Age: It's all in the eye of the beholder....

And apparently to the kid in front of us at the hockey game today - we were too old to know (or sing) Kid Rock songs.

Kelscraggly and I went to a RoughRiders hockey game tonight. The Roughriders are part of the USHL junior league. The oldest player was born in 1985 with the youngest born in 1988. But this did not make me feel old.

The game was a 2 for 1 deal with Iowa/Iowa State playing first. It came to my attention that I have been out of college for almost 10 years. That alone did not make me feel old.

The kid who sat in front of us was 13 and would turn around regularly to see Kelscraggly with a big ole can of Labatt Blue in her hand just having a grand ole time. To us: we're just kids - having a few beers and watching other kids play hockey. To the kid in front of us: we were weird old people that had a few too many. This - made me feel a wee bit old.

Why? Not sure. I always thought I had a "connection" with youth because of my wit and charm. This young man thought Kelscraggly and I were insane. That is until Kelscraggly got hit with a hockey puck and didn't even flinch. I entered "cool" when I made a witty comment about keeping your hands on your own stick when the other team grabbed one of our teammembers sticks.

I suppose I can't pretend anymore - I am reaching the age when songs from my youth are played on classic rock stations and Halloween costumes are based on TV shows that I used to watch! How do we fight it? Crimp your hair, peg your jeans and walk around on Halloween as if you didn't dress like this 20 years ago - and feel good about it!

Chicagoland it's a real place....

In case you haven't figured it out yet - I am originally from Northwest Indiana (Lake County, IN) 40 miles southeast of Chicago's Loop. Some (like kelscraggly :-) feel that although I grew up with Chicago radio and television that I should not consider myself a Chicagolander.

Well - I do. I grew up listening to WLS (on the AM with Larry Lujack).

I fought the traffic on I 80/94 - and if you aren't familar with the area: "Chicago traffic is really bad. Folks think Boston's is bad, but according to a ten year longitudinal study, Chicago's traffic is third worst in the country, trailing only LA's and NYC's." (taken from http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/2005/09/chicago-traffic-reports)

Even Wikipedia says Chicagoland is a real place http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicagoland and it even includes Wisconsin (who knew!)

As for the "Armpit of America" I am not the only person out there who believes that Gary should be labeled as such. DVD Talk posted a forum http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/printthread.php?t=381978&pp=40 related to the subject. Glad to see I am not the only one!

Mr. Men on LIfe

If you haven't read the Mr. Men/Little Miss series of books you should. I have adopted Mr. Happy as my own personal step-by-step guide to life's little problems.

I received my very first (and only) Mr. Men book when I was 8. I still own it. I have it sitting next to my computer and the picture of Mr. Happy is enough to "turn my mouth up at the corners" when things aren't going my way. This book was the start of what some might say is infectious positivity.

Alright - that's almost enough to make my mother barf - but it's true (in it's own sick way). In fact there aren't many of us "positive" people out there. Here's what I mean.

Our company does a Gallup test called "StrengthsQuest". It's all the rage is companies trying to find the best way to work with their employees. If you are not familiar with this "test" here is a brief summary.

The assessment tool asks a series of questions to help determine what your top 5 (out of 36) strengths are. This way an employer, instructor or student can work/learn best based on their strengths.

My top 5 strengths are WOO: (Winning others over) , Communication, Arranger (see Arranger vs Pack Rats post for an indepth look), Achiever and Positivity.

"So what" you say? Well my company has every employee take this "test". Out of 70 staff and faculty members - I am the ONLY positivity.

Guess I can thank Mr. Happy for my lighthearted look at life!

Chicago Fan for life....

OK I have to admit. I grew up a Cubs fan. I still am.

After moving to Iowa I found that I watch whatever Chicago team is on TV - and having married a White Sox fan (yes also a Chicagoland native) I find myself drawn to the White Sox and their AMAZING season thus far.

Bandwagon jumper? Not really - been watching the Sox for years. I love baseball - and I love Chicago sports teams. Needless to say I am thrilled to see the "blue collar" team of Chicago succeed.

Game 2 has so far proven to be just as exciting as the rest of the season - and I hope for the cursed teams of the MLB that Ozzie's boys pull this one off.

As for the Cubs? There's always next year!

