Hey locals, it’s Kidcation week in San Antonio! If you haven’t heard of this it’s a city wide effort to provide all sorts of kid fun before school starts back up again. It kicks off with a party this morning at Hemisfair Park (a fun playground and park if you’ve never been) which is free...
Hi Miggy, thank you very much for having me in your blog. Though my English is not that strong but I will try to express all my views and experiences in a good way. If you find mistake, please do correct it. My name is Balqees and I am married to a lovely man...
Great to see the enormous challenges that special needs kids in other countries may face. Though not children, I used to do board work for a small nonprofit called Shona Congo (http://shonacongostore.com/). These ladies with various mobility disabilities are raising their children in one of the most dangerous communities in the world, in eastern Congo (just the fact that they are raising their own children and are breadwinners for their family is amazing, but in a place where life is dangerous, too). They all managed to have kids, and immediately after had to flee their home and business. Theirs and Aroush's (and her mom's!) is a great example of human resilience and determination — so awesome! Thanks for sharing and reminding me of what we're all capable of! ReplyCancel
I’m so excited you guys, the blog is finally getting a professional makeover. Yay! I started working with a designer to bring some polish to this little blog of mine and the process has been really fun. So far I’ve designed every header myself and even though I use a simple blogger template I’ve...
I've been reading here for a couple years and I think after you put as much time and effort into it as you have (we know how much extra time it takes to organize your spotlights!) a little "corporate" is expected. How else can you justify the time, even if you love it. What I'm saying is that as readers we see and understand that and want this to be something you enjoy but also something that makes sense for your family! Xoxo and new baby?! I can't wait! ReplyCancel
I love your blog. In fact, I have become friends with one of the great families you spot lighted. She is one of the very few blogs I read. I made a few comments here and there, we exchanged email addresses and a friendship began. They rock as a family and have taken a tragic accident and dealt with it in such a dignified and loving way. So many blogs are a forum for bragging, not yours or hers. You tell the good with the hard. It just feels good to read your blog. I say if it will benefit your family then you can't go wrong. I can't wait to see more of your art. I have great ideas, but very little artistic ability. I keep trying though, sometimes with great results and sometimes, not so much. I love your DIY. Breaks it down into manageable segments. Hopefully you will be able to continue after the baby arrives. I just kept my three month old grandson for a week. So fun! I am so tired though. How did I have the energy to raise four. Now I know why fifty two year olds don't typically get pregnant. ReplyCancel
I am a pediatric resident at Cincinnati Children's and I read your blog regularly. I have learned so much from your spotlights, and am very happy to hear that you will be continuing to devote time, energy and insight into helping others have a glimpse into life with a child with unique needs–the good, the bad, the mundane–I love it all. It is so valuable!
Thank you!
–AndreaReplyCancel
my grandma with my mom on her lap This post is going to start as a post about deciding on baby names and it’s going to end with a couple of stories about people who’s names you thought you knew, but really didn’t. I just want you to be prepared for the sudden shift in...
when doing her nursing rotation my sister spoke with a new mom who proudly announced that her new daughter's name to be "urethra". My sister TRIED to explain…
then my daughter went to school with an "Elihu Smith" I assumed Elihu would be prounced similar to "Elisha" Nope, it sounded like "elly-who"ReplyCancel
Yeah. No:
http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/names.asp
Ditto on L-A and Lemonjello/Orangejello and Shithead and Female, all mentioned downthread. Unless there are literally hundreds of children with these names running around, they are pure legend. Every time unusual names are discussed, someone mentions these names. Everyone has an aunt who's a teacher or a sister who's a nurse that has encountered these names. If so many people have actually encountered these names, you'd think they'd be quite common. Not buying it.ReplyCancel
Adorable picture and stories 🙂
My grandmother had the most beautiful name – Ella Genevieve. And she HATED it. So she went by Gene. Her sister (my great-aunt) is Emma Lee, but I thought it was Emily until I was in my early teens! -Aunt Emma Lee, Aunt Emily, they sound the same! Their other sister was called Agnes. I can picture them as little girls in the 1940s- Agnes, Emma and Ella. So cute 🙂
We named our son Alexander and call him Alex. I have a traditional name that is not spelled the normal way, and my husband immigrated here as a child and does not have an "American" name, so we both spent our whole lives spelling our names for people. We wanted to give our son a name he would never have to spell, but not super common.
