Are we crazy to move??

You bet your booths you are doing the right thing by moving. Moving will keep you young thinking. The world is changing and it is getting hotter and hotter. The future of Arizona where the snowbird hang out will be pretty miserable in the spring, summer and fall. Notice that these snowbirds only come in the winter. Follow your dreams and don't let anyone stop you. By the way, I'm 75.5 and I'm moving at the end of this month. Yipee! for me!
 

Your souls will be pulled to the physical place where you feel the most spiritual peace and feel most comfortable. You are only a value judgement from obtaining this.
Follow your hearts.
The whole purpose of life is the expansion of happiness.
 

I know it has been said many times,but really - go for it. I moved from S.E.PA to Florida, thinking I would retire there. Well, I couldn't stand the heat and humidity, but was pretty well stuck there until I could finance a move back. Then I met my husband, and we both decided to move back to my hometown in PA.

We have never regretted it, and have never looked back. He found a great job with great benefits, within a short time, which he will retire from in a couple of years. We both enjoy snow, and I didn't realize how much I had missed the changing seasons until I came "home." When you reach your senior years, you must do the things you love instead of merely tolerate or even outright dislike.

Hubby has a cousin who lived in an expensive condo in St. Petersburg, and she and her husband went back home to Ohio during one of the worst winters. But she said that she didn't mind, because it was HOME. You will never regret moving to your "heart" place!
 
carouselsilver said:
I know it has been said many times,but really - go for it. I moved from S.E.PA to Florida, thinking I would retire there. Well, I couldn't stand the heat and humidity, but was pretty well stuck there until I could finance a move back. Then I met my husband, and we both decided to move back to my hometown in PA.

We have never regretted it, and have never looked back. He found a great job with great benefits, within a short time, which he will retire from in a couple of years. We both enjoy snow, and I didn't realize how much I had missed the changing seasons until I came "home." When you reach your senior years, you must do the things you love instead of merely tolerate or even outright dislike.

Hubby has a cousin who lived in an expensive condo in St. Petersburg, and she and her husband went back home to Ohio during one of the worst winters. But she said that she didn't mind, because it was HOME. You will never regret moving to your "heart" place!
Click to expand...
Exactly!! :) Good for you.
 
First of all, Colleen, Happy Birthday to your husband who turned 81 today! It seems like you both are young for your ages.
Regarding your move, do what you feel comfortable with. It's your life, and you know what you want.

I lived in Cleveland and the surrounding area for almost three decades before moving. It's an extreme change from hot AZ, especially the cold winters. I remember snow so high, I could not open the door of the house or get my car out of my driveway. I remember my car sliding down icy hills and praying I will make it. I remember the snow drifts and the blizzards. I do not miss these. However, Cleveland has a good transport system and cultural events. I also have lived in Cincinnati, which has a milder climate, and is not as cold as Cleveland. It also is high in cultural events. That's my experience having lived in Ohio. :)

Good luck in your move!
 
palides2021 said:
First of all, Colleen, Happy Birthday to your husband who turned 81 today! It seems like you both are young for your ages.
Regarding your move, do what you feel comfortable with. It's your life, and you know what you want.

I lived in Cleveland and the surrounding area for almost three decades before moving. It's an extreme change from hot AZ, especially the cold winters. I remember snow so high, I could not open the door of the house or get my car out of my driveway. I remember my car sliding down icy hills and praying I will make it. I remember the snow drifts and the blizzards. I do not miss these. However, Cleveland has a good transport system and cultural events. I also have lived in Cincinnati, which has a milder climate, and is not as cold as Cleveland. It also is high in cultural events. That's my experience having lived in Ohio. :)

Good luck in your move!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the birthday wishes for my husband. Yes...we are both "young" in mind and spirit and body and people are so surprised when they learn how "old" we are...haha. I think we can attribute it to good genes :)

Like I said, we lived and worked for many years in NW PA so snow is no stranger to us. We'll adjust...we always do (y)
 
I have lived in WI most of my life. Until I hit about age 55, I used to look forward to the cold, knowing it would bring ice fishing. Also, I would be out in the cold, snowshoeing in the deep snow, even in subzero temps. Now, not so much! You might want to give this a trial run before changing.

But then there are "other" factors. I know I would not move away cause my family and friends are here. So I just put on some more clothes as needed and stay put up here in N. WI. If you are miserable in AZ cause you are all alone without family and friends, then the move is probably worth it. Just make sure you are in a well insulated and heated house/apt with someone to help with the winter snow shoveling. Our town plows out our driveway but we still have some shoveling to do.
 
Michael Z said:
I have lived in WI most of my life. Until I hit about age 55, I used to look forward to the cold, knowing it would bring ice fishing. Also, I would be out in the cold, snowshoeing in the deep snow, even in subzero temps. Now, not so much! You might want to give this a trial run before changing.

