Made the "Big Move" to Missouri/Arkansas border...

[jeanettecentaur]

I am having a weak moment after making this giant move, and I hope to work out some of those details by sharing it with you guys...

 

I really felt a call to make this big change, and I chose this area d/t the Medium sized County Hospital, and resources available to a town of 10,000. I have a wonderful job that I love in the ICU. I actually live "in town" because we (BF and I) thought it would make a great hub to figure out where we might want to plant some more permanent roots in the area, while having easy access to my work.

 

The good stuff:

1. It's absolutely gorgeous in the Ozark Mountains...lots of rivers, lakes, forest, and clean air!

2. No traffic.

3. Nice hospital, working in my preferred unit as a new grad RN.

4. Land and housing is WAY INEXPENSIVE...

 

The not-so-good stuff:

1. Haven't found a church I am interested in, although I can just listen to my old one online.

 

2. I REALLY miss my friends back in Texas...

 

3. The food here is just freakin' awful...most every restaurant has basically the same menu of Fried, Bland food...I'm so glad that we love to cook at home, and have lots of spices and great recipes stored...but sometimes I just want a night OUT! Which brings me to the next thing:

 

4. Zero entertainment. I didn't think this would terribly bother me, since I'm not even a big drinker, and really I haven't gone out on the town much, because I have been in school for so long. But I have a longing for a Guinness on Draft and a Shepherd's Pie at my local, friendly Irish Pub...which doesn't exist here. Absolutely NO LIVE MUSIC, no Drum Circles under a full moon, no diversity in music or culture. Seriously. We work hard to find it too. All our days off are spent exploring the region.

 

5. I have been FREEZING for months!!! I knew I was supposed to be walking into "4 distinct seasons", but I grew up on the coast, and I have a bit of Malaysian Ancestry, and I am not acclimating well. Yes I bought a good jacket. Yes I dress in layers. I am just freakin' miserable in the cold. I must not be bred for it. I don't know...

 

6. Low end of the Pay-Scale for Registered Nurses here. But for this town's expectations, I'm evidently rolling in the dough.

 

 

I miss Texas!!! Yes, I was angry about the uber hot summers, and traffic....I feel like I'm just totally ungrateful. God inspired me, and I am failing miserably. I need clarification.

 

I remember reading about situations like this in Carla Emery's book....

 

All opinions are welcome...thanks for reading!

 

[Jori]

First,

 

Second, you will get use to the temp. DH's aunt moved to FL years ago & now it takes forever for her o adjust to the temp.

 

I have friends in SW Missouri (out by Branson & Table Rock). PM me if you are close to that area & I'll call them or FB them to find places for you. But what I remember about it, things closed early and there wasn't alot of options (compared to metro Chicago).

 

Hang in there!

[CrabGrassAcres]

Well, you have a job and you aren't tied down to house payments. I suggest you get some experience under your belt, maybe get some good certifications, and keep an eye out for work someplace you'd be more comfortable. Just because you are in MO now, doesn't mean you always have to be there.

[mommato3boys]

 

Next winter you will be better. I remember when we moved to Florida my kids wore short sleeves the first winter but that 2nd winter we dressed warm and went we went back to B'ham to visit oh man we froze.

 

As for enterainment make your own. Start inviting friends over and have a pot luck. Fix some of you recipes and share. This summer grill out. Pull out board games and the cards.

 

As for church...try different denomantions. Instead of visiing just...well just say Methodist churches try an Assembly of God or even a non-demonational church. Look for store front churches they are always in need of mature Christians to help build the church and bring in people. Ask around and see if anyone has a home church...a lot of churches start as bible studies or prayer groups in peoples home and grow from there. If you can't find anything then start your own. This goes back to inviting friends over. There are a gazillion bible study books out there not only will you have the fellowship but you can learning and grow together.

[Deerslayer]

poor thing--changes can be VERY hard--since we live the life of gypsies at the moment--i can really understand what you are going through.

 

We spent the last year in Wyoming--now, I am sure that someone up there can cook--but it is just NOT southern cooking--every time we ate out--we ended up having breakfast--because we couldn't stand how bland everything else was. It did force me to cook more at home--since there was little to look forward to in eating out.

 

Believe me, you will get used to the cold--it will take awhile!! When we moved from Texas to Louisiana---i thought i would die in that humidity--but by the second year-we were used to it. Now, after a year in Wyoming, the 70 degrees we are having here in Texas feels HOT!! and I do mean HOT!! guess, i will have to get used to it again.

 

I keep having to remind myself that no where will be like home. I try to embrace the differences--it can be hard sometimes--but if I kept in my mind that I could leave and go home, then I would never have been happy where I was--

 

Keep trying, it will get better

[ANewMe]

Honey hang in there!! I am so envious of you. We are thinking of doing the same thing....no idea where we will go but TX and ARK are our top two options. Who is Carla Emery? My Grandma lived in Harrison for a while and I LOVED it when I visited a few times. You are on a grand adventure...soak up all you can, then you may decide to try a different spot. If you have no kids it will be easier. Keep us posted...please!...then I can live vicariously through you.