I am an attorney and I work primarily in Family Court, where I represent children. In my 12 years there I have seen some incredible names.
ARMAGEDDON X
NEVEAH (HEAVEN SPELLED BACKWARDS)
FOUR CHILDREN NAMED:SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER – (EXPLAINED TO ME THAT EACH CHILD WAS NAMED FOR THE TIME OF CONCEPTION).
XSTACY, ECSTACY, XSTASEE
FEMALE PRONOUNCED FEM" A" LEE (EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THIS WAS WHAT THE HOSPITAL NAMED HER ON THE CARD AT THE END OF HER BASSINET).
YAZ, (FOR THE FAILED BIRTH CONTROL)
MIRENA (SEE ABOVE)
and several names I cannot pronounce with several' inserted throughout.
I love traditional names and have the following: Geoffrey, Olivia, and Marina.
Good luck!ReplyCancel
Oh my gosh, those names at the end! My husband is a college professor so he hears some pretty unique names every semester, and he has come across a Ta-shal (pronounced: Tadashal) but I must tell him about ABCDE and Different! LOL.
I get a little name snob-ish when I hear that people are naming their kids a popular name with a VERY unique spelling. I don't mean changing a letter or two — I'm talking the kind of spelling that gives substitute teachers headaches. I just don't get that.
I'm all for names that have meaning or sentimental value — if our daughter had been a boy we were going to name him Jacob Bullitt (Bullitt is a family name, but also HELLO — it's cool). As it is, both of our kids' middle names are family names, and we're happy with that choice.
And Cosimo? That's an awesome name!
Good luck with choosing! I bet that ultimately, whatever it is will feel right no matter what. I mean, how many mothers do you meet who will tell you they should've named their kid something else 5, 10, 20 years later? ReplyCancel
I too cringe a little at simple names made crazy with unique spelling… of course I can think of a couple close friends who have uniquely spelled names and it doesn't make me cringe. In fact, a couple of them I really like! (Especially if there is a good reason why…family name, family heritage, etc). More like, if I know someone who did that to their kid now…weird how those circumstances seem to make a difference. ReplyCancel
I am a snob in that I want my kids names to have a personal meaning and importance and actually mean.something cool. I also kind of want all their names to have a theme. Like so far it is one syllable first names. I judge a little when names just sound cool. I taught a girl named Madison after her parents favorite street in NYC. That said I have a Hal and Tate (a girl).ReplyCancel
*Rubs temples* Yeah, those are well-known legends, and have a tinge of racism, to boot: http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/le-a.aspReplyCancel
Anon and Chloe–No, no…my husband TREATED those patients. He met the child and their families.
And if he didn't treat them personally, one of his fellow residents did and they were actual names on their actual medical files. I'm specifically talking about L-a and Natas.
To clarify, I also wasn't trying to bash on these names or anything. I DO think these names are on the more unique spectrum of the scale and not names I expect to run across again. I might be a bit of a name snob, but I know that not everyone digs our kids names so it goes both ways. To each their own…ReplyCancel
Anonymous- interesting and good to know. I guess I never questioned weather Lemonjello and Orangejello were real names simply because there are a lot of creative and unique names out there.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2070329_2070340_2070332,00.html
Well if it's not one thing it's another I guess…
In my original post I didn't specify who knew which names, but that we had actually met/known people in real life with these names. When you suggested that I was making it up and being slightly racist in the process, I clarified by stating that my husband or one of his residents had once seen a person by that name. No medical information was given. No specifics other than, once in a 2 year period, a person by this name was seen by my husband or one of his co-residents. I'm not seeing the concern here.
