Time for a change?

rox · Aug 22, 2005

You wrote:
Anyone else think it would be fun to move and get jobs some pleace where you've never lived before?

My Reply: My husband and I bought an olive farm in Salon De Provence France and neither one of us had been in this area before. Not only that, we had absolutly no background or knowledge about olive farming. We bought an existing well known farm and figured we would figure it out when we got here. And we did, or at least we are in the process.

My husband and I seem to need to re-invent ourselves about every 10 years, change jobs or build a new house or something. It is quite invigerating to change. I don't worry to much about distance, my family is jsut an airplane ride away. We talk all the time on the phone and e-mail. If you are a close family you can remain close even with distance.

Life is an adventure, or at least it should be!

EddieWalker · Aug 23, 2005

Hi Andy,

One of my biggest fears is to look back at not trying something and regretting it. Too many of the old timers I've met have the exact same story. They had the oportunity and desire to do something, but didn't.

When I got the idea to build the RV Park, I was living in California, making $70K a year with no worries, a good pension in the future and all the basics. I also wasn't happy and felt I was just surviving and not "living" my life.

My wife at the time wasn't what you'd call very helpful. She wanted to move to Texas, but just wasn't capable, neither mentally or physicaly to be any help.

I loaded up rental trucks three times and drove here on my own, 2,000 miles each way, to get our stuff here. I rented a storage unit and to this day, three years later, still haven't unpacked some of my tools, books, clothes and who knows what else.

It was ****. No doubt about it. My parents now want to move here, and I'll probably be doing it all over again. Not something I'm looking forward to, but like anything else, you just get it done and move on to other things.

I honestly don't know if I'll succeed here or not. Too many variables and hurdles I still have to get past, but if I do fail, I will do something else. Work at Walmart or Lowes will be better than the life I had in California.

My point to you is this, do you want to make a change in your life? If so, do it and deal with what happens when it happens. Having regrets when it's too late to fix them isn't what you want to be thinking about the rest of your life.

Good luck,
Eddie

BlueRidge · Aug 23, 2005

( I found my daughter a teaching job ... I had written her resume. ... She gave me a list of states ... asked me to research ... She figured as long as she was going to be applying...)

As long as WHO was going to be applying!?!??!??? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

If one of my children gets out of college and asks me to find a job for them, I'll probably kill myself out of shame.

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

OkeeDon · Aug 23, 2005

Betsy and I were from Western Pennsylvania when we met. The first change was easy -- we were young and adventurous with few ties, so it was off to New England where Betsy had many college friends and I was intrigued with Boston. We moved up there separately as we weren't married yet (and things were a LOT different in those days regarding cohabitation). We got married, had two kids and had good jobs. Then, we moved again.

This one was more of an upheaval. While Betsy had family in Florida, I didn't. We had no jobs and no place to live in Florida. We sold our house and 9 acres in Westford, MA, had a garage sale in June where I got almost nothing for the Simplicity snow blower (but was VERY glad to be rid of it), and headed South with everything we owned and two babies.

That was 33 years ago, so long ago that I almost forgot about it when I was reading about your possible move. This is home, now. We've lived here more than half of our lives (we both just turned 65; we were 32 when we moved here).

There is an enormous need for teachers, here! This is where all the kids have gone that has created the surplus of teachers up there! Of course, you have to take part of your salary in Sunshine.

rox · Aug 23, 2005

Blue Ridge,

You mised a very important part of my story. My daughter did not ask me to apply for any jobs for her! Shere merly asked me to research high paying school districts in states she had targeted. Using my research she would then go out and apply for jobs. However during the course of my research I found this website www.WantToTeach.com and since I had done her resume, (Which I do resumes for all our frieds and family as I have a knack for it) I jsut on a lark filled it in. I did it on my own, not thinking at all it would work, but surprise, it did work!

First and last time in raising 2 kids I ever "applied" for a job FOR them, just cuz it was on the internet and it didnt' ask a lot of quetions, and I had stumbled accross it.

AndyM · Aug 24, 2005

Interesting stories and responses.

We really wanted to stay within a certain radius from our families, so North Carolina or Florida really wouldn't work.

Ultimately, she decided it would be too difficult to make it down there within a matter of days...

I just smile and say, "Yes dear."
Sometimes it's hard to smile when you say it though. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Moon · Aug 24, 2005

Hey Andy,
I gotta go against the grain on this one. I think you guys made the right decision turning down the move. I hate being put in a spot like that where you can't think it thru or plan out the move. When it all has to happen that fast, I'd turn it down. Did just that 8 years ago when I was offered a job but had to be on the job in two weeks. I wanted the job, but to move the family sell the house and such ...it was just to much to quick. Turns out I was offered another one with ample time to plan out the move and all worked out for the better. You make your own opportunities at times, by applying to the right places and keep trying. The fact that the parent company of your employer was also in that area was an extra plus. But such a short notice reminds me of a saying one of our secretaries has up by her desk. "Don't expect your lack of planning to constitute an emergency on my part".

The right opportunity will come along ...don't fret.
Best of luck to you and your wife.

BlueRidge · Aug 24, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hey Andy,
I gotta go against the grain on this one. I think you guys made the right decision turning down the move. I hate being put in a spot like that where you can't think it thru or plan out the move. When it all has to happen that fast, I'd turn it down. ...

The right opportunity will come along ...don't fret.
Best of luck to you and your wife. )</font>

Yup. I remember being told once that snap decisions have a way of coming undone. Sure been true in my life. There are times when you have to move fast to take advantage of an opportunity, but that only works out well when you've already done your homework and were just waiting for the right opening.