Packing up the tent?

Back when we were considering the move to Idaho, my mindset was "I'm just going to think of this as a year-long camping trip, and see where it goes from there".

Here we are nearly ten months later, and the novelty of the camping trip is wearing off. I have to drive 45 minutes to shop at anything resembling a mall or eat at a Wendy's, and nearly two hours to see a concert or take in a hockey game. It's hard to find a good show, even in Spokane (which is decently-sized, but far enough "out of the way" that most national acts rarely stop by when touring the west coast). Nevermind the fact that I've been sick for over two months now, despite frequent doctor's visits and enough antibiotics to kill a small elephant.

Let's face it; I was born a city boy. I grew up in a suburb of San Francisco, went to school in Huntsville, and worked my first "real" job in Birmingham. For me, the convenience of having civilization nearby vastly outweighs the perks of small-town life. If braving the interstate to get to work in the morning means I can get a cheeseburger after midnight, it's an easy tradeoff to make.

But there's the problem. Hillary likes the area and loves her job. While she's not completely opposed to moving, she doesn't hold any great attachment to the Southeast. I don't have my heart set on Birmingham, but most of our friends and family are close, and I still have enough contacts there that I could probably get a decent job. Hillary hates the "you must be an ultra-conservative Christian" attitude common throughout most of the south, especially in social work agencies.

The west coast is too expensive. The northeast is too crowded and cold. The southeast is full of closed-minded, intolerant assholes. There doesn't seem to be anyplace that fits us quite the way we'd like.

So, where to? I have no idea, and the end of our lease is approaching.