Sunday, July 22, 2012

And the Official Announcement...

 So many of you guessed what the big surprise was, but I just had to make the official announcement for those of you who wondered why there was a giant green spartan mascot on my page yesterday (before this week I wouldn't have known what school he represented!).

Paul has been accepted as a second year law student at Michigan State University, and we're making the big move north.

The idea of transferring law schools can be a bit stressful, since you don't find out if you've made the cut until after grades come in (and the new school has reviewed everything and made their decision), which means it's often a last minute scramble, right before school starts.  In our case it's going to be a cross country scramble.

Paul finishes his internship this Friday.  Saturday morning we hop in the car and head (at a much quicker pace) to New England, where Mae Bae will finally meet her Grandma and Grandpa and all the Aunts and Uncles and cousins that she's never gotten to see, before we rush the rest of the way down to Florida.  On the way to New England we'll be taking a detour up to Michigan and hopefully finding an apartment to move into when we get up there (more on that in a moment).  In Florida we'll pack up all our belongings, see my doctor for the scheduled ultrasound (and hopefully find out if this little one is a boy or a girl), hire movers to load the truck (I learned my lesson last time) and then drive up to Michigan.

I have to take a deep breath just thinking of how insane this is going to be.

In order to not feel so panicked, I have been trying to do everything I can do from this side of the country, to get ready for the coming weeks of frantic rushing.  So far I've made a tiny dent in my "to do" list.

You see, when we began checking out the prices for apartments in Michigan, we discovered that houses were for sale for less than $30,000.  And these weren't listed as "needing work."  They were listed as "Totally renovated.  New hardwood floors.  New siding.  New roof.  New heater."  I wondered if this was some sort of craigslist scam, until I went to the local real estate website and found 350 homes in the price "wow how is that possible" price range.  A mortgage calculator estimated the mortgage at around $150 a month and thoughts like "why would I want to pay $750 in rent each month when we could put that towards a mortgage" started going through my head.

I emailed a few real estate agents, compiled a list of properties for Paul and waited to see what happened next.

The consensus after speaking with a couple agents is that we need to make the move, get an apartment for a few months with a month to month lease and then start looking at houses once we get there, because it will likely be 3-4 months before we can move in (but it looks like we should be able to buy a house!).

Which is why I emailed 50 apartment complexes in the area, asking if any would be willing to consider a month to month or super short term (4-5 months) lease.  Yesterday Paul's phone began ringing off the hook (he'd said I could use his number and he'd talk with them... although he pointed out the number of apartments I'd contacted seemed more than a little high... but hey, I'm a little panicked about the idea of not having an apartment to move into...).  Hopefully he'll be able to line up a selection of choices from my list for us to see as we pause for the afternoon/evening on our cross country dash, and we'll be able to get approved for an apartment and move in after the 6000+ miles of driving that our in our immediate future.

And then I'll have to find another doctor, immediately, who's going to be willing to take me at the start of the third trimester (leaving my NaPro doctor was actually one of the hardest parts of the decision)...

Leaving our current home was a difficult choice (and when we left for the summer we were both so confident that we were coming back that I was putting up bookshelves and hanging artwork on the walls), but an offer of jumping up two tiers in the law school ranking system was just too good to pass up... and the lure of four seasons and a snowy winter definitely played into my enthusiasm in the decision (and no alligators!!!  And I doubt we'll have to risk our belongings molding if we turn the air conditioner off for a day!).

So here we go on another adventure!  I have the feeling the next four weeks are going to leave my head spinning!

16 comments:

  1. Safe Journey! May God bless you and keep you safe as you travel.

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  2. I was wondering why you were pinning houses on pinterest. I hope you find the perfect place with lots of rooms, land and a fenced it yard. You can even paint the house yellow at a later time since you like that color so much. I'm so used to California prices on real estate that it's a shock to find homes for sale that are less than the price of a nice car. Wow. I'm so happy you won't be living with alligators or hurricanes anymore.

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  3. You'll love East Lansing. My husband grew up there and we lives there for several years when we were first married, and LOVED IT!!! Good luck!

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  4. Congrats to your husband. I graduated from a 4th tier law school seven years ago. Finding a job in the boom years of Arizona wasn't a problem, but with the economy as it it now, I think this is a wise move. If buying a home keeps your student debt lower, do it. He'll have many more options for work if he doesn't have $1000 per month in loans. My husband and I have $600 in loans per month, but I stay at home with our kids now, so my debt makes me feel a bit guilty.

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  5. I'll pray that your move and all of these changes will go as smoothly as possible.

    30K for a house just seems incredibly cheap. How is that possible? Living in the north east I can't process how a renovated house could be in that price range. I hope you're able to find something you love.

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  6. I think this is a very wise move, academically and career-wise. The campus photo looks spectacular (reminds me of the campus of Indiana Univ. where our older daughter went...we visited in October and fell in love).

    I, too, have moved - twice- while extremely pregnant. It's very unsettling to have to change OBs so late in a pregnancy, but I'll bet there are a few Napro docs within a reasonable distance.

    The housing market sounds almost unreal! But, the Midwest has been hard hit by the economy, so it makes sense that it's a buyer's market.

    God bless and congratulations on this new adventure!

    Marie

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  7. Michigan is a lovely state. I hope you find the ideal location for your family and that the move goes smoothly.

    Have you checked with the various NFP sites to find another Napro doctor up there?

    In my prayers!

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  8. What an exciting adventure! I hope the move goes well! :)

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  9. How exciting and stressful! I hope you find a beautiful home. You should ask your doctor if she knows of any where you are going. That would be the best way to find a good fit.

    Don't forget to rest lots.

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  10. Congratulations to your husband! And, what an adventure! I cannot believe that houses are that inexpensive! We need to move there with you! :-) I will keep you in my prayers and can't wait to hear all about your move and new home. God bless! Lisa

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  11. Congratulations on the school! Also just think; you can take some vacations in Canada as you're so close to the border!!

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  12. So you're coming up to my state. You'll be welcomed. Only .... if you REALLY want to be welcomed: BRING COOLER WEATHER!!!

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  13. Enjoy Michigan! MSU was one of my law school considerations (although I ultimately chose Ave.) There are several amazing places to visit in and around Lansing. And yes, the housing market is remarkably inexpensive. Good luck to you all! And enjoy no alligators! (I'm not looking forward to that bit of FL.)

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  14. Congrats! My brother will be starting his sophomore year at MSU this fall. He loves it, and while visiting him, I've come to love the area as well. I'm from southwest Michigan and I've always loved it. MSU can be very liberal, just to warn you, but the people are all very nice and there is always something to do. My brother recommends going to the MSU gardens and a date night watching a movie at the Wells one weekend. There is also a planetarium on campus and a bug house in the Natural Science on N Campus for the little ones. Houses are beautiful and cheap! Congrats again!!!

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  15. Congratulations on finding an alternative school, and prayers for the crazy months coming up!

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  16. Congrats! Wave as you pass through Ohio! I'm in Columbus :-)

    Good luck with the move and all of the craziness to come... I pray it all goes smoothly for you all!

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