I spent a lot of time today walking, working, talking to a good friend, and talking to my husband. We shared our fears that we are trying to force a square peg into a round hole by staying in an area that is good in theory but much more difficult to reconcile with our urban souls in practice.

The fact is that we want to raise our kids in a decent area, we want to be able to afford a home in a community where people care, but we also want to be close to people our own age and enjoy the urban activities we miss. We want to live in a progressive area and live progressive lives and it’s difficult to do when you’re in a conservative mecca.

We’re not sure what we’re going to do in the long run, but it was so great we talked about it. Our biggest fear is that we think the grass is greener on the other side and give up some pretty green grass to discover we were best off staying put. Rather than do something drastic right now, what we’ve decided to do is tend and nurture our own lawn. We promised each other to spend more time in the city, even if it’s an investment of a little bit of money. We’re going to try to fix up our house a little to feel more comfortable in it. We’re going to work on finding contentment with what we have before we try to make drastic changes.

I’m excited to feel like we’re doing something and also to feel like my husband and I are on the same page. Communication is such a glorious thing.