6.25.2011

Destination: unknown.

It's official.
In black and white.

WE ARE MOVING TO BOISE, IDAHO!!!

We think....



We think we might move to Boise, but one thing is for sure....
Are you as impressed as I am that all of these fit in my van, children included!?!


We are handing the house keys to our friends on July 6th, and we are moving out, because when we got  a call just over 3 weeks ago from our friends asking, "Do you still want to rent out your house to us?"  we said yes, but that wasn't the start of all of this.


It was last October when Patrick and I started talking about where we would like to live that was a little more "free range."  It definitely had something to do with the fact that we realized that having city chickens in our neighborhood wasn't in the cards even if the city laws allowed it.



Shortly after, we started trying to figure out where that might be. I mentioned our desires to several people.  It didn't take long, but we decided to move to Boise. I had been there once as a young adult and had nice memories of the place.

After we were moderately convinced that Boise was where we should go, we started looking for a job, just before Patrick's contract was up for his previous job. We stared getting calls from some employers up there. Thankfully, within a few weeks a job landed in our lap. But guess what!?!?

It was not a job in Boise, it was an excellent job ANYWHERE, 100% telecommuting.

After a few trips to LA, Patrick started his position, working from home, in May.

He interviewed in a suit....but he can work in his pajama's.
(He's only done that once, but it's cool to have the option.)

Having him work from home is wonderful.
Even better than we imagined.


Amazingly enough, my good husband can concentrate amidst the chaos in our home, which is impressive to me. He gets to visit us for short intervals throughout the day instead of seeing us at the end of a long day. It's been ideal. Gone are the worries of trying to find a job and a house at the same time.

Here's where he worked 7-3 the whole week we were searching for homes in Boise.



It's a miracle job.

Really!
 

We feel so blessed, but there's one thing about this job.
It opened up a can of worms.
From that can crawled the question that we can't get out of our heads,



 "Where do we want to live if we can live almost ANYWHERE!?!"
 
If you know me, you'll know that is a tough question.
It is VERY hard for me to make a decision when there are a lot of choices.

(That's one reason I like In-N-Out burger: there are very few choices on the menu.
I know what I want pretty quickly.)

Having this option is like sitting down in front of a Cheesecake Factory menu.
When the waiter comes back after 20 minutes I usually have him or her help me make a choice from what I have narrowed it down to and hope it turns out delicious.

There are some requirements: there has to be tech jobs for Patrick if this position happens to end....

AND a place for us to have some wide open space where we could grow some real food (as opposed to our desert hobby garden) have chickens and possibly a few goats sometime down the road.

"Me Cowboy!" 






Boise has all 3 of these requirements and is a lovely place, but as a result of this "ANYWHERE" option, we are still not completely decided.

What if there is somewhere else that would be a better fit for us?

Patrick wonders if he could actually convince me to live in the rain so he could bask in some Pacific Northwest heavily forested environment where there are gobs and gobs of tech jobs.

I wonder if there is a city we would enjoy just as much as Boise that actually has a Trader Joe's less than 4 hours away.




Don't get me wrong, I love many things about Boise. Once we decided to go there,  we learned that many, many people we asked really like it there too. I can see why. Two weeks ago we spent a week there looking for house and even put an offer on a lovely home nestled amongst farms between Meridian and Nampa.  My favorite part of the area was the beautiful downtown area along the Boise River, but we're not quite ready to put our stakes down just yet.






We will really be ready to  buy a home in a few months when the right one in the right place comes along, but since we have good renters moving into our home on July 6th, a huge moving trailer that is parked in front of our house, some time our hands while we for sure decide on a final destination before we find out if they except the offer we put on a short sale, a wireless internet connection for Patrick's work laptop, some really excited kids, a TON of boxes (some full and many empty) and a desire to make the best choice about where our family should live long term, we are officially in the market for a 12 foot, single axle............





Vintage Camper Trailer!!! 

(Of course you could call it an old/cheap camper trailer, but Vintage sounds much, much cooler!)








That's right, We're going to be "Gypsies" 
(as my mum from England would say) 
for a month or two while we travel up the coast and beyond.

Better yet, let's call it an 
Extended Summer vacation!  




Of course we'll frequent a Hampton Inn to sleep on a real bed, splash in the pool and eat a fancy breakfast at least once a week, but for the most part, our temporary address will likely include the letters, K - O - A.







I will  continue to perfect my front seat lunch preparation skills. 
Did you know that a boogie board makes the most PERFECT on the interstate counter top????


We will also probably continue to take advantage of gas station blacktop dining where I don't have to worry if someone spills hummus all over the floor.




Oregon? Washington? Idaho? Colorado? Northern California?

We're still taking suggestions. 

can you believe that Devon is 5 months old already!?!?




I guess we'll just see where the wind blows us (better yet, where the Holy Ghost directs us)....which might end up as Boise, but we just aren't sure yet.

Are you shocked???

Well, so am I, considering the fact that I've only lived in the Las Vegas area,  but I'm not scared.

I am sad to leave family and many friends behind but I'm mainly excited.....AND dang ready to be done with this dreadful experience called packing (which has thankfully been made more bearable thanks to my mom, mum and m.i.l.)


16 comments:

Lacey said...