[CeeGee]

I know what you are going through. A year ago we moved from Denver to a town that has 500 people! Talk about culture shock! We moved for a lot of the same reasons that you did. We were able to take DH's inheritance and purchase a home. We knew that he would still have to have work of some kind to pay utilities and such. The isn't much in the way of work, but he does have a minimum wage job for now. He does have a couple of prospects in the works and we should know soon if they work out.

 

As far as freezing goes, I have heard that it takes a year for your body to acclimate to a new location. What I heard was that if you moved to a colder climate it took a year for you blood to thicken up and if you move to a warmer climate it thinned. Since you are a nurse, maybe you can tell me if that is true...LOL! I know that when we lived at 10,000 feet it made a difference in my blood work.

 

And the food!!!!! We have 3 bar/restaurants and the gas station......

 

But, we do love it here......most days anyway!

[ANewMe]

I want to know how you figure out WHERE to move...How did you make your decision? We have picked a few states but that is about it. I have been sending his resume out for the past two days but how do you actually FIND your spot? We are figuring wherever he can find a good job...we would start to look around there?

[CeeGee]

We chose where we came by drawing circles on a map. We wanted to stay close enough to Denver because our kids (adults but, yet still my babies) are still there. Drew the circles by "hours" and decided that 5 "hours" was as far as we would go. Then we started looking online at towns that fit into the circles. We looked at the newspapers online, at realtor.com at homes and found places that we thought that we might like. Then we would take drives on the week-end until we found one we liked and could afford to buy in.

[Deerslayer]

how to pick??? We are currently looking for a new place to call home, so, we are currently pouring over maps, looking for tiny (under 1000) towns that are not on the way to anywhere--that way we are out of the lines of drift, we are also hoping to not be any closer to a large city than 3 hours by car( 2 at the least) we have decided to make our new place back home in Texas--we "fit" here, have family here, no how things go here, etc. When we find some places that look interesting, we take a road trip and go check them out--stay in the area most of the day and try to talk to the locals. If we like it--then we plan on going back and checking it out again. Then I start looking at the available real estate and see if there is much in our price range. We have been at it for several months, and are narrowing down our search.

Of course, we don't have kids at home, so we don't have to worry about schools. We do look at crime rates, local newspapers, etc. I think the best way to start, is to decide WHAT you are looking for. In our situation, we are looking for seclusion, you may be looking for something else.

[SueC]

We made the move to a new area and it was fun, and daunting, and lonely and .... not home!

 

But we have done this a few times now. I moved countries with my parents at 19, moved back to home country at 20 and back to Australia at 22. DH and I had 14 years in one large city before moving 4 hours north to a town of 2500 - yes that was different. after 11 years we moved to a small country town of 4000 7 hours south and in a new state. Then just 1 year later we moved again.

 

You are doing the right things, checking out the area, exploring, but I agree with Momma to 3 boys- start making the entertainment, start creating the social life, maybe find some others that like to dine out and have turns in hosting? churches are hard to settle into - they are never the same as the 'home' church that you have loved.

 

To decide on an area to move to, we did look at locality and proximaty to relatives, we also sat and thought about what we wanted from the new location - climate, productivity for a garden, access to transport, looking long term, what do you expect medical needs to be, school needs? Once we put that together we started looking, and yes most of it I did on the internet. When we found a locality, then I looked for work. it all came together but I would never have arrived in this town if we hadn't first researched what suited us!

[kathy003]

Hello,

 

I had a few weak moments after our move to the country, and we only moved last November. The good things you listed is what we cherish in our new town, and most of the things that you have a hard time dealing with, so am I. I dealt with missing my friends down home by getting facebook to keep in touch with them and there is always the phone.

 

I wish we had our pick of food close by. Our nearest cafe does have ok food, but the next nearest one is 30 minutes away, too far for us to just go out to eat. We solved this by making special meals at home, my DH and I do this together - a new thing since we have moved - come to find out, we both have fun doing this. We get to spend some quality time together and saves a bit on the budget.

 

As far as the entertainment, we have spent our time exploring our new area. Any entertainment is over an hour away, including any Flea Markets, this was an activity we really loved and really miss. So we broke out the board games including monopoly and uno. I also have started cooking from scratch more and learned to knit and sew. DH andi I also talk more.

 

Whenever I think i made a mistake for the reason's you listed as not liking, i have to weigh my perspective and remember why we made the choice we did. We know we made the right choice. We wanted a more rural life, we wanted less traffic, we wanted less crime, and we wanted more quality family time together. In the end, that's what we have :-)

 

Don't worry, you body will get used to the weather :-) Every move takes some adjustment, i think it will take a year or two for that to happen. All I can say is give it time, and remember why you moved there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am having a weak moment after making this giant move, and I hope to work out some of those details by sharing it with you guys...

 

I really felt a call to make this big change, and I chose this area d/t the Medium sized County Hospital, and resources available to a town of 10,000. I have a wonderful job that I love in the ICU. I actually live "in town" because we (BF and I) thought it would make a great hub to figure out where we might want to plant some more permanent roots in the area, while having easy access to my work.

