Monday, January 17, 2011
The Move to Maryville
I haven't posted on here in a few months, but that is not to say that those months have been relaxing or unproductive.
In early summer of 2010, Angela and I decided that the time had come for us to explore leaving Knox County. We certainly were comfortable in Knox - we owned a nice house that was relatively inexpensive, had a great office arrangement in Fountain City that was not far from the house, a wonderful church home at Central Baptist Church of Fountain City, and great and inexpensive daycare for the boys at CBCFC - but we both knew that the time was rapidly approaching where change would be necessary.
First and foremost, I did not want my boys to attend Knox County Schools. It simply wasn't an option. If we had remained in Knox County, I would have placed the boys in private schools, and tuition for those is equal to or exceeds what I paid to attend college. Perhaps Knox County Schools are all well and good for some folks, but I wanted Leo and Wil to have as good of an education as could be provided, because that is essential for their lives to be fulfilling. (Did you know that I have yet to have someone convicted of a crime in court where they had a 4-year college degree? In fact, I have only had one person convicted where the person had a 2-year Associate's degree, and that was just recently.) I wasn't convinced that could happen in Knox County, where more of the emphasis seems to be on administration and fiefdoms rather than on quality teaching and moulding the students into future leaders of America.
Second, Angela and I felt that there was a location where we were already part of a community, even if we weren't living there. Even with living in Knox County, we worked almost exclusively in the courts of other counties and were traveling nearly 400 miles a week for work purposes. With my work weeks topping 100 hours routinely in 2010, that doesn't leave much time for community activities close to home.
Third, I didn't feel that I was having any impact whatsoever on Knox County. Besides my tax dollars, I didn't feel as if I was making a difference there. Now, that's not to say that changes couldn't have occurred that would have rectified my impact, but it wasn't what it should have been or what I expect of myself.
Thus, in September, Angela and I started working towards finding a new residence in Maryville. Maryville's schools are incredible; it's like having private schooling in a public school system. In fact, I've known some children that have been educated in Knox County's private schools who have transferred to Blount County, and their parents have told me to a man that they feel their children have received a better education in Maryville. Plus, with the majority of my practice and the majority of Angela's practice being in Blount County, it just made sense to look "south of the river" for a new house.
After a long search (and some divine intervention), we found that house in Royal Oaks, a golf course community in Maryville. (No, I have no idea where Shaq lives.) It's much more house than I ever could have dreamed I would own, and from the desk in my office, I can see the hole on the 13th green. It may take a couple more months to get settled (moving, Christmas, both boys having birthdays, illness, and snow have made December and January tough months for settling in), but I feel that it will be worth it in the long run.
So, in any case, we are officially in Blount County now. (I hope that my decision not to run for State Executive Committe in the 6th District makes sense now to those who wondered why I decided not to run for the vacant position.) My political involvement is certainly not dead - not by a long shot. The right opportunity will come along - you'll just have to trust me on that front for now.
And this blog is not dead. Yes, I have been working almost entirely off of FaceBook for the past year or so, but I am committed to making this blog more active in 2011. Besides, 2010 wasn't much to write about, to be honest. 2011 - I have a feeling this year will be a bit more interesting...
Finally, I still have a home for sale in Knox County. It is just out of the Knoxville city limits (you can avoid paying city taxes by a couple of hundred yards), has nothing wrong with it (it was as maintenance free as any owner could ask of a home), is on a quiet cul-de-sac, is part of a great subdivision which goes all-out for just about every holiday (especially Halloween and Independence Day), and is a steal given that I have priced it about $13,000 below what I paid for it in 2007. Plus, you receive awesome representation in the General Assembly through Senator Jamie Woodson and Representative Bill Dunn. So, if you're feeling so inclined...
In early summer of 2010, Angela and I decided that the time had come for us to explore leaving Knox County. We certainly were comfortable in Knox - we owned a nice house that was relatively inexpensive, had a great office arrangement in Fountain City that was not far from the house, a wonderful church home at Central Baptist Church of Fountain City, and great and inexpensive daycare for the boys at CBCFC - but we both knew that the time was rapidly approaching where change would be necessary.
First and foremost, I did not want my boys to attend Knox County Schools. It simply wasn't an option. If we had remained in Knox County, I would have placed the boys in private schools, and tuition for those is equal to or exceeds what I paid to attend college. Perhaps Knox County Schools are all well and good for some folks, but I wanted Leo and Wil to have as good of an education as could be provided, because that is essential for their lives to be fulfilling. (Did you know that I have yet to have someone convicted of a crime in court where they had a 4-year college degree? In fact, I have only had one person convicted where the person had a 2-year Associate's degree, and that was just recently.) I wasn't convinced that could happen in Knox County, where more of the emphasis seems to be on administration and fiefdoms rather than on quality teaching and moulding the students into future leaders of America.
Second, Angela and I felt that there was a location where we were already part of a community, even if we weren't living there. Even with living in Knox County, we worked almost exclusively in the courts of other counties and were traveling nearly 400 miles a week for work purposes. With my work weeks topping 100 hours routinely in 2010, that doesn't leave much time for community activities close to home.
Third, I didn't feel that I was having any impact whatsoever on Knox County. Besides my tax dollars, I didn't feel as if I was making a difference there. Now, that's not to say that changes couldn't have occurred that would have rectified my impact, but it wasn't what it should have been or what I expect of myself.
Thus, in September, Angela and I started working towards finding a new residence in Maryville. Maryville's schools are incredible; it's like having private schooling in a public school system. In fact, I've known some children that have been educated in Knox County's private schools who have transferred to Blount County, and their parents have told me to a man that they feel their children have received a better education in Maryville. Plus, with the majority of my practice and the majority of Angela's practice being in Blount County, it just made sense to look "south of the river" for a new house.
After a long search (and some divine intervention), we found that house in Royal Oaks, a golf course community in Maryville. (No, I have no idea where Shaq lives.) It's much more house than I ever could have dreamed I would own, and from the desk in my office, I can see the hole on the 13th green. It may take a couple more months to get settled (moving, Christmas, both boys having birthdays, illness, and snow have made December and January tough months for settling in), but I feel that it will be worth it in the long run.
So, in any case, we are officially in Blount County now. (I hope that my decision not to run for State Executive Committe in the 6th District makes sense now to those who wondered why I decided not to run for the vacant position.) My political involvement is certainly not dead - not by a long shot. The right opportunity will come along - you'll just have to trust me on that front for now.
And this blog is not dead. Yes, I have been working almost entirely off of FaceBook for the past year or so, but I am committed to making this blog more active in 2011. Besides, 2010 wasn't much to write about, to be honest. 2011 - I have a feeling this year will be a bit more interesting...
Finally, I still have a home for sale in Knox County. It is just out of the Knoxville city limits (you can avoid paying city taxes by a couple of hundred yards), has nothing wrong with it (it was as maintenance free as any owner could ask of a home), is on a quiet cul-de-sac, is part of a great subdivision which goes all-out for just about every holiday (especially Halloween and Independence Day), and is a steal given that I have priced it about $13,000 below what I paid for it in 2007. Plus, you receive awesome representation in the General Assembly through Senator Jamie Woodson and Representative Bill Dunn. So, if you're feeling so inclined...
Labels: Education, Knox County Politics, Maryville, Relocating
Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 2:24 PM 
