Why?

I wish the reasons were more exciting or more intriguing (well - I don't really wish that), but the truth, as with most things in life, is really quite boring. No lottery tickets, no get-rich-quick schemes, no suspicous life insurance payouts. Nope, just a job. I remember the letter crossing my impossibly messy and heaped up desk touting a job in Detroit. I almost tossed it (along with the ones advertising 'Sportsman's Paradise' and 'Only 3 hours to Major Metro - lots of Cultural Activities Nearby'). Instead, I sent off an email 'just to see what was out there' and ended up really liking (and wanting) the job and the rest is history. It wasn't that simple - we took a trip in the summer and had a great time. The kids made up a new song called "that building is definitely abandoned." We found a neighborhood we liked, and then Lisa interviewed for a job that promised something elusive in Academia - some hard money! We took inventory and found that our life basically happened within a few miles of our house (surprise) and involved school, work, the kids' activities, time with friends, the occasional dinner out, TV and the internet. Does that sound familiar? Although we were going to miss our friends and community here desperately, we confirmed that most of those things were available in the Smoking Necropolis, along with higher salaries, a lower cost of living, lower home prices, and really good schools. Let us know if you want us to hook you up with our broker. She's awesome.