"I guess I'm equally concerned, then, that a medical doctor is divulging names of his patients, and not in a medically necessary context. And that those names are subsequently vulnerable to criticism on a public website"
Oh, please! Are some people serious? Don't worry about it Miggy, I'm pretty sure the majority of your readers are not as prudish as this. Total name snob here by the way, but I (try to) keep it to myself.ReplyCancel
I believe that a person's name can play a role in who they become. Whether we like it or not, names can give us positive interacts and/or negative ones. My maiden name is a descriptive term that was constantly pointed out. Yes, thank you, nope, never heard that one before… I can only imagine if a child has a difficult to pronounce/awkward/an object name, how that could become tiresome.
On a sidenote, watch this, hilarious— http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw— having lived in Cincinnati, you will totally understand. ReplyCancel
A name you have to spell for someone is a pain in the a@@. Because I work in a school I think Sarah, Emma, Emily, Madison and Taylor should be retired, just saying. My favorite girl's name is Grace! I have perhaps the dullest 1957 name ever. My mother is Edna. Aunts: Mabel, Gertrude, Gladys. So there you have it. I have no business commenting here! Whatever you pick will be lovely because your babies are lovely,
Donna ;( Harwich MA. The most beautiful Cape Cod day ever by the way. (Absolutely no offense to any Auntie Mabels and Gerts out there! I miss them dearly,)ReplyCancel
I've seen a bunch of baby names being a NICU nurse…
My favorite (i.e. not so fav)…Trapper – he got trapped during delivery and stuck, mom had a emergency c-section.
Had a little boy named Bronx. We think they should have a girl named Brooklyn.
Recently had a family with four girls: Grace, Hope, Faith, Mercy and then twin boys Thomas and Perry.
I've seen the simple: Melanie, McKenzie, Owen, Ryan, Matthew, Cooper and Elizabeth.
A lady I worked with had a daughter named Elsa and second little girl named Euna (both names have Korean/Japanese meanings and I LOVED it)
Names are tough. Especially since I'm a NICU nurse, names radiate with me. Enjoy Miggy. p.s. official congrats!
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I can trump all the bad names (though maybe not Tamaram49's. Those are AWESOME! My husband once had to cold-call a Shithead (pronounced Shuh-thayd). For real.
I am a tiny bit snobby – don't like crazy spellings – and have the hardest time naming babies. On the last one my only birth plan was to get in and out of hospital without talking to the baby name registry lady, who calls your room every 2 hours for 2 days until you decide. I was more stressed about avoiding her than I was the actual delivery! Good luck!ReplyCancel
I see where that anon is coming from. Often, when unique names are discussed, an undercurrent of racism can creep in, and I think it's useful to examine our own attitudes when we are involved in such discussions. Having said this, I don't think you framed it that way at all. It might be that they are just responding to things they've read elsewhere. You could even say that the assumption that some of these names are for nonwhite babies is racist itself. The pseudo-French sounding names, for example, are a Utah tradition as well (read: very Caucasian). LaDawn, LaVern, Lavell, LaNae, etc. I remember a linguistics professor explaining to me that the fad of adding a French spin to baby names was widespread in the US (I think sometime in the 1900s?), albeit brief, and it just stuck around longer in Utah and in African-American naming trends. I tried to look this up, but I'm not sure what terms to use or what it's called, so I'm not finding anything. If anyone does, I would love to know.
