Only in America, or, You'll Be a Jewish Family Living WHERE?

It was the punchine of at least a hundred jokes growing up. It was also the "not" answer of questions like "Where will you be in 10 years?" It was a place where nobody actually LIVED...they just went to ski and then came back HOME. Certainly, it was not a place where any Jewish person would live......

In the once-again prove that life can throw anything at you, don't count your chickens before they hatch, book of YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME world that we live in....well......YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!! I am moving to...Utah?

As many of you already know - this is indeed the truth. We are moving to freaking UTAH. As I have gathered from reading the most recent edition of Mormon for Dummies, there ARE people who live in Utah - MANY of them. Now, there are just 4,000 Jews in Salt Lake City....there are 4,000 Jews on my block here in Cherry Hill....so...the change will be interesting.

For those who did not get the e-mail I sent last night, it is re-printed here at the end of this post forever to be archived. This way, I can remind myself when I visit my blog that I AM MOVING TO UTAH.

It's a good thing. No, it's a freaking GREAT thing. Deb and I believe that. Now YOU all PLEASE believe us!!! Thus far, the only issues we have encountered are people refusing to believe that we are really into this move! I can go into the tearing-the-scab-off-a-wound-that-is-not-yet-healed feeling of taking the kids away from their grandparents for a few years but I won't...yet. Read my blog in a few months when this happens and I am sure you will see plenty of that. No, the fact is that this is a phenominal adventure that we are being given the precious opportunity to embark upon. Does anyone out there honestly believe that they could take their families to a town of snow-covered mountains to live in God's country for a few years and NOT come back better for it? This is a gift! The chance for our family to grow on it's own for a few years, a chance for us to bond and see more. More culture, more climate, more mountains!! How could we not come back "more" people"??? And we DO have plans to return. We truly want our children to grow up near their entire families. That's part of the dream too.

We are moving to Utah. I'll be making several trips over the next few weeks and cannot wait to post the pictures here. Many of you have already pledged they would visit. PLEASE don't just say this! We will have a big house - plenty of room and we can't wait to share this with everyone. You have all been so supportive and, although I know it's difficult for some, please believe that we are sincere about coming back and know that your love and support have meant more than you know. We don't think we could have made this decision without believing that we had that support.

So, UTAH - get ready for the Yid population to triple! I think you hear us knockin', I think we're comin' in, and we're bringing bagels, lox and TONS OF CHUTZPAH with us!

Friends and Family…

Let me first apologize for not personally calling many of you. There is too much to explain and still too many questions that I can’t yet answer. While not as personal, e-mail gives me the opportunity to reach out to many of you at once and it’s a heck of a lot easier!!

So here’s the scoop…

Today I was offered a Director’s position with my company (Marlin Leasing). It’s by far the biggest promotion offer of my life and my ticket to lifelong success and job security for me and the family.

Here’s the kicker.

The job is in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I’ve been given the weekend to consider the offer and talk it over with my family. For us, it’s not that hard of a decision. I can tell you almost definitely, we are headed for the mountains.

I will have the responsibility to start the operation from scratch. The office does not even have a computer or a desk in it yet, let alone employees. They want to open on November 1^st with seven sales people and myself. I know – I have a lot of work to do.

So…does anyone want to start a career in financial sales and relocate to Utah? Send me your resumes!!

The plan will be for us to sell our house quickly and pick a house out there quickly. Deb and the kids would stay here (Moms!) and Deb will give birth to Littlefoot at Virtua Hospital in mid-November. I will be living in Utah and come home for the birth and Thanksgiving. Sometime after Thanksgiving, when Littlefoot can fly, Deb and the kids will come out and join me in our new home.

My commitment with Marlin is for two years. My thinking is between 3-5 years. We have strong feelings about not staying longer so that our children can grow up with their families. So far, in Marlin’s history, this has been the pattern.

Candice found flights for $250 round trip!!! Will have 5 bedrooms in our house so you all have to come keep us company now and again!!!

Maybe we will be up for some sort of Jewish Nobel Peace Prize for tripling the Jewish population in Utah when we move….

We told Elijah about this and he’s excited to go on “a Borenstein adventure to the mountains.” It will be a family bonding experience and I am sure that we will emerge from this as a tight family unit and be better for it in the long haul.

I will have more details over the next week or so. I am sure I will be speaking to or e-mailing all of you as those details come in. I know that the office is at the base of a snow capped mountain in Salt Lake and Deb has already been in touch with a realtor and with the JCC there. As usual, more details will also be posted on my weblog at www.671967.blogspot.com.

Thanks again everyone for your support throughout this process. Our home is open to all of you and don’t get used to us being gone cause the BORENSTEIN BBQ’S WILL BE RETURNING BEFORE LONG!!!!! And yes, Mikey, you will again see me sweating at the grill….

JB