...drumroll, please...
CLEVELAND.
Yeah. Not on any of my "places I want to live" lists. And not even on my "crappy places we might have to live" list. I guess my paparazzi sighting of LeBron James during all-star weekend was a sign of some sort :) The assignment from FORD was really a surprise, we were expecting to be near headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan and I was quietly praying that we'd be miraculously assigned to Dagenham, England. I am, however, grateful that we were not assigned to Buffalo New York, Windsor Canada or any of the other "scenic" places that Ford has operations. We'll be in Cleveland for the first two years of Tim's rotational program and likely Dearborn and (hopefully) international after that.
I'm cautiously optimistic and looking forward to Cleveland. Several Cleveland-lovers have come out of the woodwork since we got the news and have told us what a great city it is. I am excited for several things...
- The job. This wasn't the exact path either of us thought we'd be on right now, but I am grateful Tim has such a great opportunity despite the miserable economy.
- An income. This will be a new thing for us. All we've known is the student loan lifestyle since we got married. Although, we'll probably still be living the student loan lifestyle to pay off said loans for quite a while.
- Trees and seasons. The desert rat in me officially died somewhere between London and DC (although I'm sure I'll be pining for cacti sometime in mid-january).
- Public transport, parks, beautiful neighborhoods and historic homes.
- Low cost of living
- A diverse ward (hopefully, pretty please). I'm tired of being the token liberal feminist.
- Proximity to DC. It's only a 5-6 hour drive and really important to me to be able to get down there frequently over the next year
I'm hoping Liz Lemon was on to something and that I fall in love with "The Cleve" just like she did :) http://www.hulu.com/watch/856/30-rock-cleveland-get-away
4 comments:
Hey my sister in law and her husband just moved from there. They were in school at Case, but are now in Seattle. I'll see if I can get any recommendations if you like?
Oh and congratulations on moving out of student loan life! Yay! :)
it's also close to kirtland, which is a nice little trip and a lovely area. we hit kirtland and the cleve on a weekend trip from dc (a lovely, if long, 5-6 hours) a couple years ago. vaguely remember touring case and the rocknroll hall of fame. i'm sure you'll love it, especially knowing it's temporary -- you have to take advantage of everything for the short time you're there!
So I discovered via Facebook that Kristin Rose McGuin once lived in Cleveland - you guys are friends on FB right? Maybe you should ask her for a couple of recommendations?
So, I just found your blog on your Facebook page. I had to chuckle at this list. Sorry you didn't get a more diverse ward. It's mostly Republicans and conservatives here. Any liberal feminist is likely to be a "token" one, but you may find a few kindred spirits. I'm more liberal than a lot of LDS, but still pretty moderate.
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