After the last pregnancy, there were a few complications. The kind of complications that doctors have told me typically get worse with each subsequent pregnancy. We are still seeking advice about this pregnancy – though, if I’d had my way, I’d have sought the advice before getting pregnant again.
But two doctors involved in Nathan’s birth and in the aftermath both insisted that I deliver in a larger hospital better suited to helping me in the event that the complications did indeed grow worse next time. They suggested Edmonton or Vancouver would be best equipped.
With Tim away for work so much, we have been contemplating a move for some time. We recognize that even if we were to move to where he currently has work, that doesn’t mean he will always have work there and we could be facing the same problem all over again, just somewhere else.
So we’ve been thinking of some criteria about a place we’d like to live in. And we’ve come up with a few suggestions of places we’ve considered, but we just don’t have enough information to make a decision yet. First of all, we are still waiting on advice from our doctors regarding this pregnancy. I still feel that a good hospital with a good reputation is important, just in case. But what about the rest of our wish-list?
Airport. We want to be relatively close (like an hour or so drive away) to a fairly major airport. In the event that Tim has to take a camp job, most companies offer flights as part of the package. Living near an airport like Edmonton (for example) would be way better in that case. Plus, I’m kind of tired of driving everywhere just to visit family and friends. Not only is driving with a young family more awkward than when I used to drive to Vancouver all by myself, we’re putting kilometres on our new car like it’s going out of style.
Quiet. Every time we visit family and friends in the Vancouver area, I am reminded of how much I despise sirens wailing at all hours of the day and night, and the traffic! Oh man. I thought traffic was bad before I moved north in 2005, but sheesh! That’s part of the reason why we’ve considered a few of the outlaying towns south of Edmonton. They’re the same distance to the airport as living in Edmonton directly, but still quiet enough with even some rural land around.
Convenience. If we could live closer than an hour-and-a-half drive away from most of the major amenities, I’d be very happy. Right now, that drive is due solely to the amount of distance between here and “there”. I’d love to shorten that drive to 30 minutes (traffic included) if we could.
Mountains/Ocean. Believe it or not, the hardest thing about contemplating a move closer to Edmonton is the lack of mountains and ocean. Here, while we don’t have ocean, we do have lots of mountains. Living in the foothills of the Rockies pretty much guarantees that. I have already lived seven years without the smell of the ocean as a regular occurrence. I don’t think I could give up the mountains, too at this point in time. (And yes, I’ve been to Edmonton, I know it’s not completely flat, but it’s flat enough!)
Climate. I don’t mind the cold here, but it’s largely a dry climate, even with all the snow that sometimes hits us. (In six winters here, I’ve yet to see the “same winter” twice, though there have been a few reliable temperature trends.) Even though I grew up on the coast, essentially, I now find it kind of damp and cool compared to here. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I could get used to it all over again. But somewhere with less rain would be nice. That’s something that I’ve grown accustomed to here – there never seems to be a shortage of sunlight.
So, if you have any suggestions that meet our “wish-list”, I’d be happy to hear them! Thus far, we’ve considered south of Edmonton, somewhere in the BC Interior (close to Kamloops), and even Vancouver Island. Preferably, we’d like to stay in BC, but would consider Alberta.
(Wouldn’t this be so much easier if there were an app for this?)
