Our Choice (Relocation 5 of 6)

As tough as it was to decide we were going to leave San Diego it was even harder to decide between San Antonio and St. Pete. It’s the kind of thing that feels impossible, but we did it. This last weekend Gil and I sat down on Friday night after the kids went to bed and dissected every aspect we have been pondering over the last year. Luckily, we were able to make a decision, but waited out the weekend to be sure we felt good about it; when the dust settled.

I can definitely say that I was torn. Internally rooting for St. Petersburg because that is where my family is (and the beach with a super cool art scene). Being close to our immediate family has been something that I have wanted since becoming a mom.

But…

We are moving to San Antonio.

There it is. The big announcement and boy does it feel big—EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I. SAY. IT.

When I told my parents I was sad that it wasn’t St. Petersburg, my Mom said, “Gwen, you know we want you here, but we tried really hard not to sway your decision in any way. You should know your Dad and I have talked about this and even though we would love to have you here we thought San Antonio was better for your family.”

I definitely got teary-eyed. Even now as I type this, it’s happening.

Still, with all of that, we are both happy with this decision. San Antonio is truly the best place for us to relocate.

There are a few reasons that solidified this. First is geography, being in Texas means we can travel across the continent much easier. Florida is in a corner like San Diego is, flights are much more expensive (not to mention it’s also a destination.).

Next, the housing market is 30% less in San Antonio (Gil made an update to his super-spreadsheet) and the schools seem easier to get into. We found out that, like some areas of San Diego, you are not guaranteed placement into your neighborhood school just because you live there. If it’s full, you get bounced to the nearest option, regardless of the rating. Ouch!

Even with all of this, I was still not 100% sure. I had to take it all the way back to 2003 when I moved to San Diego. I thought if I was that 26-year old girl who just decided to move to California from Philly because it sounded like a cool thing to do because you can snowboard and go to the beach all in the same day…what would that girl do?

That girl would pick the totally new and different city for an adventure; so San Antonio it is. Hands down, when I thought about that I was reassured we had picked the right one.

Plus, now we don’t feel like we are losing California. We can get back there so much easier, we can even drive to see family and friends or fly at a much lower cost. There are many more places I want to see and things I want to do on the west coast. Now I’m certain we will get to see and do those things, as a family.