hopefully something rhetorical

In the next few weeks (hopefully), the boy and I will find out where we could be moving next.  We are hoping that the choices are narrowed down to Ft. Belvoir in VA, where I am from and all my family lives, and Ft. Leavenworth, close to Kansas City which is close to where we live now.

Either choice would be fine with me, but I am pulling for going home.  My grandmother, who has really been another parent to me, turned eighty-nine a few weeks ago.  And, I would like to be close to her again in the time she has left.

The boy and I are at the stage of this process where we are trying to figure out where we would want to live, and what types of houses would fit our aesthetic.  To do this, we have often thought about what we like about the house we are in.

1. We love our kitchen.  It is big and open and has tons of storage.  It is really where we do everything at home: play, entertain, create.
2. We like having a yard for the dogs.
3. I love our master bedroom’s walk-in closet.  It is big enough that both of our dressers fit nicely while still giving us enough room for other clothes.
4. We feel good about the fact that the house is big enough for the two of us without being too big, particularly as we start to care more about the environment.

But, as I look around our house, I realize that the reason we like it so much is that we are at home here.  And, I know that the home part follows us with our many moves around the country.

We have decided that if we move to Northern VA again that we are going to try to buy another house and keep it as a rental property.  And, as you might already know, this is no small feat in Virginia.  Our house in Kansas was extremely reasonable in price, although when we bought we didn’t really think so.  And, while housing prices in Virginia have fallen, it is not an older suburb like Kansas City is.  Most of the cool old houses are often situated in less desirable neighborhoods, as seems to be the trend in areas where bigger and newer is, for most people, synonymous with better.  As I mentioned above, the boy and I aren’t necessarily feeling this.  Older homes in nicer areas are pricier than we could swing.

We have also been talking about what we would like in a new house.

1. We would like a little more space in the way of a basement or an office.  Right now, outside the main living area of the house, all we have are the bedrooms.  And, it is hard for us to both have our own space while still having a place for family to visit, which is a requirement as a military family and with two families half-way across the country from each other.
2. We would like to have a yard of some variety for the “kids.”  Cooper is an active dog, and we need to be able to let him out often.  And, it would be wonderful if we weren’t quite a close to our neighbors as we are here.
3. We would like to have a bigger bathroom.  Two sinks would be ideal.  That way we can both get ready in the morning without having to take turns.
4. And, finally a kitchen like ours now would be ideal.  (Or a price tag that would let me make that happen.)

At this point, the planner in me would just like to know one way or another.