I lived in Chicago until I was 34 and I loved it!!! However, I started to think about moving. I felt I needed a change. I know the saying "where ever you go, there you are" but I was hoping it didn't apply to me...that somehow I was different. I wanted to go to Oregon. We spent most summers there growing up. My mom grew up there, her family still lived there and both my parents went to college together at OSU. Every summer, Dad would drive all of us out there in the wagon. It was burgundy and that stuff that was like wood paneling. It would take us about 5 days. My Dad would then fly home and come back and get us months later. I know it's crazy but he is a workaholic. Much of what he did, still does, wouldn't make sense to anyone but someone with this particular addiction. I love the ocean, the big waves and rocky coast, the trees, even the rain. On my way to Oregon, I ended up in Minnesota don't ask me how. I wasn't too sure about my choice until I went "Up North". This is what people do here.They go "Up North" It was then I knew I could live here. Lake Superior is oceanlike, the boundary waters are amazing, trails and trees. I fell in love with Minnesota and decided I was in the perfect place after all. I love ALL the seasons....yes even winter...and Oregon doesn't have what I would consider winter. I love the sense of renewal the seasons provide. I guess I like the Midwest. It's the perfect place to travel from....