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Sunday marks our second anniversary as North Carolinians (and ex-Chicagoans).
Love the weather in the winter, spring and fall; miss seeing all those sailboats on Lake Michigan in the summer.
Love the year-round golf; miss teeing it up with the Chicago buddies who used to take my money on the course.
Love getting away from Chicago and Illinois politics; hate North Carolina politics.
Love hearing folks say "y'all"; miss hearing folks say "da boata dem."
Love having an affordable house on a quiet cul de sac; miss living in an apartment in the heart of Lakeview with lake and city views.
Love having gotten in with some local Marquette alums; miss being close enough to Milwaukee to go to games.
Love that a 30-minute rush-hour commute is considered "long"; hate that we pretty much have to drive everywhere in a pedestrian-unfriendly city with lousy public transportation.
Love playing 12-inch softball again; miss covering big-league baseball.
Love the cheesy grits; miss the pizza -- and most other Chicago foods.
Love the friends we have made here; miss the friends we left behind there (and really miss Ben and Katie there).
Will we spend the rest of our lives in the Charlotte area? Who knows? Will we ever move back to Chicago? Who knows?
Life is an adventure, and our journey has taken us here. Why fight it, y'all?
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as someone who has moved around the country...i have never "fallen in love" with places like some people do or at least the places i do fall in love with you can't get a job...like door county or glacier national park...america has so much to see...i am glad that i lived in madison but am happy to have lived in clearwater..though i am glad i am not there now...
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Doug. I enjoyed living in Milwaukee, Madison, the Twin Cities and Chicago. Too early to tell if Charlotte will get a big thumbs-up, but we like it OK so far.
ReplyDeleteOh, forgot to mention the place I spent my first 18 years: Milford, Conn. Home of Bic pens, Schick razors and, formerly both Milford Jai-Alai and the Nadel family.
When I look on a map for a good spot to retire, I always end up pointing at North Carolina. I have no idea why although I do remember thinking it was quite beautiful back in the days of family vacations and camping out. Glad to hear you are enjoying it, even though it's not perfect. I suspect no place is, as you so well pointed out. ~Belle
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