Drum roll please...

We've finally made our destination final and public: we're headed for BOSTON!

After our trip to Boston in October, I think Tom's heart was really set on the Boston area. He loves his brother after all and seeing the kids together was great. But for my parents as well as minimizing future second guessing, we gave DC a good try.

In the end, the jobs were just better in Boston. DC might have more jobs quantity wise, but hardly any in Tom's field or expertise or interest. My parents tried extra hard, knowing Tom does engineering and that his company has something to do with networking. They scoured job listings and told him about numerous "network engineer" positions, which unfortunately is not what Tom does. They listed a number of companies that they thought weren't so "governmenty" and Tom looked at them all. But they weren't a match. Boston is like another Silicon Valley and is better for Tom professionally short and long term.

Needless to say, my parents are disappointed but rumored to be coming to terms with our decision. My dad even tried to persuade us to stay in CA saying that they are used to flying cross country now. But without saying in so many words that they won't be able to travel so easily forever, I told them that we look forward to being closer, being able to visit more easily, even if we're not in the same metro area. There's gotta be something to be said about being in the same time zone. I feel closer being a 9 hour drive away than a 5 hour flight, if that makes any sense at all.

Now as for Boston, we are excited. Dennis & Denise are excited and even pledge to finish their basement and get high speed internet so that we could stay with them for as long as we needed to find a rental and transition. I was touched that Dennis was willing to go the extra mile for us and get HIGH SPEED INTERNET. This is my oft-complained-about brother-in-law who doesn't even have dialup internet, he has NO internet, only free Juno email. So the fact that he is willing to get DSL for us means a lot. The angels and Tom's mom rejoice.

As for where in Boston, we are starting to be more set on Lexington. Andover is my second choice for its proximity to New Hampshire (Tom's brother) and the much more affordable housing. But *if* we could find our deal in Lexington, that's really better for our day to day living, feeling like we're closer to the city, Cambridge, high-tech. And now that there are a few more houses coming on to the market in Lexington, we feel like we will have more choices than the handful of non-ideal choices we've been stuck with all winter. We're definitely trusting God for a house we love in Lexington. This next house is supposed to be our keeper.

Friends here, especially native Californians and some East Coasters, don't understand our need to go back East. "It's so cold!" is the constant complaint. Even my parents who live in DC say "It's so cold!" for Boston, which it is a bit colder in the winter. But we love it. I look forward to having rainy days in summer and not feel pressured to go outside to do something every day because it's sunny every day. I look forward to Tobey and Eli shoveling snow or learning to deal with the disappointment of a picnic or a soccer game getting rained out. I look forward to visiting grandparents at a time of the year other than Christmas and I look forward to hopefully having a bigger house to raise a family and host guests in. There's a lot to look forward to and I'm strangely excited, even though I really don't know what the next 6 months is going to bring.

You always have a friend in Boston. And, if I get my wish, you'll always have a wonderfully finished basement in our house to stay in.