One of my favorites is the wife of Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff: her name is M'Liss. Also, I always thought Dantzel Nelson's name was interesting.ReplyCancel
Such a fun discussion. I am always amazed at how a discussion on baby names brings out the opinions in people. We are pretty traditional and go for family names/bible names. I love to point at people in the family tree and tell my three boys that they were named after this person, because… I'm expecting my first girl, so we are excited to change up the naming process. But when I told my mom years ago the girls name that I loved (and we will probably use this time) she thought it was horrid. Oh well. She'll love that little girl as soon as she sees her.ReplyCancel
R–exactly why we don't tell our baby name until the baby is actually born–ha! Like I said, we had very mixed reactions with our first daughter but at least they were trying not to sound like they hated it because welp, she was already here and that was her name. And now, of course I think everyone likes her name and it really suits her. Or at least they're used to it. 🙂 ReplyCancel
I am seriously hoping that no one in my husband's family reads this blog, because I am about to bash the names of my adorable nieces and nephews, who have been given names I think they should legally change at 18! We have a Ramnandan (named after a great-great-great relative on the fathers side that he never met, but liked his name), Jezrael (from the Bible), Ebenezer (from Ebenezer Scrooge, dad's fav Dickens novel), Alexsei (Russian name b/c served a Russian mission), Mazel Alma (family name). These are all nieces/nephews from Caucasian family – no urban myth, no racism, just plain old crazy names (in my opinion).ReplyCancel
Heidi–Wow. OH WOW. This is another thing… when having a connection to a name sorta gives permission to do whatever they want. At least that seems to be the reasoning, but like you I think it can go to far. But again I find myself guilty of wanting to do the same thing! If my husband was on board at all, I'd probably name our baby girl Zuzu in a heartbeat as It's a Wonderful Life is my all time fav. 🙂 ReplyCancel
My name is Cosette (but I go by Cozy). I have always loved my name. It's really pretty and I loved how unique it was, so I never minded having to spell it o repeat it for people. To this day I have only met one other person who shares my name and I think that's cool. (She introduced herself after seeing my name in a wedding program and our shared name gave us something to talk about). I want to give my kids unique names too!ReplyCancel
For some reason I gravitate towards traditional names for boys, and not so traditional (or at least not so currently popular) names for girls. Our son has a biblical name and our daughter is named Afton. We met someone with that name years ago and thought it was beautiful. (It's also a river in Scotland, and consequently the subject of a poem by Robert Burns. Nickel Creek put the poem "Sweet Afton" to music.) Anyhow, the name Afton was kind of popular in the 20's. I also like older names like June and Elsa. Good luck naming your little one!ReplyCancel
We just had our third girl and she was very very close to being a Hazel but then my husband, like yours, made the executive decision that she looked more like a Maisy than a Hazel. I let him name her since I've named our other kids (Ella, Sam, and Sadie). Except with the first two you gotta be careful and don't ever yell for them in the wrong order…Sam n' Ella!! Salmonella! ha!ReplyCancel
oh a name! such a hard hard thing. You know I just had buyers remorse. My top girls name for the last two months of pregnancy was Sunny. When she was born though I couldn't commit. I played with other names for 10 days. I pulled the trigger and named her Luna and after I made the call to the midwife to submit all paperwork, I knew I made a mistake. All the signs I had been looking for came flooding into my mind and I had chosen to ignore them the whole time. So a few phone calls later we changed it to Sunny. Kinda an eye rolling name when including her middle name, but i'm ok with that. Good Luck!!! I think it is one of the hardest decisions in life.ReplyCancel
I love your blog, but I really wish you would remove the name examples at the end. I know you're not being intentionally insensitive, but (whether true or not true that your husband actually met these people) rehashing this urban myth comes off as ignorant at best and racist at worst. I really cringed when I saw it and was surprised to see such a thing on your otherwise lovely blog. ReplyCancel
Jenn R.
I guess this is one of those things where I'm just not sure how racism even plays a part here. I never said anything about race–these kids could be ANY race for all you know. Some I do know their race, others I don't. And frankly, I never assumed a specific race. As Ellen pointed out above Utah (a very Caucasian state) is known for their creative names and spellings. There is a Youtube video about these names and there use to be a website devoted to crazy Utah names as well (though I can't find the link).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfIehCrO4Zs
Before this post I had no idea this was considered an urban myth, but the funny thing is it's not a myth. So I'm not re-hashing an urban myth, I'm sharing actual names. Period. Personally I have heard (what I consider to be) crazy names stemming from a variety of races. And if all these names do happen to be from children who belong to a specific race (and they don't) me simply listing them as interesting, unusual names comes off as ignorant and racist? I don't think so. I guess I'm just not that politically correct.
