Please Come to Boston

Hola!

It's been a roller coaster few months, and I don't believe that will end anytime soon, actually! We consider it a huge blessing that Frank has been working since we returned to California. He has also been looking for a job. Amgen has given us some great experiences during the past 8 years. The available opportunities there, however, have kind of reached a plateau, so we decided that now it's time to look elsewhere for experiences that will lead us to where we want to be in another 10 or 15 years.

The next opportunity has presented itself in the Boston area. Here's the link to that awesome song from the 70's, "Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins. The very funny thing is, as the song goes along and he asks his girlfriend to join him in different places, WE have lived close to the other places in the song: "...please come to Denver... and please come to L.A." His girlfriend each time says no, and asks him to return to Tennessee. (Rest assured, I can pretty much 100% guarantee that these Whitesells will never live in Tennessee. But Boston? It's our Next Chapter!)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UDRLZFgEoGw&feature=related

And, of course, here's a map for those of you who wonder what shape the state is. This map also shows which states border Massachusetts. The winters are not enviable--go ahead, laugh! I've turned into a complete wimp in SoCal's "cold" 55-degree winters--nobody is FORCING us to move to the North Pole--this is a choice we are making--I know, I know!! But you are definitely invited to come visit us -- it's a good reason to plan a spring, summer, or fall trip to New England.

We can take you to see Paul Revere's house, look at the official "Plymouth Rock," and walk onto a replica of the Santa Maria. We can all explore Cape Cod! Frank and I actually honeymooned in Cape Cod, and did the walking tour of downtown Boston, "way back when." We liked it.


Shopping will be similar to here, in the Boston area, yet different…I checked online for Target, Kohl’s, and Costco, and they all exist in that area! No Kmarts, and one Walmart that is 14 miles away. Hmmm. (Oh well, I haven’t had those closeby here, either.)

There are many places you could move to, FROM southern California, that would be less expensive to live. Boston is NOT one of them! Ha. (Seems to be our trend, though…let’s move to a more expensive place than last time.) Home prices are higher in Boston than here, by about 10%. Gas prices are slightly cheaper: $2.99 per gallon this weekend, while I think I just filled up at $3.19.

One big plus is that public schools are ranked much better in Massachusetts. (There is a website where you can rank schools, by state...California is #43, Massachusetts is #1.)

So anyway, we continue to research! Frank starts Feb. 18, and the family will move when school gets out, in late June. The saga continues... :)