There's No Place Like Home

Dorothy may have had it right when she spoke those now famous words. Even though she lived in Kansas . . . no thank you. But home is definitely a feeling of comfort, regardless of where you actually live. I have lived in Minnesota for four years (not including my college time) and even though I love our cozy townhouse and could really be happy living almost anywhere with Troy, sometimes Minnesota doesn't feel like home to me. When we go home to Chicago to visit family, it is always a whirlwind of events and though it is sometimes really stressful, I tear up almost every time we leave. I have usually composed myself by the time we get to the Belvidere Oasis - or on good trips - Medieval Times. Troy is a great sport about it too; he'll pat my knee and let me have my moment until I can behave like a grown up again.

To be honest, I don't even know if I would want to move back to Illinois, much to my parents' dismay. Sometimes I think it would be fun to live somewhere other than the Midwest, much to Troy's parents' dismay. However, I have tried to make the best of living in Minnesota. I have made some great friends, we belong to a fantastic church and we have good jobs. There are just a few things that I can't get over that are Pure Minnesota:

1. Popcorn Ceilings. Umm, what are you trying to hide up there? Mold, cracks, little critters? Not to mention what a major pain it is to paint the walls when you have these little balls of who-knows-what hanging for dear life in an unnatural, upside-down state.

2. Hunters. Everyone hunts here, expect for Troy and me. I actually know people who take time off of work to go get Bambi, strap him to the hood of the truck and mount his head on the family room wall! I went to a friend's house and hung up my coat in the closet. There was this weird looking duffel and I teased him about it being a body bag. Then he told me that was where he kept his hunting riffles. Umm, what? In your front hall closet? Weird.

3. Crappy Pizza. Trust me.

4. Passive Drivers. Oh man, I am really opening up a can with this one. The thing of it is, that Minnesotans are just too darn nice and this extends into the driving. No, really, it's not my turn, just go already.

5. Blizzards over Spring Break. There is always a snowstorm near the end of March/beginning of April that puts me over the edge.

6. Ice Fishing. Let me get this straight, you want me to drive out in the middle of the lake in your truck, drill a hole in the ice and sit there all day? Just because you call it a "house" doesn't mean I want to hang out there. I don't care how thick the ice is, I would rather stay in my real house,and drink hot chocolate without fear of going for an impromptu polar swim.


7. Peppermint Bon Bon Ice Cream. When anyone else in the country orders this delicious treat, they are expecting to receive pink ice cream with candy cane or peppermint bits swirled around. When Minnesotans order this, they expect to get what the rest of us know as Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. I have had many a disappointed desert experience due to this.

Now, before all you die-hard Minnesotans come after me, I thought it would only be fair to also list things that I like about Minnesota. Tonia, this is for you.

1. Long Summer Nights. It seriously doesn't get dark until after 9 or 9:30 in the summertime. I can definately tell a difference between a summer night here and a summer night in Chicago. It is awesome. It is also the reason why things don't get done at my house because I am always thinking, "It can't be that late, it's still light outside."

2. Minnesota Accents. These are the best, and if you can find a grandpa or grandma with one, it's even better. Be warned, it is addicting and I find myself dropping the long "o" more often than not. If you have not heard a Minnesotan accent, enjoy this clip. Bobby's mom has a great one.

3. No Sales Tax on Clothes. Awesomeness. Enough said.

4. Skyways. For those of you who don't know, these are enclosed hallways that are connected to the buildings in Minneapolis which makes it awesome for walking around downtown in the winter.

There, now that I got that off my chest, it is important to realize that even if we moved to Hawaii tomorrow, I would probably still be homesick for Chicago, WGN and Italian Beef sandwiches, and still have a list of things that I thought was weird about my new habitat . . . granted, if we moved to Hawaii, that list would be much shorter and might only have the crappy pizza comment.