November 12, 2010

the grass is greener in Oregon.

Today was a BUSY day for us...
This morning we called and accepted an offer at
AND, we went to an ultra sound appointment...
First, let me tell you about Oregon...
Soon, i'll tell you about my ultra sound.
We decided to be SURPRISED on the sex of the baby.  :)
.
I've visited Oregon once... it was beautiful.

I've heard good things about Corvallis...

One friend emailed me a link that said Corvallis was rated #3 on the list of best places to raise a Mormon outside of Utah.  Idaho Falls, Idaho was #2 and Boise, Idaho was #8.  I didn't even know such a list existed and how funny that Corvallis, Oregon made the cut...

Want to know more good stuff about this town?
  • Frommer’s Travel Guides, Cities Ranked & Rated ranks Corvallis as the 10th best city of any size in the United States and Canada.
  • The February 2004 issue of the Harvard Business Review ranks Corvallis as the 15th most creative city in the nation.
  • Bike at Work listed Corvallis as the 9th best city in the nation “As a car free community” (2005).
  • Men’s Journal ranked Corvallis as “The 8th best place in the nation to live” in 2003.  In April 2005, they moved Corvallis up one place to 7th.
  • Expansion Management selected Corvallis as a “Five-Star Knowledge Worker Metro”, the highest rating achievable (2005).
  • A survey by the National Science Foundation found Corvallis ranks second in the nation for the number of scientists as a percentage of total employment (12.7 percent) as of 2006.
  • Corvallis was the first city on the West Coast and only the third city in the nation to receive the “Green Power Community” designation by the EPA (2006).
  • In 2006, the Morgan Quitno Awards ranked Corvallis as the 20th safest city (of 344) in the 13th Annual America’s Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities publication for metropolitan areas of its size.
  • In 2007 Farmers Insurance ranked Corvallis as the Number One Most Secure Place to Live for a city of it’s size.

They have houses like this...
 (actually, that is a bed and breakfast)
 But, we'll probably end up in a house like this...

it has potential...

I told the [almost real] professor that i'm a bit apathetic about where we go.
can you believe it?
after years of anticipation... he gets an offer and i really don't care whether he accepts it or waits to hear from the other schools he has applied to...
apathy?  what an odd emotion for a pregnant me.

Oregon sounds beautiful... Corvallis is a small town that sounds nice.
It's near Portland, which is a fun city.
And, it's near family in Idaho.
There is a lot to do, it's close to mountains and beach.
Yes, it rains a lot.
Yes, Oregon is liberal.
Yes, it's far from my eastern relatives.
and... it's a pretty expensive place to live.
But, the professor says there aren't a lot of stores.  He thinks I'd have to drive 20 minutes to Walmart.
I guess I'll be saving a lot of money. 
I always fancied myself a small town girl,  we'll see!

My friend's brother lives in Salem, Oregon.  She lives here in Lubbock.
Once she told him, "In Lubbock, you just have to look up some days to see true beauty."
He said, "It's the opposite in Oregon.  The skies may be overcast, but if you just look at the ground it is green and beautiful."
Funny huh?!
I believe Lubbock has been a place of looking up, thinking of somedays...
Corallis will be a place where i'm grounded... real life.

plus, they have bike thrills!!

I'm excited and nervous.
Change is sometimes fun...  right?!
ready or not--
OSU... here we come!!

11 comments:

Carrie said...

Oregon is great. We will have to visit you when we head up that way to visit Jon's brother or my family.

Marv Loucks said...

So excited for you. That is a beautiful part of the country! I am happy that you guys don't have to wait to figure it out anymore. I am sure it is nice to just know! Congratulations!

Katie Olthoff said...

Congratulations! No more (or less, anyway) of that uncertainty that you hate so much!

corrie said...

It will be beautiful there. I love trees. You'll just have to get you a light box and sit yourself down for a spell every once in a while.
Exciting!
I'm excited to hear your Oregon adventures and insights. New learning.

beckyjune said...

Yay! I bet it feels great to know where you're going...finally. We will miss having you here but Oregon is such a gorgeous place, just think of the beautiful things you'll be able to see, and maybe you'll be able to find that farmhouse after all. Congratulations!

Taneil said...

Okay! IT was to late to call you but I knew you would spill the bean on your blog!!:) I'm mad that I have to wait to find out about the baby but I am excited that you figured out where you are going! Can't wait to talk to you!

Coralee said...

Yeah! I love Oregon! Lived there growing up for 11 years - Klamath Falls and Salem. I think it'll be a great place for you and your family! Congrats and good luck with the move!

Rachel Ure said...

awesome!!!!! so happy for you! this is a good thing- a great thing!
oh, and jacob lives in eugene- not salem- but it makes no difference
really, happy for you!

valerie in TX said...

oh jen, I know I'm supposed to be happy for you guys (and really, I am!) but selfishly I'm sad for me. :( We will miss you so much! Oregon is beautiful, though, and I know you will love it there. Especially not having to drive clear across the country to Idaho anymore! :) I think you will love living in a small town....and...close to mountains AND the beach? How much better could it get? :)

Will miss you, friend...

Becki said...

Very excited for you! I love living in Oregon. I would be even more excited if we were going to be around to see you guys, but alas, we are moving to Germany for a year and a half. Maybe we'll see you when we get back.

Anonymous said...

I live in Corvallis. You're right on most your of your points. Except for liberal OR. Portland, Eugene and Corvallis and a few other areas are liberal. The rest is redneck Republicans. Very small, uneducated minds.

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