Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why?

Up until this point we've avoided answering The Question: "Where do we go from here?"  We've been so focused on getting through the storm that we haven't been able to think about a day when are ARE actually through it.  With an offer in hand and agreed upon, ready to go to the lawyers tomorrow to begin the negotiations with the bank, it's time for us to think about our next step more than in the hypothetical sense.  This is when it gets real.  This is when we have to decide if we're going to continue to have two full-time working parents, and if not, who's quitting and finding an evening/weekend job to make ends meet without forking out more for childcare than we expect to pay for rent monthly.  This is when we have to decide if we're going to stay in our beloved town, close to the neighbors and friends that have become such a bedrock for our daily lives, or if we are going to move somewhere cheaper and/or closer to my office (assuming I stay working full-time) to save on time and commuting expenses.  This is when we have to decide if having those ties close to us is more important than reducing my stress-level as a mom and as a commuter, if good friends and good schools are more important than an extra 60-90 minutes a day spent out of a car.  This is when we have to decide if we're going to ride out this process to the last possible moment in our beloved home, leaving only when the closing date looms large and near, or if we're going to get ahead of the tide and set-out to create a new beloved, albeit rented, home, even if it means walking away from living rent-free for another month, or even several months.  This is when we have to decide what else to cut from our already slashed budget to make ends meet as we move from shaky to solid ground again.

This is when we have to start asking and answering all of the hard questions.  Thankfully, we realize that our decisions aren't set in stone.  If we make a move in one direction, and we find it is the wrong path, we can correct it.  However, some decisions, like what rental we choose, are easier undone than other decisions, like one of us quitting our relatively good jobs.  When the lease is up on a rental we dislike, we can move.  Annoying, but not life-altering.  Giving up on jobs that do offer somewhat stable incomes and benefits -  not so easy to walk away from in this economy.  Even so, my heart cries out to be home more with my kids, finances be damned...which they would be should I quit. (sigh) Questions, questions, questions.