But then there are "other" factors. I know I would not move away cause my family and friends are here. So I just put on some more clothes as needed and stay put up here in N. WI. If you are miserable in AZ cause you are all alone without family and friends, then the move is probably worth it. Just make sure you are in a well insulated and heated house/apt with someone to help with the winter snow shoveling. Our town plows out our driveway but we still have some shoveling to do.
Click to expand...
My husband has never minded mowing the lawn or removing snow thanks to his lawn tractor and snow blower...haha...and there's always someone that will shovel or plow...for a price.

Our blood has "thinned out" so much from living in the desert for 7 years that it's going to be an adjustment to our body temperatures the first year. We also don't have any humidity or bugs...aka mosquitos. There are some things we'll miss...but not many. I know one thing...we'll have to go shopping for winter clothes. We gave everything away when we moved here.
 
Will you move to a house or condo? With the latter you don’t have to shovel or cut lawns. You could rent to start with until you find the right place.
 
Ask yourself if you have the wardrobe to cope with living in the frozen north. Do you want to deal with shoveling snow? Do you like driving in the snow? Will you be safe from falling when it is slippery? Some folks love it, others say "no way".
 
... don't see this in Arizona

iu
 
Last edited:
Jules said:
Will you move to a house or condo? With the latter you don’t have to shovel or cut lawns. You could rent to start with until you find the right place.
Click to expand...
We've always had a home and we talked about a condo but decided we aren't cut out for "community" life. We found that out when we traveled around in our fifth-wheel after hubby retired in 2001. We were living in So. CA and decided to go to S. TX for the winter. We did that for several years and spent summers in PA where we could see relatives. While in TX we stayed at RV parks for retirees and found out quickly how petty and juvenile a lot of the people there were. That kinda did it for us with living with other people...haha. So, a house it will be :) Besides, you need to keep active and he likes to do yard work, etc.
 
Absolutely, do it! My husband and I moved across the country in our 70's, and in my late 70's, when he passed away, I moved again, to a smaller but nicer apartment in the same senior community. Never regretted either move.

But if I had waited much later, I doubt that I would have had the physical energy. So, do it while you can.
 
Oh yes, do it!

We lived in Georgia for five years after he retired from the Air force. We had a house built and thought we would live there for the rest of our lives. we just hated the heat. Too hot for picnics, still hot at two o'clock in the morning when I'd go out on the porch, so hot the dog would walk the twenty feet to the mailbox and lie down in its shade.

So we moved to southern Ohio, half way between relatives in West Virginia and Dayton, with Columbus close should we feel the need for a little culture. Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania are all great states for my taste. They have four definite seasons, but none of them too extreme for too long.
 
Your reasoning seems logical, but your memory of winters in the midwest may be skewed. You are older now and older does not play well with colder. It might be prudent to rent a winter home and spend a winter up North before you make the big move. Also buying a new home takes three things, time, energy, and money. I've got two of them but my 70-year-old energy isn't what it used to be as I recently found out when I moved. Think before you leap. There is a reason so many retirees move south.
 
Skyking said:
Your reasoning seems logical, but your memory of winters in the midwest may be skewed. You are older now and older does not play well with colder. It might be prudent to rent a winter home and spend a winter up North before you make the big move. Also buying a new home takes three things, time, energy, and money. I've got two of them but my 70-year-old energy isn't what it used to be as I recently found out when I moved. Think before you leap. There is a reason so many retirees move south.
Click to expand...
You're definitely right about the energy level not being what it use to be! I haven't said anything to hubby...yet...but something is telling me this isn't going to happen. I was thinking about the old saying, "If in doubt, don't", and I'm wondering if I shouldn't listen to that "voice" in my head. Hubby is doing well with recovering from his total knee but I can see he doesn't have the energy, either, like he use to. He just turned 81 and I'm wondering if we should stay where we are...even though we hate it here. It's a tough decision and I don't want to put extra stress on either of us. In our minds we're still 40 (maybe 50) but our bodies are telling us differently. Maybe you're right. :(
 
Colleen said:
You're definitely right about the energy level not being what it use to be! I haven't said anything to hubby...yet...but something is telling me this isn't going to happen. I was thinking about the old saying, "If in doubt, don't", and I'm wondering if I shouldn't listen to that "voice" in my head. Hubby is doing well with recovering from his total knee but I can see he doesn't have the energy, either, like he use to. He just turned 81 and I'm wondering if we should stay where we are...even though we hate it here. It's a tough decision and I don't want to put extra stress on either of us. In our minds we're still 40 (maybe 50) but our bodies are telling us differently. Maybe you're right. :(
Click to expand...
If you hate it in AZ then you should probably move. I know I couldn't take the heat. But, I just question if you really know what you are getting into by moving to the Midwest. Winters here are cold and grey. Everything is dead until spring and living indoors gets old fast. You think you remember but you probably don't, but your body will remind you of the cold. And then changing everything in your world at 81 can't be sugar coated either...This is a hard one, and mine is only one man's opinion. Whatever you do, good luck and God Bless!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top