As you can imagine, the topic of conversation in our little apartment has been "stay or go?" We've looked at it from every angle, made pro and con lists (see below), put all sorts of scenarios before one another. The feeling of the hour: we want to stay here in Florida.

Today Alan approached the owner of the local company where he works with the news he's been offered another position. Because the owner was on his way to meeting with someone else, they tabled the discussion until tomorrow.

The response from the owner is crucial--it will be a deciding factor. If the owner really wants Alan to stay with his company, he will give him the salary that he should have given him in the first place. If he declines, well...there's our answer.

There are other good things about moving to Iowa: the main thing is owning our own home as opposed to throwing money away renting every month. We can get so much more house in Iowa than in Florida, although it is definitely a buyer's market again down here.

I've been asking lots of friends about what they would do if given the chance. Believe it or not, the overwhelming response has been....go.

We should have a clearer picture of things by tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for all your great advice and support.