Would you move?

I did that exact thing after I left the Marine Corps. Before my enlistment ended the FAA hired me on as an air traffic controller 7 months before my EAS date. I was married and had just had our first baby. My husband meanwhile just received orders to spend a year in Japan, or three years if I decided to join him. The FAA gave me a financial offer I just couldn't refuse so I packed up and moved out to the Air Route Traffic Control Center in Fremont, CA. I looked at it as securing our future financially. Even though my husband was physically separated from my and our daughter I thought it was the wise thing to do, especially because I was getting paid $50,000 and then $100,000 after I got qualified on my positions. In December of that year my husband came home on leave and of course I became pregnant with our second daughter. He went back to Japan and I stayed in California until I was 7 months pregnant. I had my hubby change his orders to an accompanied tour so I could fly us out there to live with him. I knew family was important but I really mourned the loss of that well-paying and exciting job. I could still be there today, 5 years later but I would have had to deal with two kids on my own and shift work plus my husband would barely know his kids. So for now I've had to put my aviation dreams on hold for our family. I'm a little bitter sometimes because we make like no money on (E-7 salary only at the moment) but I'm glad the family is together. Of course my husband is in Iraq and there's nothing we could do about that but this separation really made me see how important family is.

Honestly, I would love to move out of Michigan. There's nothing hear anyway as far as jobs are concerned. I'm just too scared of being somewhere new with no social group. If I at least had maybe one friend I could call and hang out with, then maybe. Leaving my family isn't really a big issue. Yes they'll be hurt, but if it's a better life and opportunity awaiting me in another state, then "oh well". My happiness comes before a lot of other things. If I can, continue my schooling and have a job and a place to stay, then why not. It would be stupid of me to stay here and continue with the same ole routine. Sometimes change is good.

How could my family have a better life without family around? My parents love my kids and they HAVE to see them at least once every week. If the week goes by and we haven't been to their house or they to ours my dad is calling, "Are you and the kids coming over this weekend?" "Are we cooking out this weekend so the kids can come and play?" My kids are also always asking to go see grandma and grandpa. They are the only grandparents they have because my husbands Step mother doesn't accept him as part of the family. So to answer your question, there is NO WAY I could move my kids away from my parents!

I would have to say my immediate family is more important then my extended family, so if we were getting a better life I'd be up for moving they make phones and computers everyday to keep me in touch with the rest of my family.