Moving out-of-state

undecided
Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:13:00 +0000

In the interests of getting the most help/fit possible, a mini biography follows:

Who’s doing the moving: mother, father, 22-year-old brother, 7-year-old border collie, 1-year-old cat.

What’s relevant: Mother has undiagnosed (not for want of trying, believe me) digestive issues and chronic pain stemming from 5+ neck/spinal surgeries initiated by an on-the-job falling accident. Hasn’t worked since (15+ years) though is looking at starting PT at something. Recently had a hip replacement because deposits eroded the joint prematurely; they figure this is related to the digestive thing, whatever it is.

Father works in aviation, but is either a contractor or self-employed 90% of the time. Needs to be within 1-2 hours of an international airport for this reason.

Brother is a high school drop-out. Will be seeking his GED and possibly vocational school. Will also need to work! He is somewhat reserved and spends most of his time with video games and the people who play them.

(I… am a self-sufficient college graduate, so I don’t matter as long as I can visit once in a while. ;))

The whole family is strange. Fall into the majority, ethnicity-wise. Entirely a-religious except for mother who seeks… alternate paths. “Pagan” wouldn’t be far off, except it’s less of the “coven” type and more of the “holistic living” type. Dad is retired Marine, fairly conservative. Brother is irrelevant, because parents are gently trying to encourage him to move out. As long as he can get his GED and maybe some job skills, his preferences are irrelevant.

Mom loves the cold and snow. Everyone hates high temps and humidity. Dog-friendly is an absolute must; the more places my mom can walk with the dog (keeping in mind her hip replacement was in the past year but that she’s looking to go hiking again soon) the better.

They are looking for 2-3 bedrooms with a dog-safe yard or access to one for around $1000/mo.

Mom and dad both grew up in the Bay Area; brother was born there. If they could afford it and weren’t so eager to “escape California,” they would undoubtedly move to Marin County or somewhere around North Bay. A milder version of San Francisco is exactly what my mother wants; my dad is flexible. Extreme conservatism and religiousness are a no-go for both of them.

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Just so everyone knows, I am dutifully taking notes of all your impressions and sending them on to my family. They want me to pass on their thanks with my own; they really value personal recommendations and commentary. :)