Saturday, March 22, 2008

My List- Part Three

Last night our Good Friday service at church had to be canceled because of SNOW!!!!! We got about 6 inches last night... Snow on Easter weekend feels like a giant slap in the face. There should be green things and flowers, NOT snow! So I all the more diligently pour my thoughts into imagining a better place to live! :)

14. Outdoor Activities/Physical Fitness: I would like to live someplace where people go outside a lot and get moving! I know I once saw a thing online or on TV that ranked states for levels of physical fitness... but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Basically, I would like our next home to be a place where fitness is a part of life; where instead of sitting home watching TV, our neighbors would be outside playing with their kids or walking at the park. Exercise and outdoor play is such an important part of development for kids (and it wouldn't do me any harm either) that I want Carolyn to have every opportunity to play outside and develop her muscles- and her imagination because outdoor play is often so much less structured than indoor. I have many happy memories of growing up in our backyard in Lubbock TX, which by most people's account wouldn't have been the prettiest place in the world, but to me, I thought it was a magical place where I could make anything happen. Carolyn needs an outdoor place like this, too. Michigan is at a real disadvantage here because you simply cannot go outside regularly for about 6 months out of the year!!! You're stuck inside without a whole lot to do and you just go stir crazy. We need to be somewhere warmer where you can actually be outside and breathe the fresh air!!

15. Low Profile for Terrorists: Michigan has a bit of a boost in this area because I don't think many terrorists would be interested in bombing all our little farms and towns in West Michigan. Some of the other cities we're considering aren't... quite... so low profile... :) [we are actually exploring some of the extended DC area cities as possibilities]. At any rate, wherever we live, I think we definitely need to be someplace where we have an escape route. I get the chills whenever I think about those movies where something terrible happens and the whole ginormous city is trying to get out on two major highways that are all completely packed. We definitely need to leave close to a way OUT if we live near a major city... just in case.

16. Basements: Over the course of my moving experiences, I have found that there are some communities where all the houses have basements and other communities where none of them do. Our basement is one of the best things about our house. It isn't finished so right now we just keep (a lot of) junk down there... but the possibility and potential to almost double our square footage is there- a bonus! I want to live somewhere where a basement just comes with the house. Plus it is a good place to hide if there is a tornado.

3 comments:

Transplant said...

Wouldn't it be nice to say Spring had arrived and unpacked before
February's lease was up?

Michelle said...

I still think Spring is here- this latest snow is already almost gone, and that's the worst part of Winter snow, that it sticks around for Ages! And I completely agree that one should never live right in the middle of the giant city with no way out. Although I would think that more because giant cities are noisy, crowded, and grassless. Who wants to live in the middle of that?!

Kara said...

EB, you do make me laugh- I'm not sure how far down I would've had to go before I would've thought of putting low profile for terrorists on my list, but you've really thought it out!