You're Doing What?

I'm moving. To Richmond, VA. Just as soon as I find a place I like there in my price range. Why? I have reasons. I did a pro/con list. I decided that it was advantageous. How exactly did I come to the idea that moving 6 to Richmond was advantageous, you may be wondering. Or you might not, I don't know what you think about because I'm not a mind reader, but I'm going to tell you anyway. And we'll even talk about the one disadvantage. Ok, two disadvantages.



I have, basically, spent my entire life living in the Mid Ohio Valley. That's this area, just so you know, and will be referred to as the MOV from now on.

Sure, I was born up river in Steubenville, OH, and we moved to Cambridge, OH, when I was a small child, but from the age of 3 I have been right here, in this area, living in either Marietta or Williamstown. 33 years is enough time here. The area is stagnant and dead and just doesn't appeal to me any more. I'm tired of the people who live here, I'm tired of how little there is to do here, I'm just tired of this area in general. It is way past time to leave.

That's fine, right? You don't like the area you live in because you've been there your entire life and just need somewhere new, but why Richmond, VA, which henceforth shall be referred to as RVA? Why not somewhere like Pittsburgh?

RVA just feels like a perfect fit. I have some amazing friends who live there, so I am not starting over from scratch needing to make new friends, which I really suck at. There is a good sized airport, so I won't have to drive for 2 hours in order to fly for work, trust me when I say that sucks. The cost of living isn't too bad at all. Roughly comparable to where I currently live. While it is a city, it is only a city of roughly 200K people, so it's not over crowded. And, more than anything else, with my visits there, I've really come to like it there. It just seems like a good place to live.

No, I didn't just list my entire pro list. I didn't come here to do that, but we are going to list my entire con list, because there are really only two things on it. The boys will still be in the MOV, and I have some friends that I care about a lot that I'll be leaving behind. While the latter is pretty shitty, it's the former that was the cause of most of my problems with determining if I could actually do this or not. What I finally came to was the realization that I'm not going to be cutting my kids out of my life by moving to the RVA. Sure, they'll still be in the MOV, but that is only a 6 hour drive away, which is nothing. I can talk to them all the time via FaceTime or Skype or Google Hangouts. They'll get to come see me for weeks at a time instead of just a few days spread out. We will make it work.

As for the friends I'm leaving in the MOV, we'll see each other when I come to visit, or you'll come visit me, love it in the RVA, and move down with me. Which is a win for everyone.

Now, I just need to find a place to live, and then you're all coming to help me load a truck.