First of all, this makes me nervous on your behalf: Thus, I feel sort of obliged to live nearer to him and my mom That's a really crappy reason to do anything,

First of all, this makes me nervous on your behalf: Thus, I feel sort of obliged to live nearer to him and my mom That's a really crappy reason to do anything, much less a major life change. Talk to them about what they want, and get your own motivation clear. $100,000 in salary differential pays for a lot of people to "help out" in a professional capacity. If you all decide that moving there for six months is the best option, talk to your boss about taking an unpaid leave of absence. If you are valuable to your current employer, this is a no-brainer on their part-- it will take them at least that long to get somebody new up to speed, if your job is at all complex. Finally: look at consulting type gigs, rather than trying to get hired outright in North Dakota, especially if you are only planning on being there for six months. You'll make more money that way, too. Presumably, you've got skills somebody will pay for.