Introduction

This is my story about growing up, moving out and starting life.
First, a bit about myself. I am from what used to be a small town. In fact, where my homes were growing up is still considered "country," yet urban life is spreading right up to the doors. Growing up I thought it would be so great to live "in town." That's where everything was. We lived on a somewhat secluded piece of property part of the time, and for the rest of time I lived just a 1/2 mile or so the other direction, where homes were custom and acres apart. It was a good place to grow up. It wasn't until after high school and most of college that I was exposed to life in the city. It started with a 3 month stint in Wuxi, China and then a little over a year in Germany and Austria. I lived in big cities then. Stuttgart and Munich surprised me. I was in a big city, but it didn't feel rushed and busy. In Vienna I lived on a very busy street just on the edge of the city's center. That was a bit different, but still there was a quaint feeling even there. So it got me thinking and got me used to a different kind of life; a kind of life where you walk to the grocery store once a week or so, bring your own grocery bags and a little cart to take it home in. I rode street cars, buses and the subway and then walked everywhere else I needed to go. I inhaled a lot of second hand smoke but the country and clean air were just a few stops away on a train, easily accessible. There is a lot more to it, but I was amazed at how such a big city could feel as homey as life had been on the outskirts. People seemed to treasure a sunny window and a walk in the park more than those of us with 4o acres or even .2 acres.

My husband lived in the city most of his life. We met in Germany and share a common love for that city where we first came to know each other. After a 6 month separation we met each other again, but this time we were back in the states, back in school and I was back to the life that I had grown up in. With his first full-time job came a pressing desire in my heart to buy a home, even though we had not saved dime, were still catching up and had no idea what our plans were even for the next year. New construction in a progressive area near his job began to catch my eye. We started looking into it out of curiosity and eventually got very close to buying a home. The timing wasn't right though and things just didn't work out. It wasn't until 6 months later, a lot of searching and things falling through that we found ourselves back where we first started in a unique community with fairly progressive ideas. Its an experiment in creating healthier communities, something along the lines of what they call "new urbanism." A little city mixed in with the residential. Eventually I might even be able to walk to the grocery store. We will be calling it home soon. We just signed on a cute little house out there and are beginning our journey. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find something I have to say useful.