STRUGGLING WITH SERENDIPITY
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new job, new state

1/2/2019

6 Comments

 
Picture
Newton, Massachusetts topped the list of the best small cities in New England.
 
The city shared a border with Cambridge where Beth attended college and Maria taught special ed. John applied to the Newton Public Schools and to a few other systems in the area. Two schools called him for interviews that he scheduled during his April school vacation.
           
To start spring break, we drove to Somerville and dropped off a carload of boxes and Beth’s cedar chest to store at Maria’s apartment. We visited with the girls between their busy work and college schedules.
           
John and I relied on our new GPS to find the Newton elementary school for his first interview. I dropped him off and waited for his phone call at Not Your Average Joe’s, my new favorite restaurant. He felt good about his interview.
 
Like Maria, John’s passion for teaching showed.
           
John accepted a second grade position in Newton to start in the fall. With crazy home prices in the Boston area, we viewed many apartments to rent. Our house payment in Ohio had been $475 a month including property tax and insurance. In 2007 near Boston, the rent for a nice two-bedroom apartment started at $1,900 a month, plus utilities. Slightly higher salaries did not begin to make up the difference, though it would be worth it to be closer to Maria and Beth. We paid a deposit on an apartment in Watertown Square with a July move-in date.
           
At his request, John’s friends hosted a happy hour for his retirement at a restaurant instead of a big traditional party. Gifts included an intricate scrapbook with personal messages from co-workers. The last day of school, he brought home a box of mechanical gadgets and science toys that he used to entertain his students.
 
We teased John about being a talented comedian—for second graders.          
Next: England!
6 Comments
Jason Rhode link
1/2/2019 09:33:29 pm

It's crazy how much mortgages/rent change over time and from city to city. We were talking about that today. Nice blog.

Reply
Cindy Kolbe link
1/4/2019 11:43:08 am

Yes, I was shocked when I first heard how high the rents are in Boston! A gigantic difference compared to a small town in Ohio. It's even more crazy when average houses sell for more than a million dollars--and people buy them. Thanks, Jason!

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Esther Merves
1/3/2019 07:53:56 pm

How fortunate that you and John were able to move to be near your kids! That is a dream.

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Cindy Kolbe link
1/4/2019 11:51:35 am

Yes, I'm grateful that we were able to move near my kids. And that we still can! John and I might be living closer to you in the next year or so. Hope to see you before long, Esther!

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Amy Henry link
1/5/2019 03:28:19 pm

Yeah, when I read Newton, I was imagining you must be hobnobbing with the rich and famous 😄 (I used to live in Boston, and am familiar with the ridiculous rents). But then I read the entire paragraph and discovered that you're just like the rest of us--trying to make a dollar out of 99 cents. Hope your new home has been good to you.

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Cindy Kolbe link
1/6/2019 04:15:37 pm

Thanks, Amy! The Boston area was always interesting, that's for sure. We never did hobnob with the rich and famous, but it was their loss! :-)

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