Tuesday, October 16, 2007

We Need a Magic 8 Ball

Well, for lack of another post idea, we are turning to you to decide our future. We have decided that we just do not want to live in Vegas the rest of our lives (Ryan cares about safety, I care about grass!) so we need to figure out where to go (probably in about 10 years) Our requirements are:

1. A safe place where kids can ride bikes down the street without worry
2. Within a day's drive of family members/good friends
3. Close enough that Ry could return to handle the business semi regularly
4. a place with culture! (ie parks, art museums, mini golf places, plays, libraries, etc.)
5. sagebrush cannot be the state plant
6. good membership of the Church, and a good ward
7. Very good schools
8. good cost of living
9. somewhere that having a basement doesn't cost you your soul
10. Someplace that would accept Ry's crazy antics (clover, christmas trees, ice rinks in the backyard, etc.)

Does such a place exsist? Probably not-but we can dream anyway right?
So-take the poll or leave a comment and help us decide our fate!

16 comments:

Heather said...

I must say that I am bias as to where to live, but that is only because I have only lived in one state my whole life...thus you should move to Utah. You would be in a safe place, close enough for Ry to handle the business, there is culture if you are here (salt lake city has lots of things to do along those lines, you just have to have the money to do them!), great membership in the church and great wards, good schools (just have to pick where you live based on the schools), good cost of living (compared to several other places), basements can be costly but when isn't it (if you find some place where it is too expensive let me know), and Utah can definitely handle Ry's "crazy antics"! So out of the 10 things, Utah can offer you at least 8!

jeanine said...

Well, I vote that you move to the midwest somewhere because... well, I'm selfish and want some friends to be within driving distance.
I think that you can find 9 out of your 10 requirements in Oklahoma... but Missouri would be okay too :)

heath said...

I vote California (although that definitely goes against your number 8 requirement). But you're probably the only ones that are going to be able to afford it, and then when I want to vacation, I can stay at your house!

I also just have to comment that I love that mini golf is listed among your culture items!

Anonymous said...

I can think of a really nice place that fills all of your requirements. =) We'll start looking for for sale signs in the area.

MJ/Mom/GrammaJ said...

The center of the country has lots of grass, tons of culture and much of it is free, and very close to family. Yup, St. Louis it is! What more could you want? I we have mini golf!

Anonymous said...

Ok, so I am your one vote for Colorado...my parents have lived there, Justin's family lives there now...and well dependant on what town you pick, I think that you can meet all the requirements on your list. Also..I am not sure that it would be close enough, but parts of Idaho are really nice.

The first thing that I thought of when i looked at your list though was this: hm...I do not think they are talking about Texas, except perhaps #8....but that is only due to the lack of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (does cactus count?),7 and 9. 10 well...people here are nuts, just in "different" ways.

Oh and another thing I should suggest...if all of your requirements are not met by somewhere say close enough to all the people you want to be close to...get near a BIG airport.

The Pagets in Florida said...

St. Louis or Minneapolis. In Minnesota, you can just have a lake in the back yard so you don't have build and ice rink. The weather does it for you.

lori said...

It won't let me vote. I feel jipped!! But you know where we would pick...

Unknown said...

wow, i don't know who is voting on this poll, but these are not the results i was expecting. but we'll see what happens

heath-see what vegas is doing to me? mini golf is a must and I am deprived here

aaron-oh yes, we played hockey on those minnesota lakes this year and ry still talks about them with a dreamy look in his eye. but i refuse to go anywhere that 15 below is warm

keep up the input everyone! Love!

Muriel said...

Pocatello, Idaho
1. Yes
2. Only 2 1/2 hours to SLC
3. Don't know about this one.
4. We have one mini-golf, a natural history museum, lots of parks, disc golf courses, 2 libraries, dinner theater place, a performing arts center, decent shopping 45 min. away in Idaho Falls
5. Nope
6. The Highland stake is one of the best
7. Gate City Elementary and Indian Hills are good schools (my 2nd grader goes to Gate City)
8. We sold our home in St. George for (194,900 and bought twice as much for 169,00, and it's growing!)
9. Basements are pretty much standard here
10. Probably

We have 4 full seasons, it actually cools down at night during the summer (we don't even have a/c and we're only miserable for a couple of weeks in July) Have I convinced you yet?

heath said...

Come on people. Why don't more people see the wisdom in California? I'm adding a couple more votes--one for northern Cali and one for southern!

Alaina said...

My first thought was that such a place doesn't exist. My second thought was that if it does, I'll come be your neighbor :)

jeanine said...

Oh but Heather... California does NOT have a good cost of living! (Come to the Midwest!!!)

Sarah said...

Okay, so when I think of "culture" I'm not sure many people have actually experienced a place with real culture. I thought that St. Louis had great culture, especially because so many of the cultural activities were free. I really do love the Midwest. I would suggest anywhere there. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois are the places that I've been and lived, and "Don't ya know", the people here are just nice! It is lusciously green, there are 4 seasons, you can do all sorts of wacky things (well, not as much as Texas), good schools, no sagebrush, safe place, close to Ted Drews (okay, so that was on my list, not yours, but still), and great cost of living, PLUS, who would live in tornado country without a basement??! Have we found an eden? Why yes!
PS- we're living in a small college town in Iowa right now and I actually like the small town thing suprisingly. So, one vote for Iowa City! (not close to Vegas, though. I do like the cedar rapids airport, but I doubt there is a wide selection of direct flights)

Sarah said...

Reading my comment, that sounds kind of snobby. Sorry. I guess I just miss all of the free museums and parks in St. Louis. And one bad thing about Iowa City: no dollar theater :(

Unknown said...

not snobby at all i brag about st. louis free culture all the time! and ted drew's totally has my mouth watering. sigh