That's honestly just how I feel. I'm glad you like the blog otherwise, but I disagree with your take on this.
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I love talking about names! My mom was a nurse decades ago and during a delivery the mother heard the dr say the word Placenta so sh decided that was the most beautiful name and gave it to her daughter. I'm definitely a name snob. My husband and I had our sons names picked out before we even got married. Girls names have been rediculously hard for us though. We ended up going with Georgia Belle if we were to have a girl, which we did not. Boy number 2 coming tomorrow! Haha. Maybe someday 🙂 We both feel quite strongly that boys should be given strong manly names and girls should have very feminine names. No gender neutral for us. But, like you've been saying-to each his own 🙂
I work as a PA and have seen at least 10 patients named L-a and a couple Abcde's well. When I was right out of school and still hadn't finalized my "patient face" – the blank no expression look that hides your emotions- I gasped and said "really" when a patient told me her new born sons name was "rocko" which in hindsight isn't that weird but it was at the time. My kids are Emmeline and Margaret, both named after great grandmas 🙂ReplyCancel
Woah, this thread was as entertaining as the post. Any thoughts of race were obviously brought here with the readers that mentioned it since you clearly did not. Those are just some crazy names, pure and simple.
Anyway, it's funny that Elsa showed up in the comments at least twice. It's one of my favorite names and I've hardly seen it anywhere else in my obsessive baby-naming research. It's Danish (and apparently belongs to a few other nationalities too), which is predominant in baby's ancestry. Having said that, my husband's list is completely different from mine so I don't know how we are ever going to choose. This HUGE decision comes so easily to some and is such a struggle for us! ReplyCancel
I know I'm late to this discussion (I was on vacation!) but WHOA!!! People need to slow down with the racist accusations!!! That is even more crazy the baby names!
My name is pretty uncommon in people my age, but super common in kids under the age of 10. Girls and boys. More often than not someone will tell me "Oh we have a daughter with your name but we spelled it B-A-Y-L-E-E" Blah. I still to this day get lot's of eye rolls for naming my daughter Scout. Oh well. We love it and it suits her perfectly. Good luck! I love both your daughters names. Lamp and PSP could not be more perfect 🙂
I only like hyper-traditional names. Which is why my kids' names are Ruth, Seth, and George. 🙂
J/k! You know my kids' names. A little different, but not out there. Except Elijah. What a boring name.
There is actual research on the impact of baby names. The research says that the name reflects the parents' image of themselves, but doesn't impact the child in any significant way. At all. There was a fairly recent Freakonomics podcast all about it, if you want to track it down.
So, knowing that, name the kid whatever you want to! I suggest Sassafrass.ReplyCancel
Your grandfather was of course Lincoln Ronald but he didn't like the Lincoln so took Ron or Ronnie his close friends combined the first two initials and called him LR which seemed to be his favorite. My middle name is John very bland and finally in my 30's I said to mom could'nt you come up with anything more original than John. At that point she reminded me that Grandpa Whitaker's first name was John, I had never considered it and of course now love it. Names are interesting. My dad had two patients who were named —wait for it Harry Bottom and Rosey Bottom who would name their kids with such names true story.ReplyCancel
Thank you so much for including our family in your spotlight! Ty and I have been married for 10 years after being college sweethearts. We live in Minneapolis with our beautiful 1-year old daughter, Leah, who has spina bifida. Spina bifida is a neural tube defect that affected the way her spine was...
Remember the bedroom makeover? Yes, it’s still in the works. The big hold up is the king-sized quilt I’m making for our bed. I fell in love with this blanket and wanted it so badly as the coverlet for our new bed. The problem is it only comes in a queen size. Besides, it really...
This July marks our 2 year anniversary in San Antonio and signifies our last year here as well. Officially that is. We owe the Air Force one more year of service and then we’re off to finally put down some roots and start the next chapter of our lives. We’ve done 4 years of dental...
