> Well, I suppose a few prayers never hurt anybody, but you need them less than a lot of people. You are blessed already. From an education point of view, you are getting a bargain.

I agree that I'm a lot better off than most. I'm lucky, because my dad was one of the ones who didn't get laid off outright. Plus, the region we're moving to has some of the best schools in the country. So I guess the main thing is housing expense. In the good school districts, the houses are ridiculously expensive, up to $600,000 for a 3-bed, 2-bath, 1,300 sq. feet, sixty-year-old house. I realize that we'll survive one way or another, and that it's just a matter of giving up luxuries, and that we're a lot better off than most, but still, this is difficult for me.

> You learned far more than you realize from your camping experience.

So my mom tells me as well. I have yet to see what I've learned, but I try to keep an open mind.
>
> Then you get a great vacation, and find that you might be moving to a different community. Moving and travel are very much the same in that they broaden your view. You meet new people and see new places. I rate travel as the ultimate educational tool. Moving can be stressful, but you will adjust. We moved a number of times before I was your age and I always relished learning my way around a new place.

I've moved around a lot, too. In total, I've moved five times before already, and I've gone to eight different schools. Those past times, my reactions ranged from indifferent to excited. But the longest time I've spent anywhere, and the best times I've had in my life, have been here. I was hoping to settle down, so I guess I'm just a bit disappointed.

But, in the back of my mind, I can't deny that there is a seed of excitement. I hear that New York is a great place to live, that it's full of culture, that I'll broaden my horizons. And, like I said beofre, I'll try to keep an open mind. So I don't know.
>
> Howard

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