started applying in Ft. Lauderdale. Let me think about that. Move to Florida several years earlier than we'd planned? Warm sun, warm air instead of no sun and cold air?

I think I could cope.

The cons are

1) My family, and Tom's, are in this area, most in Virginia, some a little farther north, but most here. I'd hate not being able to decide on a whim to visit one of them; it would be a trip instead of a few hours' or a day's visit.

2) I have a good, secure (I hope) job. It's an easy, mindless job. People are happy when their copies are done quickly. I like (most of) the people I work with. I doubt that I'd be able to find another job that's easy, that doesn't involve working with kids (much), and that pays this well for only 10.5 months' work with great breaks throughout the year.

3) Our place is a hunter's paradise. We've trained the deer to come to the house to eat. We drive up the driveway and they run to meet us (after running away), stand in a semicircle around the car while we get out. I hate to think that someone could stand on the front porch and shoot the deer.

Pros:

1) Warm. Sun. Palm trees.

2) Housing prices in the Ft. Lauderdale area are low enough that we might be able to afford something decent.

3) Flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Richmond aren't that expensive, usually. Family lives within 2.5 hours of Richmond.

4) Our daughters live in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale.

We'll see what comes of it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Betty said....

Oh, I'd hate to have you so far away, but I do understand the draw of Florida....living there would be very nice. If you do move there, we would just have to meet at a nice Florida beach at least once a year....our sisters' weekends would have to extend to sisters' weeks! And, you'd have to come back here for a visit once in a while, too!

Elaine said...

Good luck in Tom finding a job in the Fort Lauderdale area. We know that's what you want to do. You can start training the deer to run away so the hunters can't get them.

And I can attest to housing prices being very low in FL. My mother has a condo in Lauderhill which we've had on the market since early March. It's lovely in a very well-maintained small community (as opposed to one of the huge places) and it still hasn't sold (we have an offer now and we're hopeful they will get financing) but it's less than half the original asking price (which we've kept lowering) and roughly half the assessed price. Evidently nothing has been selling there so this is a great opportunity if it works for you.

As for not being able to see your families on a regular basis - well either you have to fly to see your children/grandchildren or fly to see you siblings. Both are important but given that they don't live in the same place, you're going to have to do some traveling and I'll bet they'll be more interested in visiting you in FL in the winter.

rita said...

Betty, just move to Florida too. Then Joan and Nancy and Mom and Dad can. It would be so much simpler.

We've always said we wanted Sisters' Weeks in Florida. This may be our chance.

Nancy is down several times a year, so going a little farther wouldn't be difficult.

Elaine, I'm sorry that your mom's having such a hard time selling her condo. Um, where is Lauderhill? Room for a dog???

We'd like to have a house with a yard big enough that we can't see our neighbors. I'm not sure that's attainable, though. Maybe a really high wall around it? One that would help keep out the snakes? Florida is full of snakes. I hate snakes.

You're right, I have to fly to see some of my family anyway, so it would just be in reverse.

We'll see what the job market is doing down there.

Jenny Girl said...

I'm sure it stinkc living far away from family, but at least you have each other.
Enjoy where you live and each other. Take it form someone who is freezing their butt off in Philly right now. I think there is some snow in the forecast for tomorrow.