Austin/ Seattle dilemma. Tell me your personal experiences.

[LadyLonghorn]

Apology accepted. I can't think of a better way to get a rise out of an old-school Texas girl than to call her a scaredy cat! However, you are correct. I must accept things as they are for now, focus on my children and my life, and support my husband as best I can because I know he is every bit as miserable as I am. It is time for me to make this sacrifice with more grace. Faith is never a completed journey and life is certainly not easy.
I will choose to move forward with as much faith as I can muster. I'm hangin' in!
Thanks.

[noplacelikeWA]

After 20+ years in the Seattle area we moved to San Antonio 18 months ago. We spent the first 6 months in Austin and since we have family there we spend much of our free time in Austin. Your attachment to Austin is understandable however I think you might be surprised how much you could enjoy the PNW. The biggest sacrifice will be for your oldest to make, unfortunately at her age any change is hard.

There are several things to compare between the two areas however I will stick to what really surprised me the most...

1. The cost of living difference between the two areas is not as extreme as you might think. We have 4 kids and lived very comfortably on 80k there, here we do the same comfortable living on 60k because aside from our mortgage we are now debt free. Due to property taxes and inflated insurance our TX mortgage payment is exactly the same as our WA mortgage payment . Our TX note is also 50k less than the WA note and while our new home is 1000 sq feet bigger our lot is .10 acre smaller. All of our other expenses are basically the same as well, because what I save on groceries I spend on A/C and the gas savings is lost in driving all over because the city is so spread out.

Aside from a mortgage your debt goes where you go so those expense are basically fixed. You will find a way to get by on the 80k, just don't expect a HUGE house and instead consider it a test of your faith to trust that the bills will get paid.


2. The scenery and weather is more extreme than you think. The TX heat is crazy and because of this the outdoor life style I expected here does not exist. The 200+ gloomy overcast days of the PNW does take a toll on the people however the people are far more outdoorsy. The scenery is so dramatically different I can't even put into words. I also never realized how fresh the air of the PNW was and I find myself starving for it most of the time. The fall/winter weather in TX is wonderful and yet it play tricks on my mind all the time because it feels like summer to me.


Your not foolish to examine the costs however IMO you need to set aside your concerns about the money and your attachments to Austin, let your faith lead you and won't go wrong. You might even be pleasantly surprised.

[soothsayer1234]

Ladylonghorn, Noplace is right about the ourdoorsy aspect of the PNW. Texans are not the biggest exercisers or outdoors enthusiasts. Even in NWAustin, where I used to live, I was usually the only person jogging in the subdivision. You can see everyone at night inside their homes vegging watching TV. In the PNW, people almost can be said to LIVE for the outdoors. Very rarely do they indoor vegg. You even see mothers treking up local hiking trails with babies in sanchels hanging on them, looking like that crocodile hunter from Australia that just died's wife(She's from the PNW, by the way.) People live for the outdoors exercise-wise, just like Texans do to see outdoor music and eat at outdoor restaurants like Shady Acres. Seattle really is not as expensive as people think. Austin isn't as cheap as people think, either. When I lived in Austin, I thought lots of things were quite expensive. Even our local Blockbusters charged 4 dollars for the old videos. Haircuts were more expensive than the places in Chicago I used to go to. I didn't particularly see Austin as a city on the cheap at all. Finally, the pay is better in tech in Seattle, there is more of it, and more chance to advance, being headquarters for not only Microsoft, but so many other tech firms. I see it as a great and better opportunity. And, oh my god, the views of the mountains and puget sound! Add to that Vancouver an hour drive away, and Olympia national park next door, and you have some of the prettiest scenery in the country! 3 hours away are the Cascade mountains, that look like the alps! AND, the air smells so pure and breathable, as it is cleansed and renewed with the precip and ocean currents. Seattle is the place!