April-I love Oregon. And this is based on the one trip I took there when I was 12. It had that big of an impact on me. But we went to southern Oregon along the coast, and while I've always heard great things about Portland I wonder if the rain really would be a deal breaker for me. One thing I really miss about the other places we've lived is the regular 4 seasons. I like having them all, including a winter with snow. So my question is, how much does it rain there and how do people deal with it? ReplyCancel
sometimes we get snow! 😉 and the rain here is so different than I first expected. It's not the downpouring deluges I experienced growing up in the southwest. It's more of a. . . constant mist? but even during the rainiest time of the year (winter) we get bright beautiful days. And it's never extremely cold nor extremely hot. The seasons are distinct enough for me, but I have friends who miss colder winters. ReplyCancel
Good luck with your decision! I know choosing to move and finding a location is difficult, but I have also found that home is where your family is together. And knowing you, I have a feeling you could make anywhere home!
When my husband wrapped up his teaching degree and we were newly married, there were lots of different options on the table for us, as we had to move as there were no local teaching jobs at the time in WV. We explored 14 hours away from home in South Carolina, close to home in Columbus, OH, and right in the middle in Baltimore, MD. In the end my husband chose Baltimore for the job opportunities, and it hasn't disappointed. I moved here sight, unseen, which is a little scary for this planning/organizing gal. But it has worked out well and we have found a great community of friends and new family. We have recently talked about moving again, either to a different community, or to a different state, due to our expanding family, and I try not to get worked up about it, b/c I know as long as we are together, everything will fall into place. Take Care!ReplyCancel
I second Baltimore. I'm from New England, which certainly is gorgeous, and my husband from Atlanta by way of Chicago and Cincinnati. We did kind of throw a dart, back in 96, and ended up in Baltimore on a lark with no place to live and 400.00 to our name. We love the mid-atlantic and while we currently live just over the Maryland border in PA, we have accessibility to Baltimore (about 45 minutes away) and many other big cities, the ocean, tons of state parks (yay for PA!) and yet our subdivision is surrounded by farms and we pass cows even to go to the grocery store 🙂ReplyCancel
greenville, south carolina. after many, many moves it's the home that we fell into and we love it. it took me one weekend to shake my really bad attitude about moving again to fall in love with this city. we are minutes from the (albeit small) mountains, 3 hours from the beach. 2 hours from charlotte and atlanta, delightfully refurbished downtown, rivers, bike trails, nice people, seasonal festivals, thousands of restaurants, small town charm, but we're really not that small. i get really excited when i talk about it. and just to be really obnoxious, here's a link:
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/PublicInfo_Events/MediaMentions.aspx
i actually don't want more people to move here and turn it into atlanta. i do hope you find a wonderful place to settle. good luck. ReplyCancel
We are in the same boat, this being our last year in residency. After so many temporary spots, it feels surreal to actually have to decide to stay put somewhere! And stressful! It is the rest of our lives, so a pretty big decision. Right now we are focusing on Texas and Arizona opportunities, but we really could end up anywhere – though like you we have probably ruled out NYC. Good luck, it will be interesting to see where we all end up:)ReplyCancel
I live in Portland. I grew up in San Francisco and moved here when I was a senior in high school. I went to U of O in Eugene for college and moved back here after graduation. I LOOOVE IT HERE.
The weather, you ask? Yes, it rains. And rains. And rains. And by April you can sometimes feel like you're going to go crazy. But for me, it isn't the rain that can make it difficult as it is the grey. The lack of blue sky affects this heart of mine.
But with all that, I can't ever see myself leaving here. What makes up for all that is the bounty of things to do here! It truly is endless the amount of activity there is here. A few others: the food. The beer. The people.
