Tell Me What You Want...What You Really, Really Want

I wish I could tell you, but I just do not know myself, and I hate not knowing.

We are now embarking on a new adventure...house hunting. I cannot believe that the time is actually here. As much as it pains me to think my days of wandering the earth are over, I am also looking forward to putting down some roots. The big question of the minute...hour...day...week...month is where the heck do we want to live. I wish I could just pay someone to tell me the answer. At this point the main contenders are a little suburban community just east of Atlanta, or the more urban neighborhoods on the eastern side of Atlanta.

I literally change my mind once an hour, if not every five minutes. There are many variables...too many...and it is impossible to compare the two areas because they are vastly different. In many ways we are choosing between two different lifestyles and honestly I want them both, and I want it all.

Dave and I tend toward the risky side of life. We are not HUGE risk takers, but we kind of like living on the edge. Moving to Germany was a risk...a very, very good risk. It was hard, but good and wonderful. Moving back to Atlanta was a risk...of sorts...mostly because Dave did not have a job here. Can I say that having two children 20 months apart was a risk? Maybe I was risking my sanity. Anyway, we kind of enjoy a good challenge in life.

If I could choose the perfect place to live, it would have the following characteristics.
Close to Dave's work
Close to church
Lots of kids
People out walking around and getting to know the neighbors
Walking distance to restaurants
Walking distance to public transportation
Diverse...lots of ethnicities...different socio-economic...different lifestyles...
Good schools
Urban-feeling
Good parks, and maybe a community pool would be nice! =)
Oh and did I mention affordable? Affordable to a one income family...

Of the two different areas we are looking at they each possess some of those characteristics, but not all. So now we have to determine what is most important, and I am not sure how to do that.

How can I measure having Hadleigh grow up with her little buddies Jacob, Brennan, Sadie, Andrew...with being within walking distance of MARTA? How can I compare living in a diverse neighborhood with having a community pool?

I want both and I want neither. I love and hate both. I just cannot seem to get a grip on what is most important to our family. I do not want to settle. I want to take risks. I want my girls to grow up loving all sorts of different people. I want them to grow up seeing the church active, changing culture and proclaiming the gospel. I want them to grow up with good friends where they can ride their bikes and go to each others houses. I want them to grow up loving the culture of a city. But I just do not know what all of this means, and I honestly feel like I cannot have it all. That really bothers me. Well, I suppose that sometime in the next several months these questions will be answered, and I hope I like the answer!