The Plan

**UPDATED**

The fine details are still being worked out, but we now have a 3-year plan. Xander just won a grant from the National Science Foundation, which is a pretty big deal since few of them are awarded each year. It provides funding for 2 years without teaching, so Xander will have two full years to devote entirely to research. This means that we will be in Montreal for one more year AND that we can finish our adoption paperwork without having to do it all over. He will take the second year at the University of Georgia. The year after his fellowship ends, UGA will provide an additional year of support. So to sum up, we have to suffer through one more Montreal winter, after which we will suffer through two years of extreme Georgia heat. I am hoping after that we can return to the Mid-Atlantic where temperatures are more reasonable. The funny thing is that I didn't know what I wanted to happen, but now that we know, I feel really content. I think this is a great compromise, and I am really happy for Xander.

The other nice thing about this grant is that we no longer have to worry about fluctuating currency. It's not like we'll be rolling in dough and go on a big spending spree or anything, but we can relax a little bit. We're pretty frugal as it is, and I don't think anything is going to change that, but it will be nice to not feel guilty about the occasional take-out when I don't feel like cooking. Or, more importantly, to be able to visit our families. We declared we weren't going to fly for at least a year because we needed to save as much as we could for the adoption fees, but it is really hard to go so long without seeing any of our family. (And since our families aren't the traveling kind, it's pretty much up to us to make the effort.) Two of our best friends (and cousins) are getting ready to have their first baby, and now maybe we can go see them. I just feel like we can breathe a little easier not having to keep one eye on the Canadian dollar.

And now, dear reader, I have a question for you. Xander and I haven't owned cars in about six years. Montreal has public transportation, which is what we use and will continue to use as much as possible. But the city is not as well connected as, say, New York. And we are getting ready to have 2 babies sometime in late 2009. So the question before us is whether or not to re-enter the world of the automobile. We've been thinking about buying a (very used) car. We will definitely need one in Athens, so we will have to do it eventually. It would make certain things, like going to the farmer's market, much easier here. In the winter, it would mean being able to get out more because it's not so easy to wheel a double stroller through snow, much less a good idea to wheel babies around in minus-25-degree weather. It would mean we could go hiking or camping on the weekends without having to rent a car. It would mean that we could drive to visit Xander's family in PA rather than having to take an 11-hour train ride to New York, then a 4-hour train ride to Harrisburg with two (possibly screaming) infants. But it would also mean dealing with street parking, which is kind of a pain, and shoveling in the winter. And of course there are the expenses involved, like insurance and snow tires. And there's the fact that not owning a car is much more environmentally friendly. However, maybe the joy of being able to go somewhere in mid-January when I feel like jumping off a bridge onto the frozen St. Lawrence would be worth it.

What do you think? Should we buy a car? Is it worth the hassle? Cast your votes.

**UPDATE**

We've changed our minds. If we bought a car, we wouldn't do it until May, and in order to do so here would involve an impressive amount of paperwork, never mind the snow tires. We'd also have to get new driver's licenses only to turn around and go back to Georgia, where we would be treated as all-new drivers because we'd have foreign licenses and have to take all the tests, even though we've both previously had Georgia licenses. And I'm sure I'd fail the Georgia written test after not living there for 7 years. It's all very complicated, and we feel like the time and expense just isn't worth it. We're going to remain renters for the moment.