WOW! I'm excited for you guys, a little shocked, and definitely jealous that you get to go on such a great adventure. (In no way could Jon work at home without an office, he has to be able to concentrate and not be interrupted.)

Congratulations and good luck!

Cindy said...

Wow Julie! How exciting for you! Here's a couple of suggestions..I have family that live in Boise, and they love it. I however, have yet to visit Idaho, LOL. But I also have some friends that live near Pocatello, which is a city probably smaller than Boise, but its got some great lots, especially if you want to do the farming thing, the town is called McCammon. And, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Colorado. It is beautiful! Colorado Springs, Denver, it is all good..and I think there may be a trader joes there for you, I know there is a temple and it is lovely. :)

craftyashley said...

I would choose the Seattle area. Tech jobs, and a very free-range type lifestyle. Yes, ma'am! I'm so jealous! I would move there in a heartbeat, but we're tied to this forsaken desert! lol

Judy said...

How fun!!! We have moved around a TON with my husbands job & packing is the WORST!!!! But, I have nothing but great memories of all the wonderful places we have been & great people we have met! My favorite so far was Kansas(yes, even with tornados)!! Good luck - cant wait to hear where you decide!! (I know people in all of the places you mentioned and I don't think there is a wrong decision!)

Mansius Family said...

What an adventure! James and I lived in Meridian before we moved to Las Vegas. It was really nice! James would love to move back there. I'm jealous. I would love to have more of a free range type lifestyle. We almost got chickens this year here in Utah but with the possibility of moving we are not ready for that. Have fun on your adventure!

Mansius Family said...

Oh I almost forgot. If you want to crash here in Salt Lake you are welcome to hook up your trailer here to the house. We would love to see you again!

Michelle said...

You're moving in like a week and a half and you didn't even tell me!?!?!?! I want to cry buckets of tears... although I'm excited for you (and a little jealous)! I am going to miss you sooooooo much. It is so comforting to know that one of my closest friends and most favorite people is just on the other side of the Valley... what will I do without you?

Lynette said...

Yay! So excited for you guys...this is actually my dream. To be able to pick (nearly) anywhere, pick up and just move! You will have so much fun!!

Ps. Is that picture in Alamo on the old horse at R Place???

Chelsea said...

WOW JULIE! That's crazy, I mean, it's really going to be cool- but it's not the norm, and that's really fun! I'm excited to watch (hopefully you'll blog?!) the adventure! There's a very select few moms who can live without toys, playrooms, kitchens, etc. What an adventure! I'm sure your kids will see awesome things and you'll have a BIG adventure, a journey like never before! I've got no real suggestons for you, but Colorado was beautiful when we visited (though there's lots of snow! :) so different from our dessert!) and Idaho is very quiet, You'll have sea side close by if you do No. Cal. And Seattle and WA would be lovely, they've got more midwife, holistic life up there than most. :) GOOD LUCK! What an adventure!
And here we are just moving houses but refusing to move more than a handful of miles!!
:)

Shaunna said...

Awesome, Julie. You are amazing! May I suggest a little town called Montrose, Colorado? We seriously considered moving there, and if the job had been right, we would have gone in a heartbeat. I like Idaho, but I think Colorado is, in some ways, even awesomer. Just to add another choice to your menu:).

i said...

Choices, choices. Thanks for suggestions. We will actually be staying another week or so in my dad's basement so there is still time Michelle. So sorry. Also, Angie is letting us crash her place for a gathering since I have no couches in my house anymore. I'll keep you posted!

Eve | Inchworm Chronicles said...

Wow--I guess it really is happening. I wish we were free to go, too. Maybe in the next 5 years or so...if you end up in Washington, that would be awesome--we could visit each other! We hope for Battle Ground someday--there are Trader Joe's and Costco there! Oregon has some nice places, too. Good luck with everything--I think you and your family are going to have some fantastic memories from this decision... hang in there while the moving and packing goes on. If there's one Mama who can do this, I know you can. Excited to read about your travels...

Relief Society said...

So good to hear from you!! I've been wondering how you've been doing. I guess there has been a lot going on! I vote for Northern California, but that's a tough move. California is expensive. Oregon is beautiful, but not as warm. But there is a lot of nature and space up there. That's so exciting about your summer plans! Sounds crazy but will be totally memorable! I'm so excited to see where you end up. British Columbia is supposed to be great for growing anything you ever wanted! Don't know anything about Tech jobs there though. Have you considered Portland?

Andrea said...

That last RS post was from me. Sorry I forgot I was logged in on that account. Anyway, this is Andrea. Portland area is totally into "free range" etc. Very hippyish, but cool.

Mary said...

Wow...congrats on this huge decision that is still in the works; LOL! I think gypsie life will suit you well...that pic of you and the kids eating on the blacktop looks like a bunch of hippies on the side of the road! Living your dream will be very fulfilling for sure! Love ya Julie, cannot believe it is so soon....

i said...

we have considered portland andrea...i'm a desert born girl so i wonder wonder wonder if i could do the rain. it's enchanting, but will i shrivel into a prune from all of the moisture!? it will be fun to see the outcome. i'm very curious! i will check into battleground, eve! i would love to be wherever you are going someday!

mary...i had the same thought. i'm getting hippiesh. kinda not what i expected of myself, but it's fun. ;)