what's the plan, stan?

After weeks (months? years?) of discussion, this is what it came down to:



K1: So, should we plan on staying in Rochester for another year?

R1: Yep.



And there you have it. After R1 graduates, we will be staying in Rochester for awhile so he can start a business based on the research he has been doing. We'll be here for at least a year, perhaps more depending on how things go.

We feel lucky to be staying in such a beautiful place with so many wonderful friends. And we are looking forward to enjoying more of the things Rochester has to offer that we never had time for before.

And those of you in the area, keep an eye out for a house for rent in the Brighton school district for us. Thanks!

we have a big problem

H1 is on the verge, on the cusp, this close to crawling. She scoots, she lunges, she rolls, she's a commando.

Yesterday, we had a serious sit down discussion about her need for independence. How I would like her to stay cute and immobile for awhile longer. How her exploration of every nook and cranny of this place doesn't work with my plans.

She shrugged off all my arguments. (Here I sense foreshadowing. Just add 15 years and change the topic to driving. Or dating.). She stared at me with big blue eyes.

What could I do? I gave in.



W1 and L1 of course think it is fantastic. They enter a room looking for her: "Where's H1? Where did she go? Here she is! H1, what are you doing all the way over here?"




What you say? All this post needs are some adorable pictures? You come find that darn cable amidst the towers of boxes. **found it!**

Things I may have yelled to the monkeys in the backseat

Yesterday during our umpteenth trip from house (moving out) to townhouse (moving in - temporarily).



"L1, are we outside? No? No screaming until we get outside!"

"Don't spit on H1."

"W1, put your seatbelt back on!"

"I know you can "sing" Puff the Magic Dragon, but it is my turn. Be quiet and listen."



With quite a bit of back and forth, we have the majority of stuff out of our house. It is still ours until the 15th, so if you are feeling a little bit of pyromania, now would be the ideal time to... No, just kidding. Really.

H1 at 6 months

Almost sitting on her own.

Now if I could just photoshop out that arm. And make her look at the camera.

Time for a haircut

He has perfected the head-shake-to-get-the-hair-out-of-the-eyes.

But, R1 doesn't like my solution to the problem.

Poor kid.

Photos taken from my couch

On which I was languishing in the heat. Only eighty degrees, but I'm a wimp.

Sweet H1.

Can't get enough of her toes, doesn't sit still for a minute, loves her brothers and the entertainment they provide, doesn't sleep nearly enough, thinks oatmeal is delicious.

The bright new pillow covers which I did not sew myself. (I prefer to hunter/gather. These I gathered on clearance at Target.)

I'm pretty sure R1 rolled his eyes when he saw them.
I didn't see it, but I felt it.

Obviously, we need help

In two weeks, we move into a (air conditioned!) townhome, which we have sublet until August 15th. Then, we will move who-knows-where.

R1 and I are constantly having conversations about where we want to live. And the consensus is usually a shrug of the shoulders and an "Anywhere would be fine".



Therefore, one of two things needs to happen.

1. R1 only gets one job offer. Problem solved.

2. Someone else tells us where to move. (It's true. Sometimes we function better when someone else takes charge.)


So, in case we need to rely upon option #2, and you happen to be the lucky one to decide for us, here are some of our criteria:

1. Not too rural, but also, not too urban.
2. Relatively close to either mountains or the coast.
3. Costco.
4. IKEA. Because we are cheap. But we don't want our furniture to give it away.
5. Good schools.
6. Not so expensive that we can't afford a house with a backyard. A fenced backyard where our children may run wild.
7. Lower taxes than NY state. Oh wait, that's almost everywhere.
8. Temperatures no higher than 85 and no lower than 55.
9. Just kidding about that last one. Mostly.
10. Near a fairly major airport.


Any ideas yet?


To give you a little extra help, here are a few of the places we have ruled out. Some were actually considered at one time or another, others just fantasy.



We came this close to living here for a year. R1 had a job lined up, but I just couldn't seem to find a job which would use my degree in biology. At the south pole. Where everything is frozen.



I could just sit all day and listen to people talk. And play bagpipes.



Johnston Atoll.



Just too rundown.



Hard to get past the no oxygen difficulty.



The Princes' Islands just off of Istanbul, where we spent a day in 2002. Beautiful and rustic.



Greece, where I wouldn't be able to tear my eyes away from the view.




So, tell me. Where should we live?