Minnesota or Bust!
Yep, we’re moving to Minnesota. This an inside joke with my
family— The Minnesotan “yep” is as prevalent as the Canadian "eh"
which has been famously parodied on SNL. I spent four days there house hunting
and noticed they say it a lot. I came home saying it, and now I can’t stop.
Nope.Why Minnesota?
Why would we want to move to Minnesota? I'm a
California girl born and raised, but our family is adventurous (rock climbing,
mountaineering, etc.). So when my husband was told in order to advance his career
he should consider relocating to Minnesota, we thought, “Why not?” For those of you who
don't know, 3M stands for "Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing"
company. Sure we would be leaving almost all of our family, our friends,
the 270 days per year of sunshine, but 3M is a great company. Not to mention
that we can buy a house twice the size of the one we are renting in
California! “Have You Ever Lived in the Snow?”
Besides the question of “why Minnesota?,” the second question people
asked was, “Have You Ever Lived in the Snow?” The answer is “no,” however I
have camped in the snow at 13,000 feet. Does that count? I’m trying not to
obsess about the weather, although as I write this the high in Los Angeles
today will be about 85 degrees, while the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
will have a high of 38 degrees. At the same time, I do want to be prepared.
Down stadium parka—check! snow boots—check!; giant flask of Jack
Daniels—check!; St. Bernard to carry giant flask of Jack Daniels—I’ll have to
work on that. 
One word. Sunshine. I know that's sacrilege to say,
and someday very soon I will regret taking it for granted, but believe it or
not, we get tired of the sunshine. Well, it's not so much the sunshine as the
heat in L.A. People think Californians are so healthy because we can exercise
outdoors year-round, but according to the statistics, Minnesotans are
healthier. What they don't tell you is that the heat keeps you indoors a lot
during the summer and makes you lethargic. Also, it's no secret that the air
quality isn't so great in L.A. People who have spent their lives in California
like to point out how much better it is now than in the Seventies, and it is,
but in a state of 37 million compared to 5 million in Minnesota, you are bound
to have more air pollution. Although moving from California to Minnesota may
seem a little extreme (I currently own more tank tops than scarves), I won’t
miss the smog, the heat, and the traffic.
Palm Trees and Water
Tanks
I noticed when we visited that just about every suburb east
of St. Paul has water towers reaching into the skyline. I wondered if they were
used for agriculture, for drinking water, or were outdated relics of another
era. We were told they were still in use, but nobody could tell us for what. In
one area we could see four different water towers off in the distance. It was
surreal, like a Sci-Fi movie where aliens take over Earth, and start building
bizarre structures to facilitate the destruction of mankind. In L.A.we have palm trees. And though
they may seem exotic or romantic, the fact that they are
seen everywhere from Beverly Hills to the poorest neighborhoods of East L.A., takes away some of the romance.
Bye, Bye Surfboard
And lastly, as part of our final move preparations, I sold
my beloved surfboard. No, not everybody in California surfs, but I was always a
tomboy. My husband said I should keep it, but I gave it to a good home with a
nice surfing family who will actually put it in the water rather than keeping
it locked away in a basement like some man-made creature gone bad.
A New Chapter
So, here we are in the final countdown with 18 days until
move time when we completely dismantle our life as we know it and start anew. A
new adventure, or...? It remains to be seen. Stay tuned.
