thoughts on why people live where they live

This morning I've been thinking about why people live where they live. People seem so surprised and excited when we tell them we are moving to Hawaii. And I was contrasting what I woke up to here (in CO) this morning with what I'll wake up to when we live in Hawaii - snow on the ground, pine trees frosty white, cold house until the fireplace gets going...vs...warm all the time, surrounded by green, green, green.

I was thinking about how most places in the continental US are cold in the winter and that's where everybody lives. And we all save our money for a vacation to go someplace warm every few years or so. And even then, there are two kinds of trips people take: they either choose a beautiful, warm, relaxing getaway....or they go visit family. Dave calls this the difference between a "trip" and a "vacation". So if you only get to fly away somewhere once a year or even once every few years that means that some of those trips aren't gonna be "vacations", some will be "trips" - making "vacations" even more few and far between.

So if we can all choose to live where we want, why do so many of us live somewhere cold and only vacation to the warm places we dream about every few years? Why don't more people LIVE where it's nice all the time and go VISIT the cold places on vacation? Maybe it's because the majority of the country is cold in the winter and if EVERYONE decided to live somewhere warm there would be no room for everyone. And I know alot of people will say that they like having 4-seasons (which I do think I will miss). But I still think it's funny how many people tell us that they have always dreamed of living in Hawaii and yet they live here - where it's barely been above freezing for the last month.

This is a big change for us. One that requires alot of work and planning. Alot of excitement and alot of sad good-byes. But I am SO glad to be married to a man who sees life as an adventure to be lived. Who sees wonder in everything God created and is not afraid to live the life he dreams about. I saw a quote on shirt this weekend, it said, "Dream like you'll live forever. Live like you'll die today." I think whoever said that must know Dave. I get more excited about our move everyday and I can't wait for the new adventure that lies ahead!!