So, remember how I said that Dave and I decided we didn’t want to move to the Bay area? And that we were kicking around some other ideas?

Well, we started doing some research on Dave’s employer, and it turns out that they have lots of satellite offices all over the US. For a while, we were thinking about Colorado: it’s a nice state, a bit closer to our families, cost of living is cheaper, yadda yadda.

Then Dave found out that there’s an office in Durham, North Carolina. When Dave told me that, I started jumping up & down saying, “Can we move there? Can we? Can we? Huh? Pleeeeease? Can we???”

The ironic part, of course, is that for years I swore up and down and all around that I would never live in the South again. Ever. I hate the heat, I hate the bugs, and I hate the racism/sexism/homophobia. I’ve now moved around enough to realize that insects and discrimination are everywhere. And the heat in North Carolina isn’t as bad as Mississippi. At least everywhere is air-conditioned there, which is way more than I can say for Washington.

I guess the explanation for my total change of heart is that – surprise, surprise! – it’s actually true what people say about how having kids totally changes your priorities. The idea of a simple two-hour flight to see either my parents or my sister (as opposed to the six or seven hours it currently takes), and being just down the road a bit from my brother in Charlotte suddenly sounds really appealing. There’s even a direct flight from Raleigh to London that’s only 7 1/2 hours, rather than the ten hours it takes now. So Cate would be closer to her grandparents on both sides, which can only be a good thing.

Plus, let’s not forget one of the biggest perks, which is that Cate and e-baby could grow up having regular playdates! How awesome is that?

I was trying not to talk about this at first, mostly for fear of jinxing it, but Dave talked to his boss, who basically said that it was cool for us to move wherever after Dave finishes his current project (read: December). And that’s fine because we apparently can’t sell our house before May 2008 anyway (damn you, AmeriQuest, damn you all to heck!!). Unless we want to fork over several thousand dollars as a “pre-payment penalty” on our mortgage, which, no thanks. But it looks like this could very likely happen next year.

Of course, it also depends on Dave and I taking a trip there to check out the area, and making sure that both of us fall in love with it. Which I don’t think is going to be a problem. Right now I’m totally addicted to looking at houses online, and oh man, the houses there are so pretty. I love the Pacific Northwest, but the houses are seriously dull-looking. And North Carolina real estate is so much cheaper than the Seattle area! We could be debt-free and have a decent savings built up in just a few years. College funds and everything. I can’t even fathom it. Sounds like bliss.