Thanks for all the support. We have been out for the weekend and I thought I would get back with you all.
First to Schauburger, I agree that there must be some interest there or she would have put it all down and gone on to something else. However she always starts this kind of decision making process with a "NO" and then comes around as I make my case. So far she admits that she has never second guessed our decisions even though she was not on board at the beginning.
Ribicon,
Like I said in an earlier post, If she is not with me 100% I would never force her. We are a team and we each get to be capitain depending on the project.
I just happen to be the capitain on this one.
About leaving Texas. I am not a "native Texan" I came here because the architecture program was rated in the top 5 in the nation when I started college. When I graduated the economy was in a recession so I created my own job. It has been my business for 30 years now and I could not move my business. It would mean starting over and I did not want to do that so I stayed here even though I did not want to, sorta stuck myself here. My wife knows this and also knows I don't want to live my life out here.
The weather is and has been hot. It has been over 100 degrees here for about 90 days straight! and maybe would get down to 80 at night. It is always hot here in the summer. The winters are windy and bitter cold. It can be mild sometimes but it is ussually single digit and 20 to 30 mph winds then just as you get out of winter you get the spring winds! Always high winds with lots of dust. The wind blows 40-60 mph and you live with sand in you mouth for a couple of months. The wind blows so much here that the trees grow in a position that makes it look like the wind is blowing when it is calm.
Also we live in the high desert. No natural lakes,mountains,ocean or anything.
I love a change of scenery. I know that Fla. is flat like here but lots of places to get to that are naturally there. We have to drive 4 hours to get to our cabin and that is the closest mountains. The big ones are 8 to 10 hrs away. The ocean is 9 hrs away and the only lakes around here are mud holes and the good ones are hrs away.
Cost, really about the same maybe cheaper there. Property taxes are out of control here and we spend a lot of money on gas getting to all those places that are not around here.
Yes I am a avid golfer. I love it and have played 4 or 5 of the course there in TV. Other than that we love walking, birding and I am sure we will love pickelball. She is the one that found that when we were there and thought that she would want to do that.
You said the lifestyle fades. Did it for you and if so why are you still there?
To sum it up we have both said we are going to move from here when we retire, just did not say where.
ILovetv,
Like I just wrote above we are explorers and I think we would love it there and as a base to explore from.
We also liked that everybody there seemed "like us". Not in a political sense but just in general.
I just don't want to feel stuck here and regret not trying.
Also if our freinds and relatives don't want to come visit us when we are there then how good of freinds were they. I know our relitives would come if only to see why we made such a crazy decision.
JoJo,
Our city is not big like yours but our territory is huge. We have to travel forever to get somewhere. So I know what you mean. The saying here is "you can get to anywhere from here", from here is the key words!
Mary,
I plan on suggesting just that, an extended stay to see if she likes it and not just her but me also. We have been twice to visit my parents and stayed three days each time, so a longer stay would help. By the way we both loved it when we were there.
Just want to say thanks to all and this feels like I just got out of the shrinks office but it also helps to say it and write it so I know why I am doing this. ( no offense meant to psychologist)
Thanks
EB