Dh will retire next summer and we are going to call Oregon home, while he pursues his next career. He will have done his 20 in the military and it is MORE than time to move on -- kwim???

It's a good thing! MOVING is not good, but that will be the very last time! We want to be close to my family and I really want my kids to foster a relationship with their grandparents while they have the opportunity. PLUS, home ownership is a huge draw -- there are still lots of great places to live in the Portland area that still feel like the country!

As much as I like it here, it's just too far away and it's just not home.

I was surprised when you said you were moving again!!! Family is a big draw...part of why I live in Tennessee!!!!

Wow jenni! You're going to be one tired girl after all of this--but you'll be more than pleased as punch that you get to OWN your own home! So here's the first tip from me--buy the house you LOVE (and can afford!) because if you think you're going to move in ten years from the place, you're wasting money (never mind uprooting the family once again). We went for the house we loved, and although it is a bit of a fixer upper (not REALLY major), it is in a superb location, we have lots of property, the house is huge, and the neighbourhood is older and quiet. I have always had a preference for older homes since they aren't built so I can see my neighbour taking his morning shower! Besides, in an older neighbourhood, the styles of the houses vary and in newer homes, they all tend to look the same. How weird is this thought--as you lie in bed, you're ready to make whoopie with your dh and you vision all your neighbours doing the exact same thing in the exact same room of the house! Totally creeeeeepy....:s: :lol: :o

Thanks for the kudos on my pumpkin--she looks like an angel but she's the devil in disguise! (or at least an imp!):devil: :lol: