staying put

So it looked like we were really going to leave this place... I was ready to do it. But then P. started getting anxious about it. We talked some more about it. If we were to leave this place for Rural College, we'd risk not being able to get back here. So we're staying put. We've essentially chosen location over career, and that feels okay too.

When I was applying to graduate school years ago, one of my professors advised that I apply to places I'd really like to live. At the time I thought her advice was very romantic but perhaps a little impractical. Now, those words seem very wise to me. I love living here. Since the baby HATES riding the car (he cries his poor heart out every time he has to ride around in it), we don't get out much, but when we do, it's heavenly. I've always been drawn to water, and right now I'm actually living just minutes away from the ocean. So what if the jobs we're able to find aren't the ideal ones? There's so much more to our lives than that.

and just because, here's another picture of D., whose good moods (thank God) are getting more and more frequent.