Moving & Shaking

At the end of May, my husband of now 3 years graduated seminary with his MA in historical theology (with an emphasis on ancient languages). He also passed with distinction when presenting his thesis earlier that month. (Congrats, hubby!) This officially moved us from the first phase of our married life into the next; it was now time to transition from the world of academia back into the workforce. This time he would be looking for work as a writer/editor at a Christian publisher, or as a Greek/Hebrew/Latin teacher anywhere a PhD was not required - putting his hard earned degree and God-given talents to use.

There are a few things that come with finishing college: relief, wisdom, a proud family, credentials - and student debt. The last one is not the most appealing of the list... And while we had always assumed we'd move wherever he found work, due to the financial outlook we decided it'd be wise to move somewhere with a lower cost of living even for non-field work. This would allow us to pay down loans faster and have more financial freedom.

Where we currently live is affordable, but it is by the grace God's sweet people that we have lived so comfortably, paying only a portion of what the market around us would demand. But we can't stay here forever... I moved in 9 years ago when single, and while it is great, there is not much room for growth. Now married for 3 years and 36 years old, we're ready to leave the nest and live in the adult world, so-to-speak. If we moved anywhere else in San Diego though, our living costs would double... Staying in California would pretty much mean inflexibility with jobs and housing: pay as little as possible and earn as much as possible. But how far were we willing to go for non-field work to save money?

The main two options for us appeared to be the Las Vegas metro area (outside of the Strip, of course), and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both have similar living expenses. Las Vegas would be a quick and cheap move, not such an investment that we wouldn't be able to move again in a year or two when hubby found ideal work. He lived there a year with his dad when finishing his undergrad before moving to San Diego for seminary - so he has family, friends, and a church back there. It's also within a 5 hr drive back to SoCal, so visiting California family periodically would be easy and cheap. It's hot and deserty, but the low cost of living means you can afford A/C. And it would be temporary until he found work in his field, so the more unfavorable bits of it would be bearable.

Grand Rapids on the other hand... This place is the hub for Christian publishing in the states. There are 5 publishers (a few big, some small), several Christian colleges, and a few other ministries - so there is no shortage of places to apply for field-work. He could take pay-the-bills type jobs until he found preferred work, and when he did we would not have to move again. But, it's so far away and would cost quite a bit to move there, so we'd not be in a position to move again for a few of years. Hubby has family within a few hours drive, but flying would be necessary to visit California relatives (any of my relatives). The weather seems more favorable than Las Vegas, though I am under no delusion that 20" of snow for 3-4 months is fun - but at least hubby is used to snow.

There was one job prospect in Grand Rapids (GR) that seemed promising at first, which was a shipping position at a smaller publisher. He had a positive conversation with them and we were hopeful - but after 2 weeks of waiting we learned they had chosen a local candidate. But GR still seemed to be a wise course of action. Low cost of living (except for high auto insurance rates) and a very low unemployment rate of 3-3.4% made it promising.

Knowing that staying here looking for work will cause savings to dwindle, and that finding non-specialized work in GR while still in CA might be challenging (on top of seeing a very cold and snowy winter approach), we decided that we would pick a time frame and move out there whether hubby had found work yet or not. There are quite a few plans we had already made for September that make the end of the month a better choice (not the least of which is a Red Sox vs. Padres baseball game my husband is eager to see), so we've picked "end of September" as our official move-to-Grand-Rapids date - unless something changes between now and then that would reroute us.

Two months.
That gives us 2 months left in Cali. Two months to plan, two months to pack, two months to visit family and friends... Two months left in my home of 9 years, two months left with my wonderful church family, two months left with my fishies and plants... It will be a bittersweet two months. Excited for the upcoming adventure, but sad to leave my home state with all its comforts and people.

Sigh. So there it is. Wow! I've never lived anywhere but CA - born in L.A. County, raised in Orange County, and the last 11 years in San Diego County... I'm a coastal Cali girl by nature. Cold weather never bothered me though, probably due to my family's midwest roots and German-Irish heritage. I look forward to 45° fall and wearing clothes without sweating.

Traveling for work for the past 8 years has made the country seem very small, and has semi-acclimated me to various kinds of weather environments. It'll be entertaining for my FB friends to watch me deal with the weather changes I'm sure - and I will certainly be thankful for an apartment complex that de-snows the parking lots for us!

Peace out for now! ~D~