 

The good stuff:

1. It's absolutely gorgeous in the Ozark Mountains...lots of rivers, lakes, forest, and clean air!

2. No traffic.

3. Nice hospital, working in my preferred unit as a new grad RN.

4. Land and housing is WAY INEXPENSIVE...

 

The not-so-good stuff:

1. Haven't found a church I am interested in, although I can just listen to my old one online.

 

2. I REALLY miss my friends back in Texas...

 

3. The food here is just freakin' awful...most every restaurant has basically the same menu of Fried, Bland food...I'm so glad that we love to cook at home, and have lots of spices and great recipes stored...but sometimes I just want a night OUT! Which brings me to the next thing:

 

4. Zero entertainment. I didn't think this would terribly bother me, since I'm not even a big drinker, and really I haven't gone out on the town much, because I have been in school for so long. But I have a longing for a Guinness on Draft and a Shepherd's Pie at my local, friendly Irish Pub...which doesn't exist here. Absolutely NO LIVE MUSIC, no Drum Circles under a full moon, no diversity in music or culture. Seriously. We work hard to find it too. All our days off are spent exploring the region.

 

5. I have been FREEZING for months!!! I knew I was supposed to be walking into "4 distinct seasons", but I grew up on the coast, and I have a bit of Malaysian Ancestry, and I am not acclimating well. Yes I bought a good jacket. Yes I dress in layers. I am just freakin' miserable in the cold. I must not be bred for it. I don't know...

 

6. Low end of the Pay-Scale for Registered Nurses here. But for this town's expectations, I'm evidently rolling in the dough.

 

 

I miss Texas!!! Yes, I was angry about the uber hot summers, and traffic....I feel like I'm just totally ungrateful. God inspired me, and I am failing miserably. I need clarification.

 

I remember reading about situations like this in Carla Emery's book....

 

All opinions are welcome...thanks for reading!

 

 

[carr]

aahhh, the Ozarks. How I miss the mountains and the seasons and that back home feeling. You've been given some good advice here. Make your own entertainment. Have you made friends with some folks from work yet? My sister and her friends do a monthly thing they call Supper Club or some such thing. There are four couple and one weekend night each month they rotate hosting dinner at their home. They've done it for years and have grown close relationships with these friends.

 

You could do your own variation of this, even if you only know one couple well enough to get started. Perhaps they know others your age who you could include. Depending on responsibilities, you may meet more than once a week or twice monthly. Just make sure you don't limit yourself to some preconceived idea. Be flexible and ask folks at work for ideas.

 

Also, ask around about churches. Don't necessarily limit yourself to your small town. I had a friend who used to drive regulary to a town 35 miles down the road to go church.

 

I know a lot of folks in NW Arkansas, but I don't know if I know anyone or anyplace in your area. PM some details if you like and I'll ask for some suggestions. Have family in Missouri as well, but there further north than you.

 

And don't forget to befriend someone at work who can become a mentor or motherlike figure for you. There are several woman from my church who have taken on that role for me and it is very comforting to have them to bounce things off of!!

 

Finally, remember that God will continue to guide you on this journey. Prayers and good thoughts going out your way!!

[ANewMe]

You are not going to believe this but since I last posted I looked into a job for my husband over on the Arkansas/Missouri border!! It's in Blytheville, Ark and I've been trying to find out more about the area just in case he doesn't get the one he's supposed to interview for this next week. If you know anything about that area I'd love any info you could pass along. I was looking at places right across the border in Missouri to live....the town started with a K? Can't remember the name...

[jeanettecentaur]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice...

 

Since I 1st posted this it has snowed twice more! However, my honey knew we were having serious cabin fever, so he booked us a room for a night in the cutest little mountain town, Eureka Springs. We decided to make the most of it and sloshed through the snow and had as much fun as we could window shopping, eating rockin' pizza, and chatting w/ the locals.

 

It was major decompression time! This week, we got back to prepping business and bought a chest freezer, re-organized all our food, and planted 42 seedlings under a lamp.

 

Fortunately it is 75 degrees and sunny today, so I'm sitting outside w/ my laptop...the sunshine helps a lot!!!

 

Sticking to "the plan",

 

Jeanettecentaur

 

[jeanettecentaur]

You are not going to believe this but since I last posted I looked into a job for my husband over on the Arkansas/Missouri border!! It's in Blytheville, Ark and I've been trying to find out more about the area just in case he doesn't get the one he's supposed to interview for this next week. If you know anything about that area I'd love any info you could pass along. I was looking at places right across the border in Missouri to live....the town started with a K? Can't remember the name...

 

 

@ ANewMe: sounds like you have ended up in LA since this post...I hope you love it!!!

[ANewMe]

Nope....we are still stuck here. No word on that job so we are thinking it is not happening but I'm burning up the net looking for a job for DH. If we don't get out of here I'm going to LOOSE MY MIND!!

 

Sounds like ya'll had a great time....so glad for you!! Just hang in there.