Iowa's state tree is NOT a telephone pole....

It's peak color time.
Brad and I took a drive to some of our favorite spots to dispell the myth.
Enjoy!

A funny thing happened in Iowa last night....

Trip to South Dakota to shoot the mule deer: $500.

Cost to mount the head: $500

Telling your friends that your deer mount fell from the sky, an antler hit a girl on the head, caused the fire department, police and ambulance to report to the local college and the deer lived to tell about it: PRICELESS.

To everyone else: it's just a deer mount. To me: it's a story of a lifetime.

Arranger vs Pack Rat

I am an Arranger. I like things orderly. If someone moves my stapler - I move it back. Today I reorganized my filing system - again - and I enjoyed it.

They say there is a condition for my behavior - OCD. I can live with that. What I can't live with is: the Pack Rat and it's aftermath.

The photo above closely resembles many of the faculty desks at the college. For obvious reasons I avoid their offices as often as I can - for fear I might start to clean.

They are currently relocating to an office where they have smaller "personal" space. One of the instructors (who shall remain nameless) cleared most of his office today - and the amount of crap he removed from his current (5'x5') space greatly disturbed me.

Below is a short list of the items he had to take home:

• 1 - 24 can case of Coke
• 1 - 24 bottle case of Coke
• 1 crockpot - with crusty food still located at the bottom
• 3 calendars
• 3 shot glasses
• 2 coffee mugs

The sad part about this list: I didn't know he had ANY of it in his office until today.

This is what frightens me when my parents pass. They too are pack rats. I asked my mother 7 years ago for a cappuccino maker. She still hasn't found it. She mentioned she would give it to me when she found it. Still waiting. I wonder how long it will be......

This is a small example of my mother's obsession.....know what this room needs? An ass load of nutcrackers!

The things we leave behind

When relocating to new areas leaving family and friends can be the most difficult part of the move.







The In-laws












The family....








One of the most difficult things we had to endure when moving to Iowa was what we left behind. Don't get me wrong - there is something to be said for distance between family members (mom doesn't call every other day to have us fix a computer or remove some dead animal from under their porch - but that's for another time). I will say that times like those in the photos cannot be enjoyed as often; however when we do see each other the time is well spent.

So how have we coped from being far from family? We have made our own.














This is part of our Iowa family - and we hope to add more! We have an Indiana import (Scraggly), a Georgia return (ELK) and an Iowa lifer (Whit). Sure they will never fully replace our family - but they do help fill the void - and make you feel a little closer to home.

Ahh...the life....

Where people matter...

As my husband and I sat watching Numb3rs (Episode #16) Obsession - I had an epiphany of what makes Iowa special. The celebrity on the show was quoted as saying "It's better than the alternative.....moving to Gary, Indiana. My mother lives there, no one pays attention to you there"

I lived just south of Gary for most of my life - I can attest to the truth of that statement. The only time someone payed attention to you was when you stole their parking spot at the mall...and then it wasn't a pleasant experience. There were many times that my husband and I actually believed we were indeed invisible. On more than one occassion we found ourselves sitting in an eating establishment for more than 20 minutes without one person stopping at our booth to offer us assistance.

Cedar Rapids home of 120,758 people is a big city with a small town mentality. When you drive down the street, people wave. When someone asks you how you are; they really want to know. Iowans are genuine, honest and friendly. I am even on a barter system to have my dog groomed.

The news is full of feel-good stories. I used to find this odd. Now I find it oddly comforting. Never would I think of my morning weatherman as "the guy next door".

Iowans often ask me why I would ever want to leave a place so close to Chicago - I sometimes wonder why it took me so long to leave.

From Chicagoland to Farmland

Cedar Rapids, Iowa


















Gary, Indiana (The Armpit of America)

Seven years ago my father-in-law was offered a job in Cedar Rapids, IA. My first impression (upon hearing and not visiting) was less than favorable.

But here I am, 7 years later living (and loving I might add) the beauty of Iowa. My blog is devoted to the reasons we chose to move and the reasons we choose to stay. Enjoy!

Welcome to Chep's House

**From the Armpit of America to the Hog Capital of the World - how I survived the transition**








**Perfectly normal looking couple - in Iowa - shocked?**

Halloween of years past....