What are those crazy kids up to now??

As if having a baby wasn't enough, we're also getting married in June. But that's not the big news - the next big step after the nuptials is to figure out what we want to be when we grow up!
Both Russell and I love Chapel Hill and the surrounding area. We both grew up here (him more so than me, but you get the idea) so we're invested in the community and we have a fondness for the territory. However, we both feel like we're spinning our wheels here. Not stuck in a rut so much as just not moving forward like we want to. We both have undergraduate degrees that we're not using, we both want to further our education (and maybe make a bit more money in the process), and land jobs that are more career-based, or at least centered in doing that which we love.
We're also both feeling a lack of community. We have some friends here and there, and so many people around who we love and love us, but when it comes to the day-to-day we need more people around us who have similar interests and find themselves on a similar wavelength to ours. Basically, we need to find us some more hippies!
So the research into our next big step has begun. We're getting married in June, 2011, and plan to leave the Chapel Hill area shortly after that. The question is, where to go?
Both Russell and I really want to move to the West Coast - somewhere between Santa Cruz, California, and Seattle, Washington. We want to be close to the water, of course, and somewhere that at least one of us can go back to school. Here is the list so far:
Davis, California:
Centered in the Sacramento Vally, and close to state capitol Sacramento, Davis is a cool town. And when I say "cool", I'm referring to personality only. It's HOT there - hot and dry - which sounds great to us! It's not too big and has a vibe much like Chapel Hill. It's a very bike-friendly town with a great farmer's market. It's about an hour from the Bay Area and super convenient to Burning Man. It's the most expensive place we've looked into living, but it's a lot cheaper than SF.
There are two colleges there: UC Davis and Dominican University. Russell is interested in an MBA at Dominican in Sustainability Applications. This degree would allow him to continue working in the construction industry, but instead of doing the rough work he would do more consulting and design work, helping new projects be more 'green'. At UC Davis there is an MFA in Theatrical Costume Design for me.
Next on our list is Arcata, California:
Arcata is so far north it might as well be in Oregon. Located on the coast and in the redwoods, it's a very beautiful spot. The town itself is a bit grungy and is as 'hippier-than-thou' as it's possible to get, but I suppose that's no surprise since it is in Humboldt County. Humboldt State University is perched on the hill overlooking the town, and the school buildings are interspersed with redwood trees. The school offers an interesting program for me, called an MFA in Sceneography. The program offers a triple-threat focus on lights, scenery, and costumes for theatre, with a concentration in one aspect. I've already toured the campus there and met with the head costume professor, and I liked the feeling of the department. There are also two completely unrelated programs there that I have some interest in: Environmental Education and Native American Studies/Language and Literature. I've had some experience with Environmental Education in the past, and I really enjoyed it. I've said many times that if I were to go back into teaching, I'd like to be an environmental educator. This is basically like being a really professional camp counselor (usually called a co-leader instead). I'd be working with kids, outdoors, through various environmental/parks & rec/centers through the US. The jobs would offer lots of fun experiences and are generally flexible with a lot of concentration in the summer months. The NA Lit degree is another one that would lead me to teaching again, likely at the community college level. It is also an MA that is supported by my English Ed BA, so there's a good chance I could get in to the program. I also took a class on NA Lit with an awesome professor at UNCW, and taught a whole section on NA Lit in my Junior English classes at CCHS. So Humboldt State has a lot to offer me; I might be applying to them three times over the next year!
Fortunately there are some interesting programs there for Russell, too; most of them are involved in some sort of Environmental science, like Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation. There are several degrees that he is looking into there which I can barely tell you about. However, it's awesome that this one place has a great list of opportunities for both of us. It may well be where we eventually end up!
Traveling further north, the next place on the list is Corvallis, Oregon:
Corvallis is a small hippie town with a lot of arts activities. It's close to the coast and just south of Eugene. Oregon College is based there, and they have an interesting program called "Design and the Human Environment" which includes design, textiles, sustainability, and marketing all balled into a social package. It's a neat-sounding program which would allow me to work in the design industry on a higher level, perhaps working to create more sustainable fabrics in America or something. There's also a wood science degree there that Russell is looking into. Though these degrees are attractive, Corvallis is a bit lower on the list.
Next is Eugene, Oregon:
I drove through Eugene on my big road trip a few years back, and don't remember much about it except that I stopped for lunch and had the best sushi that I'd had on the whole trip. That alone recommends it to me! The cost of living there is also pretty low - lower than Chapel Hill, even. The University of Oregon, Eugene Campus, is located there. There is another MFA in Theatrical Costume Design for me, and a couple of architecture programs (one interior, one landscaping) for Russell.
An added bonus in the Eugene option is that our friend Eric is planning on moving back there around the same time we were planning to trek west, so we might be able to help each other with the cross-country move. Not only that, but having a local friend who knows the ins and outs would be a great resource!
Finally, there's Portland, Oregon:
Portland is far enough north that it borders Washington, and is quite close to Seattle. It is a fairly big city, which isn't really our style, but it is a cool town with a lot to offer, including several colleges. There's an Oriental Medicine college and a Naturopathic Medicine college, both of which are of some interest to Russell. There's an art and craft technical college as well, which has program in textiles for me and one in wood for Russell. Again, not high on the list, but certainly an option!
The big hitch-point for both of us in this is that neither of us have exactly what we need to get accepted anywhere. Russell's last year in college wasn't the best for his GPA, and it's the last 60 credits or so that most programs look at. For me, I lack the professional experience that most MFA programs look for. Both of us struggle to get recommendation letters, and I constantly have to re-work my resume while Russell is trying hard to develop his. I also need a portfolio, and though I have one and I think it looks pretty good, I had to pull every last thread to fill it up, which also means that it's a little unfocused.
This is not to say that I don't have hope! We both do; we really want to make this happen, and we are trying our best to pull it together and focus on our goals. We're supporting each other in our endeavors and we're leaving the plan open-ended until we know what our options are. We think it would be best to switch-hit anyway, with one of us in school at a time, which would allow the other to pull together more experience before applying again. Russell believes that my chances of getting in somewhere are higher, and I tend to agree - but who knows if I'll get in to the program that is right for me? We're just going to have to be patient and trust the universe.
And of course, there's always Plan B:
In the mountains of NC, west of Asheville, there's a technical college by the name of Haywood. The school offers programs in professional crafts, with concentrations in fibers and jewelry. I'm interested in both of these. They also have a wood working program and are developing sustainability programs as well. I've been looking at the courses, and there's so much there I'd love to learn. They don't offer masters courses/programs of course, so we'd be looking at associate's degrees or even just certifications. Though it's a bummer to not have the "M", these programs might actually get us closer to what we want to do. I'd love to be self-employed and making art/clothes/jewelry whatever, and Russell is so taken with biodiesel mechanics... Not to mention that a tech college in state is going to be a million times cheaper than an MFA anywhere. And it's closer to home. But it's also further from the ocean and nowhere near the West Coast or the Burn... But it's an option, and a good one. So we're pretty happy with our choices!
Now comes the hard part, which is gathering the goods to apply. This means toiling over portfolios, resumes, entrance exams & essays, gathering recommendation letters, traveling for tours and interviews, and making some big choices about the rest of our lives. Fortunately, we both feel much more ready to make those choices than we did when we were 17 and had to make them about college. It's no wonder so many people like us aren't using their degrees; who the hell knows what they want to do at the ripe old age of 17? I didn't even know some of the things I'm interested in existed back then. We're much better prepared now!
Wish us luck on this next big aspect of our journey. I'm sure we'll figure it out, one step at a time!