RE: Am I just extremely old-fashioned?
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I met a woman in 1994 from Minnesota online when I was still living in Ohio and ended up moving 800 miles from my family to start a new life with her. That relationship ended after a decade but, exactly thirty years later, I've never left Minnesota. The decision was a huge double-edged sword for me. It didn't weigh on me as much when I was younger but it does now. I've built a decent life but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some regret. I've grown in ways that I wouldn't have if I would have stayed in Ohio, I realize that. Even after every effort to stay close, the years away have caused my family and I to drift in some ways. I don't feel like I'm part of my nieces and nephews lives as much as I'd like to be. I missed a lot of moments with my parents too. For a variety of reasons the visits are one-sided, I'm the one always traveling there. The realization of this causes me some sadness. Everything comes with a price and I think we just have to ask ourselves if it's worth it.
I think so, as well. Were there times when you considered moving back, say after the relationship ended? I think that's one of the biggest draws, even if you're not living, say, kids back in another state/country, but missing out on those family moments. But then again, in some ways, it might come at the cost of not making a family (or one that's right for you) of your own. As you said, one must weigh pros and cons.
After my divorce in 2005 I was very close to moving back but the timing wasn't great. My brother and parents had relocated to central Florida a few years before that and Florida wasn't a place I could see myself living year-round. They all moved back to Ohio around 2010 but by then I was remarried and my new wife wasn't interested in relocating.