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[PraireChicken]

I believe Lady Longhorn asked for Seattle experiences of which you Soothsayer (didn't they go out in the 1800's) offer not a single bit of. You instead took it upon yourself to be a "know all see all" side show of adivse without any knowledge of the total situation and made flat-line opinionaited, pot shot marriage advisements. I see her reply broke your crystal ball and got a well deserved apology. Have you ever even been in Tx or WA? Many wives have been seperated from their husbands for much less noble reasons and thus more hurtful to the relationship. The CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST! If that means a years seperation, I have faith they will survive. One of the most troubling problems in America today is the break-down of family values. I think she is wise in researching the Seattle everyday living problems, like SAD, schools, drugs, gangs, housing and on and on. The year could be well served in job hunting for them both and not uprooting the children to a more dismal future away from family and friends. But I want ANYTHING I say here taken with a grain of salt as I have never personally lived in WA and only know what I see, hear and read. I am one-sided in this as I have raised children in TX and not had to deal with the horrors I hear about raising children in WA. I have a sneaky suspsion that she really doesn't want to leave everything she knows for such a shaky city for 12 months and that the relationship would be stronger in the end without him being co-dependent on a family friends on again off again jobs. That end would be better served (if he will live in TX) and both do what it takes to make the family finances work. But then again I DON"T have a crystal ball.

[soothsayer1234]

Originally Posted by PraireChicken

I believe Lady Longhorn asked for Seattle experiences of which you Soothsayer (didn't they go out in the 1800's) offer not a single bit of. You instead took it upon yourself to be a "know all see all" side show of adivse without any knowledge of the total situation and made flat-line opinionaited, pot shot marriage advisements. I see her reply broke your crystal ball and got a well deserved apology. Have you ever even been in Tx or WA? Many wives have been seperated from their husbands for much less noble reasons and thus more hurtful to the relationship. The CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST! If that means a years seperation, I have faith they will survive. One of the most troubling problems in America today is the break-down of family values. I think she is wise in researching the Seattle everyday living problems, like SAD, schools, drugs, gangs, housing and on and on. The year could be well served in job hunting for them both and not uprooting the children to a more dismal future away from family and friends. But I want ANYTHING I say here taken with a grain of salt as I have never personally lived in WA and only know what I see, hear and read. I am one-sided in this as I have raised children in TX and not had to deal with the horrors I hear about raising children in WA. I have a sneaky suspsion that she really doesn't want to leave everything she knows for such a shaky city for 12 months and that the relationship would be stronger in the end without him being co-dependent on a family friends on again off again jobs. That end would be better served (if he will live in TX) and both do what it takes to make the family finances work. But then again I DON"T have a crystal ball.

Prairie chicken, frankly, neither one of us knows Lady Longhorn. Franky, I don't think you or I particularly care in a real sense about her situation, but see these boards as a way to pass the time. This is just a place people can have fun, rant, rave, opinionate, whatever. She asked for an opinion, and I sincerely gave what I thought she was looking for, just a little poke in the arm positive motivation to go out there. Now, I really don't think Lady Longhorn cares a lick about me, or my situation. And I doubt that you care about me or ladylonghorn. Lets leave it at that. Why feel strongly about a few blips on the screen? Some people even make up scenarios on here, playing games with the responces. I will never figure out why people will avoid getting to know their own neighbor, but come on here ranting, as if they know or care about someone on here personally, that they can't see, hear. or talk to. I'm sure you don't plan on calling ladylonghorn by phone, corresponding with here on a regular basis during the move, or even really much care what she does. Frankly neither do I. I find this board merely a source of entertainment, not a counseling service. If I help or enlighten people in the context of entertaining someone, so be it.......
When I choose to help people, I do it in the context of real life, by getting to know my neighbors, volunteering, and so on. I would suggest to you, prairie dog, the same. You are taking the posting on here far too seriously.If it bothers you that I'm "helping" ladylonghorn, than I will bow out at this point, and let you guide her from here on out. You seem very concerned for her, so spend lots of time with her. Most likely, you will grow bored, like everyone else on here, won't be heard from again on this thread, and forget about it in about 3 days. I'm bowing out here, Lady Longhorn, as the people on here seem to think I'm steering you wrong.I'm sure prairie chicken will be available 24/7 with any help you need!
LOL!

[scirocco22]

Ok, let's stick to giving out advice and not criticizing other's advice. We all have our opinions and everyone here is encouraged to give theirs. There's no need to personally attack somebody else's advice or opinions.

Any personal advice or dialog which might not have anything of value to the general membership, please use DMs.