A day at the park

Well, here they are, my friends and their babies. I can't believe we are these people, moms!
When did that happen? Seems like we were just booze swillin' 20 somethings yesterday, and now we are all rounding the corner to 40. (some of us are already there, wink, sj)
Unbelievable.
Yet, we are all still feeling unsettled and unsure if the bay area is the place for us.
I asked these guys today what it would take to make Oakland our permenant homes and it all came down to being able to afford a house with a yard in a decent neighborhood.
Believe it or not, even if you make a good living, you still cannot afford a home in the bay area. Unless you are willing to buy a major fixer upper, a very tiny two bedroom or live in a sketchy neighborhood somewhere in the heart of Oakland.
So as our conversation swirled around the places we have talked about moving (Portland, Seattle, Vermont!) I just felt a sense of sadness that we cannot raise our children here without serious sacrifice. If I had known 15 years ago that this was the place I was going to be in, facing a possible move after building a community and connections or moving into a "rough" neighborhood with no yard and leaky roof, I would have settled somewhere else.
But for now we raise our kids and play in the sunny parks and ignore that we may need to pack it all up and move someday in order to give our kids the life they deserve.