Kansas she says is the name of her star....
 

Well...the Baileykat clan are dusting off our packing boxes and stocking up on packing paper....Toto get in the basket..we're moving to Kansas!!!

So....during my last few weeks of topsy turvy, what are we going to do, where are we going...we've landed ourselves in Hutchinson, Kansas!

We went last week, John and I, for an interview. It was kinda weird. They wanted us both to come interview. While it was strange, it was almost comforting. It was nice to actually hear what's going on..than get it second hand from your husband..who has a tendency to leave out things that might be important to me.

So...basically it's a great job for him...kinda like a dream job. He'll be in charge of making new decisions for a brand new restaraunt concept..helping come up with new ideas for an allready established concept. They are growing rapidly and strongly...so he's quite excited!

I'm slightly less excited. I had wanted to move back closer to my parents. They live in Texas. And I really wanted to be back in Texas. But...it's a great deal. No more moving for us. The town is basically 45,000/50,000 people...but is only 45 minutes from Wichita.

I had never been to Kansas til last week. I have to say it was beautiful. Of course, anything with grass and trees is beautiful to me after living in the desert! :rolleyes:

So...we're back out there this week, took the kids out of school for three days so they can help pick out our first house! We'll be home owners! And the housing market is amazing! Pretty much...I can have anything I want for $200,000! (that's 4-5 bedrooms, finished basement, pool, huge yards, two story...2500+ sq ft!) Coming from the horrid housing market here in Tucson, where houses are selling in minutes...and $200,000 gets you maybe a town home...I'm psyched!

We don't have a move yet...but I'll let you know!!!

Kinda excited I guess....but I freaking HATE packing!! :mad:

Wow, what a change - but it sounds like a good move for you. Good luck in your new home town.

just stay well away from any trailer parks(those things are tornado magnets, and we don't need to be worryin' aboot you)

Good luck with your house hunting trip! I know that picking your first home will be fantastic. My friend feels the same way on her (pending) move from California to Indiana.

Wow, how exciting! I wish you and your family the best! :cheers:

And we're all invited to the first pool party, right? Congratulations and good luck on finding a fabulous (and swaky) place to roost.

There's something so exciting about moving to an unknown place. It's like a true adventure. I'm very excited for you! Have a great time shopping for a house and settling into your new neighborhood. I can't wait to hear about it.

I am starting to get a little excited! It's a whole new place!!!

Of course, Arizona was a whole new place..but I still wasn't happy to be moving here a year ago!!

But Kansas..I don't know..it's kinda growing on me!! :)

Aw, I'm sad that we never got to meet up while you were here, but I'm glad that this will be good for you guys. Best wishes, Dorothy!

Well...we're leaving on Monday!

Found a great house...stressed over the contract negotiations...they finally accepted an offer...BUT we don't get it til the 20th of October!

Not wanting to have to make my husband make two trips, we've opted to stay in a hotel, on the company dime, for a month!

I'll have to check my sanity in about a week! I'm not sure I was thinking clearly when I agreed to this idea! Two kids, a cat and my husband in a hotel room! For a month!

Fun times... :eek:

So, it's like camping, but with flush toilets? I suppose it could be worse -- it could really be camping - no flushies!

Congrats on the new house! Do we get details?

Ha! Flush toilets and a shower! It's for sure better than camping! I'm presently running thru a list of microvable meals! :rolleyes: At least it has free continental breakfast..so I won't have to worry about that! :D


The house is great! Tri-level, with fully finished basement. (basements are big in Kansas...of course we now live in the middle of Tornado alley...so I'm thinking that's a good thing!), 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths..the previous owners were very good painters. All the colors I adore! The two girlie bedrooms are Disney princess over-the-top rooms! Almost too much! Kat's not into princess..so we'll be changing that!

Bailey gets one of the bedrooms in the basement! He's totally excited!

The backyard has a huge deck and play area...and we have HUGE trees!

It's great!

I have a theory as to why you were brought to the interview:

When a major move is involved, the wife can be the dealkiller. Let's say they go to all the trouble to get your husband on board, then he comes home and "announces" that you're moving to Kansas. With no background, no involvement, no understanding of why this is a great opportunity, all you see is that you're going to have to move - and to Kansas of all places (speaking hypothetically off the assumption that you would not have seen Kansas and liked it at that point in the timeline). In all likelihood, you could say, "No, I'm NOT moving to Kansas." And that would be that.

Very smart of them to involve you in the process, very smart. Because if Mom doesn't wanna go to Kansas... nobody goes to Kansas :)

Basements are indeed a big deal in that region. If you've not lived in tornado country, my advice is to prepare something fun/special for the kids for the first time they have to go sit in the basement. Hopefully it will be very infrequently, but have some novel distractions ready just in case. Emergency food, emergency water, emergency radio, emergency distractions. My grandmother's basement was a treasure-trove of fun times!

Morigoon - I thought so as well! It made me instantly like them! Coming from a company that claimed they were "all about the family" when they were totally the opposite...this was like a welcome embrace!

Prudence - We've lived in semi-tornado country...West Texas as it's fair share of thuderstorms...but I'm sure not quite like what we'll experience living in Kansas. BUT...me being a storm chaser at heart, I'm kinda excited about it!

Of course, that all falls thru the first time I have to drag everyone to the basement!