Come for a visit. You can stay with me! My kids (Grace, 7 & Myles, 3) would love to meet your children…ReplyCancel
I've lived in Portland for the majority of my life. The rain is hard. As a child it didn't bother me one bit, but with each passing year (I'm 40 now) it becomes more and more unbearable to me. Yet, the summers are lovely and there is lots to do outside here, besides it being breathtakingly gorgeous and the quality of life is very good. Just remember you can have a lot of rain for 6+ months of the year.ReplyCancel
Stephanie–I appreciate the honesty here… but it's not helping me want to move to Oregon! 🙂 I think any place with an extreme season that you have to 'get through' is making it tough on us. We like San Antonio, but the summers (with the exception of this one–it's been so mild) make it a tough sale. Same with one of my favorite cities–Boston. I LOVE Boston but thinking about the long cold winters is a huge turn off, especially for my husband. Strangely, mild weather year round is also not something I'm really keen on…I want the variety of seasons, but just nothing too extreme. ReplyCancel
You don't know me but I thought I'd comment anyway (I love your blog!). My husband and I are in the exact same boat (he's in his final year of OMFS residency). I have the same feelings as you. It's kind of overwhelming and definitely more than a little scary. We're currently in Knoxville, TN. We could stay here and have it made financially within just a few years. It's gorgeous and cost of living is cheap. However, there is no family nearby and we've both decided that we could live in a mansion but if our families rarely visited, we'd feel lonely and empty no matter the size of our home. So, we're probably going to end up back west, hoping for southern Cal, which was always totally out of the question until we finally realized we may as well end up where we always want to be on vacation anyway, even if it means a smaller house and crazy taxes. At least that way we know we'll always have company and that means more to us than anything. 🙂
By the way, if my husband would go for it, I'd end up in northern Virginia /D.C. without fail. Heaven! ReplyCancel
Brittany,
I feel like I have the opposite feelings… if I choose someplace in the midwest, then we can afford to actually vacation, pretty much anywhere and anytime. I don't want a huge house either way, so that's not really a big draw for me–but I like the idea of being able to afford my 'dream house' before I'm in my 60's 🙂 Plus, California weather doesn't really appeal to me… that being said, there is something about California. Although in general the high cost of living is just a turn off. Also, I know I'm the exception here, but living close to family isn't a priority for me. I know…what kind of good Mormon girl am I? I love my family and I love seeing my family but I also like having our own family traditions and doing our own thing. Perhaps that's just been since we've always lived away from family during our marriage, but it works for us. And yes, I'd sign up for DC too!
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Bryna,
My husband was never planning on being in the military long term. We signed up during dental school and therefore they paid for 3 years of school and now we owe them 3 years. There are people who decided to stay in longer once they've had the experience, but my husband is pretty antsy to get out and actually practice dentistry (he doesn't get to do much actual dentistry right now). And I love Colorado too! That's where I grew up (after Nebraska)! If there was a good opportunity there I think it would be a consideration. 🙂 ReplyCancel
I've lived in Southern Ohio (2 hours E of Cincy), central Ohio, upstate NY, Utah, Arizona and now Savannah, GA. I also have spent a great deal of time in Bloomington, IN. Of course, people are different, but my favorite places have been OH, IN and NY. I love love LOVE the Midwest and we will settle there eventually (we hope!). But Upstate NY was gorgeous too and I loved it there.
Chicago's like NYC, but better. 😉 It might hit a lot of your requirements in terms of lots of culture/big city experience, but be more affordable than NYC especially in the near suburbs. We also have four beautiful seasons. I'm sure a dentist could find a job here and we have some of the best hospitals in the country for special needs kids. It's easy to get anywhere because O'Hare is a hub. I'm not sure about the Mormon community here and I've never met a Mormon personally in all my years here but I'm sure there is one somewhere because I see young men in suits riding their bikes around. ReplyCancel
I've read your blog for awhile. You are so inspirational. Granted I don't have children or a husband but about 6 years ago I decided to buy a one-way ticket to Portland. It was a great decision. I feel like there's something for everyone here. And it's not so expensive here and yes the rain and grey can get crazy but the summers are AMAZING!ReplyCancel
Ahh! Another plug for Oregon. 🙂 I seriously know I would love, love, love everything about Portland… and I even think the rain would be doable for a while. However, it's the long term I worry about. Like another commenter above, I wonder if over the years it would only get more and more intolerable. Sigh. That plus I think my husband is even more adverse to the idea…so as much as I love the idea, it seems like a long-shot at this point. But I love hearing from so many Oregon/Portland lovers! I definitely want to visit. ReplyCancel
We live and own a home in suburban Dallas, but it doesn't feel like a forever home to me. We moved here sight unseen for a job. While that part is wonderful I wish we had a deadline of when we had.to move. I would love to go back to DC but don't see that happening. 🙁 North Carolina is at the top of my list.ReplyCancel
We left Illinois for a job in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) before we had our kids 15 years ago. Besides feeling far from the rest of the country, it has it all. Yes, it is gray in the winter but at least it's not cold and it stays green all year. I say Oregon! Have fun figuring out your next move. 😉ReplyCancel
San Antonio is our forever home now. I teach at UTSA and hubby works at a large engineering firm here in town, so we are very established. We are currently buying a second home at the coast (EEK), and that will make it seem even more forever.
