Decisions

After much ruminating, going back and forth internally and in conversation with Russell, and considering responses to Facebook posts, we have finally come to a decision about what to do with ourselves next year!
And the winner is: Western North Carolina! More specifically, Haywood Community College.
Although we really really really want to move out to the West Coast, we had to consider the big picture - our goals, our dreams, and what we want for Orion and our family.
Though I might be able to find a similar program somewhere on the West Coast, the program at Haywood is damn near perfect for what I really want to do with myself. Besides that, committing to a program in NC will save us both time and money. Plus, we're hoping that Russell can find some courses in sustainable applications somewhere nearby, so that he can get his GPA boosted for future grad school applications once we do move out West.
Completing the professional crafts program will enable me to do several things with my variety of crafting abilities; I'll be able to focus my design aesthetic, learn about business (which I'm pretty clueless about), and it will allow me to successfully work from home or at least have a second income from craft work. If I decide later on that I want to pursue a Masters in Costume Design, the associates from Haywood will also give me a leg up during that application process.
Being capable of working from home/being in business for myself is an important aspect of my goals, because we're really committed to homeschooling Orion (and any other kid(s) we might have!) through the early years at least. I have been a victim of the public school system for too many years to subject my own children to it, and this is really important to us as a family. That consideration helped make the decision much easier; the West Coast isn't going anywhere, after all (unless, of course, California really does fall into the ocean at some point ((2012??)) and then we wouldn't want to be living there anyway). Once we finally do get out there, I'll be more prepared to support our family through crafting. I also intend on maintaining a good relationship with Trader Joe's, because it's a company I feel good about working for, and could possibly be hired into a new store out West when the time comes. At that point, Russell can start into a master's program, maybe at Dominican in Davis, and I'll be perfectly outfitted to teach our kids and bring home the vegetarian bacon (although I think that stuff is gross).
We feel like this is a solid plan for us, and for that matter Asheville and the surrounding area is about as hippie as NC gets anyway, so hopefully we'll find the community we're looking for there. At least the climate is a bit cooler, and there are a lot of outdoor activities and tons of music events to consider! I think it will be a good place to live for the first few years of Orion's life as a toddler... And if we live a bit out of town (Haywood is in Clyde, NC, a bit west of Asheville) we'll be able to find a cheap place to live with some land attached to it. I think we can all be happy with that!
So there you have it, folks! Weeks of wrangling over that one question has finally come to an end! We still long for the Pacific Coast, but in the meantime the Great Smokies are a nice place to aim for!
I guess I can start the official application process now... Fun.
We'll be looking to move after our wedding (June 11, 2011) and before the beginning of the school year (usually in August) so my best guess is sometime in July, 2011, we'll be heading west. Just not as far west as we had originally planned. Still, it's a step in the right direction literally, and several steps in the right direction figuratively!