There was a nagging voice inside my head. What if you traded everything you know for everything you don’t? What if the barrage of place options was on the table for discussion. What if we left the green mountain coffee haven of Portlandia for those fly-over towns in the Midwest.
No longer an affordable paradise, the suffocating prices of Portland, Oregon, had us looking for a jettison. The Midwest came on our radar after reading a Money Magazine article about Columbus, Ohio. Despite the frigid winters, I can honestly say the Midwest is not a terrible place to live.
You never know until you try. Starting over is never easy, but neither is living in the heels of regret. So I moved my whole family to Toledo, Ohio. We met some great people. We drove down country roads with the windows down with nothing but cornfields for as far as the eye could see.
But then there’s the cold. Let’s just say that negative 8-degree weather is not for the faint of heart. I remember going outside with 3 layers of clothing and a formidable Columbia down jacket and the protection was minimal at best. It’s so cold you second guess leaving the house. In the end, we needed more art, more diversity, more options, more music, and let’s be honest, more opportunities. So we moved again. This time to Houston, Texas. We’re looking to take advantage of everything that Houston has to offer. One thing I do know. No place is perfect, and we are all responsible for our own happiness. But living in a world-class city doesn't hurt either.