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As for our son, we're not sure what to do....he is in 11th grade now and if we move to Maine this summer, he'll be starting a new school in a new state in his senior year, however, my husband and I are absolutely chomping on the bit to move to Maine by this summer when he's between grades, although we want to do what's best for him which would probably mean postponing our Maine move till he graduates in the summer of 2009....he wants to go into the Navy after graduation and be a Navy Seal, so I guess that would be a more optimal time for my husband and I to move to Maine....
However, it's really, really hard to have to wait that long!!!
We plan on visiting Maine this summer, though, to hopefully narrow down where we wanna live.....are you planning on visiting Maine, too, before you move or are you gonna just take the plunge?
We were looking at some houses, too, that were in Pembroke that seemed too good to be true as far as the pricing.....probably the same ones you looked at! I know it's probably pointless to be looking now, tho, but I can't help myself....
Anyway, the best of luck to you and your family....keep us posted as to where you end up moving to!
P.S. You're totally right about Reading -- not a very good area at all -- and even tho we're in the better area of town in the suburbs, the crime and drugs are starting to creep into there as well....can't wait to get outta here!!!
Sorry this is so long, but for anyone else reading this -- are there any really *bad* areas of Maine to avoid? It doesn't seem like there are, although, I'm sure every state has areas that are nice and ones that aren't so nice...
...Sue (sorry for the diarrhea of the fingers!) hehehe
Sue,
I get so jealous when everyone is beating me on their move to Maine. We didn't experience any bad areas. Of course, all the folks on here know Eastport is my pick (also in Washington County), but if you still need jobs and are not ready to retire early, I beleive this may not be the best pick. All the Mainahs on here will be very happy and well suited to answer all your questions.
LOL, if he wants to be a SEAL he'd better get used to packing his stuff and moving when he's told, and doing other stuff he might not really want to do...the sooner the better.
hmmmm....ya got a point there! Hadn't exactly thought of it that way....
I get so jealous when everyone is beating me on their move to Maine. We didn't experience any bad areas. Of course, all the folks on here know Eastport is my pick (also in Washington County), but if you still need jobs and are not ready to retire early, I beleive this may not be the best pick. All the Mainahs on here will be very happy and well suited to answer all your questions.
We are leaning towards Eastport as well....my husband is already on retirement disability and is a portrait and landscape artist as well on the side as a hobby, and I work at home doing medical transcription over the internet, so we are very fortunate in that we can live anywhere in the country we want without worrying about the job market.....
I started another thread asking about the best place to live in Maine if you're an artist and you wanna sell your art work, and Eastport was one of the areas that was recommended and seems pretty affordable as well, so we've pretty much narrowed it down to Eastport....only thing is: we don't wanna upset the apple cart with our son and, for his sake, should probably just let him graduate here (summer of 2009) and THEN the hubster and I are OFF TO MAINE while our son goes into the Navy
Why do *you* have to wait to move to Maine, dramamama?
Yes I am definately planning a trip before taking the plunge! In fact I was planning to head up there two weeks from now, but I'm not sure yet. I may take several trips come spring time.
Yes I was looking a several properties that had decent homes, sitting on 30-40 acres for around the 120-130k range. WHAT? I would pay more than that for land alone around here considering that one acre alone is going for 15-20k! There is a new development going up that offers only 4 acre lots near me, and the lots will be $90k.
I can understand your concerns with waiting until your son graduates, senior year is an important time and cannot be replaced. However, as stated above, it may be good for him. Becoming a SEAL and learning to adapt to new enviromenents and becoming acclimated to everything else is just as hard as the physical requirements so it may do him good??
Then again delaying things for an extra year may be better? It would allow more time for preparing, research, and visiting.
Here's another reason why I'm planning my move to Maine:
Today my Mom had to run to a local Wal Mart, it took her well over an hour to buy a few items and check out since it was so busy. Then getting home was another story! Traffic was a total nightmare, and it took her nearly a half hour to get across a bridge thats only 1/4 mile long! She said "What is this world coming to, people are crazy!"
My reply was "That's why I want to move to Maine!" She said "Why Maine of all places?" So I had to give my reasoning, and she seemed rather receptive.
I don't know what other places in small town America are getting like, but I can't take this insanity anymore. I'm not against diversity or anything like that, but what's happening these days is crazy.
Heard a story the other day where someone had applied for a job, and during the interview they asked this person if they spoke Spanish? Their reply was no, so they said they really could not use them? Unreal right?
That song by Bucky Covington "A different world" is so true!
...
As for our son, we're not sure what to do....he is in 11th grade now and if we move to Maine this summer, he'll be starting a new school in a new state in his senior year, however, my husband and I are absolutely chomping on the bit to move to Maine by this summer when he's between grades, although we want to do what's best for him which would probably mean postponing our Maine move till he graduates in the summer of 2009....he wants to go into the Navy after graduation and be a Navy Seal, so I guess that would be a more optimal time for my husband and I to move to Maine....
I have rubbed shoulders with seals from time to time, and during my last duty station before retiring I held a position where most of my subordinates were 'Buds drops' [meaning that they had gotten into the Seal training, but had been dropped from the program during training]. That is a terribly difficult program to complete successfully. Most who apply to get into the UDT program, will never get there. Most who do get there, do not graduate.
Among those who I have known, I have never met a seal who was able to maintain that career for a 20 year pension.
Since he appears to test with a very high IQ, may I suggest that he aim at any of the advanced Electronics fields or Nuclear Power.