But, if I had a chance, I'd be very tempted to settle back in Nebraska, probably Omaha or my high school town, Lincoln. Hubby would never agree–no place to sail.
I did a conference talk in Portland a few years ago, and I loved Portland. But, the cost of living seemed high as did unemployment.
Long time reader here! I am from Baltimore and also have lived in PA and Seattle. We LOVED seattle, but came back east for my husbands job and frankly to be a bit closer to family. If you decide on Balto/DC let me know – I have lived here almost my whole life so could give you some pointers for different areas to look. Best of luck in your search!ReplyCancel
I grew up in Washington state and Beau grew up in California….we both said we would NEVER raise our kids in Utah. Guess where we are living and staying forever. hahaha! we LOVE it here. I really don't miss Washington at all (although it and Oregon are sooo beautiful) The rain isn't as bad as the grey was. After a day or two of cloudy weather here, which rarely happens I'm so bummed out. I think living somewhere cheaper and taking awesome vacations is a great idea!ReplyCancel
We are in St Louis. We wound up here (after 14 yrs in Boston) because my husband grew up here. Once we had children, we wanted to be near family. I never would have lived here before children. BUT, I LOVE it. Like, seriously love it. This is my forever home. The people are so nice, I've made some of the best friends of my life here, the towns are so pretty, housing is affordable, schools are good and there is a lot to do with children (free zoo, science center, art museum, etc). Wherever you land, I wish you as much contentedness as we have found here.ReplyCancel
I'll be the third person who is pro Greenville, SC. It is the best kept secret of the south. It has four seasons, but each is mild. Just a short trip to mountains and the ocean. Low cost of living. A very family friendly community. Vibrant downtown. Great schools. Two LDS stakes (we are in our favorite ward ever!) It's a great place.
Good luck on your search!
Thanks for sharing your post. San Antonio is really a wonderful place. I think you had enjoyed it with a great joy.http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiY41ijpzuI
Stay in San Antonio! It is close to Austin and a relatively short drive (or 50 minute flight) from Dallas, where the Scottish Rite Hospital resides, and few hours from the beach. I live in Plano, a suburb of Dallas. I pray everyday that we are able to move back to SA, where my family is and where things are just a little bit more easy going. San Antonio is so beautiful and friendly. I am a true Texan by blood and I just love it. The summers are a bit unbearable but the winters are mild and nice. I wish you the best wherever you end up. I have been reading your blog for some time now and I think that your family is truly inspirational and of course, beautiful. I always hope that I spot you out and about when I visit my family there. ReplyCancel
Hey, I'm Amy!
I'm an author, artist, and disability advocate. I live with my handsome husband and three beautiful daughters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Thanks for posting this. My daughter is now alone with the kids (baby #3 is now 3 weeks old!) during the day and I won't be back for another 3 whole days! Maybe this will give her something to fill the time. 🙂
Awesome!! My mom is in town and we were just trying to plan some fun activities. Are you planning to go to the ballet? S. loves music and dance but I don't know if it's worth keeping him up late. Let me know if Lamp likes it if you happen to go.