After he completes training, in a chosen field he can then volunteer for UDT if he still wants to. Any sailor can volunteer to try UDT at any time. But if you volunteer for it as a petty officer, at least if you drop from the program, you are still a petty officer and have a good solid career field available to you. Most of the buds drops are E2 seamen, they are the most junior kids in the fleet, and as a result of enlisting with their eyes focused on being a seal, they drop with no other training available to them.
They become very 'dis-enfranchised' with the US Navy. Being E2s their pay is crummy, they have no training, and they feel that their life's dream has been crushed.
If your son goes Nuc or any of the Electronics fields, he will be very well treated. Rapid advancement, pro-pay, in five years he may well be earning $65k or more. His first eligibility for re-enlisting he may qualify for as high as $90k cash signing bonuses. Those bonuses are available at each re-enlistment out to his 15th year in the Navy. And 20 year pension is nice
I have seen many kids go into the Navy, but yet such totally different outcomes, it is amazing. Those who go into the 'advanced careers' become highly trained, in high paying career fields, and are very professional. Whether they stay in for the retirement or not, they are still doing very well. And then others who become dis-enfranchised / very frustrated with the Navy and their own failures, usually a couple disabilities, which leads to bad behavior and being booted out of the military with no benefits.
Feel free to PM me, if you have any further questions
I'll second Forest's advice. I did something similar in the Army- enlisted, went to electronics school, volunteered for additional training and duties after, and then received a nomination to West Point.
We are leaning towards Eastport as well....my husband is already on retirement disability and is a portrait and landscape artist as well on the side as a hobby, and I work at home doing medical transcription over the internet, so we are very fortunate in that we can live anywhere in the country we want without worrying about the job market.....
I started another thread asking about the best place to live in Maine if you're an artist and you wanna sell your art work, and Eastport was one of the areas that was recommended and seems pretty affordable as well, so we've pretty much narrowed it down to Eastport....only thing is: we don't wanna upset the apple cart with our son and, for his sake, should probably just let him graduate here (summer of 2009) and THEN the hubster and I are OFF TO MAINE while our son goes into the Navy
Why do *you* have to wait to move to Maine, dramamama?
...Sue
A couple of reasons. First, our daughter is living at home and going to college at least for this year. Once she moves out, most likely next fall she won't be far. However, it will be too urban of area for our cats (hers really) that were all strays we have taken in over the years. We would like to see her settled somewhere after college with the cats and would feel a lot less like ditching our only child to "run away" and pursue our dream.
Secondly, DH wants to save up enough that we can write a check for the house in Eastport and that should allow us as much time as we need to make upgrades and cosmetic enhancements to where we are now. This is harder because though our house down here is paid for, it's so small, that fixing it up with all our crap ..umm...er.. I mean stuff in it, is rather difficult.
So during this time it is save and then save some more...get her through school..and save enough to live on for 30 years. Thoough we are handy folks, we don't want to work once we hit Eastport, we want to be able to play. This isn't to say that we might not open a small business when we get up there, but we want to take no chances on being so financially strapped that we are in a bind.
Tapestry I also have kids in high school...including an 11th grader who would be resistant to a move right now too....I understand the dilemma, and believe me I'd love to see you relocate but waiting that year could make a big difference for him, and you're right to appreciate that!
I have rubbed shoulders with seals from time to time, and during my last duty station before retiring I held a position where most of my subordinates were 'Buds drops' [meaning that they had gotten into the Seal training, but had been dropped from the program during training]. That is a terribly difficult program to complete successfully. Most who apply to get into the UDT program, will never get there. Most who do get there, do not graduate.
Among those who I have known, I have never met a seal who was able to maintain that career for a 20 year pension.
Since he appears to test with a very high IQ, may I suggest that he aim at any of the advanced Electronics fields or Nuclear Power.
After he completes training, in a chosen field he can then volunteer for UDT if he still wants to. Any sailor can volunteer to try UDT at any time. But if you volunteer for it as a petty officer, at least if you drop from the program, you are still a petty officer and have a good solid career field available to you. Most of the buds drops are E2 seamen, they are the most junior kids in the fleet, and as a result of enlisting with their eyes focused on being a seal, they drop with no other training available to them.
They become very 'dis-enfranchised' with the US Navy. Being E2s their pay is crummy, they have no training, and they feel that their life's dream has been crushed.
If your son goes Nuc or any of the Electronics fields, he will be very well treated. Rapid advancement, pro-pay, in five years he may well be earning $65k or more. His first eligibility for re-enlisting he may qualify for as high as $90k cash signing bonuses. Those bonuses are available at each re-enlistment out to his 15th year in the Navy. And 20 year pension is nice
I have seen many kids go into the Navy, but yet such totally different outcomes, it is amazing. Those who go into the 'advanced careers' become highly trained, in high paying career fields, and are very professional. Whether they stay in for the retirement or not, they are still doing very well. And then others who become dis-enfranchised / very frustrated with the Navy and their own failures, usually a couple disabilities, which leads to bad behavior and being booted out of the military with no benefits.
Feel free to PM me, if you have any further questions
May God bless you.
Thank you so much Forest Beekeeper for the great advice....I will talk to him about what you said....I've heard it's very, very hard to become a Seal, so it would *definitely* be good to have a backup plan....
May God bless you, too....
...Sue
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(sorry for the diarrhea of the fingers!) hehehe
We didn't experience any bad areas. Of course, all the folks on here know Eastport is my pick (also in Washington County), but if you still need jobs and are not ready to retire early, I beleive this may not be the best pick. All the Mainahs on here will be very happy and well suited to answer all your questions.
