10 things I'll miss about Indiana
Well, here I am, with only one more week left in Indiana before the big move. Yikes! Change is exciting but it can also be a little scary and a little sad. I've been thinking about some of the things I'll miss about Indiana . . . here's what I've come up with so far:
1. My Hoosier friends! You know who you are! (Yes, YOU!)
2. The amazing local food scene . . . farmers' markets, vendors, producers, farmers, chefs. It was here in Indiana that I really began to appreciate homegrown food and what it takes to get food to the plate.
3. Bloomington. It's true that I've only been there once in the last four years, but Bloomington, Indiana is a special place. I love the thriving "college town" atmosphere and the campus with its pretty limestone buildings. And Bloomington is where I met Sandy! And KT! And Amyd! And several other cool/awesome people.
4. Long's Donuts. What can I say. (That was not intended to be a question.)
5. Bjava Coffee. Best coffee around. Period.
6. Cheap housing. Indianapolis has one of the lowest housing costs in the United States. It was only because of this fact that I was able to live in a 5,000 square foot house for the past three years. Now I'm moving into a 2BR apartment in Charlotte. The irony. (At least it's not like in San Francisco. If it were, I'd probably be moving into my friend Q's guest room closet. LOL!)
7. Predictably unpredictable weather. They have a saying here in Indiana: "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes." There seems to be a lot of truth in this. Just today, for example: it was sunny, then it was cloudy, then it was sunny, then it looked like a tornado might come along, then it was sunny, then it poured rain, then it was sunny. All this happened in about a two hour period. Weird, I know, but it's never boring. Oh, by the way: I never knew what a "frontal system" was until I moved to Indiana. This is because Indiana is the only state that gets frontal systems. (Um, just kidding.)
8. The colorful autumns. I never fully appreciated the fall season until I moved to Indiana. OK, so there are parts of Indiana that don't have many trees (we call them cornfields . . . or new subdivisions), the places that do have trees put on an amazing show around mid-October or so. The reds, oranges, and yellows of Brown County State Park (for example) rival what you might find in Vermont or New Hampshire. It's simply amazing.
9. Colts football. I realize I'm moving to Carolina Panthers country. But I'm not sure I'll ever get as excited about Panthers football as I did about Colts football these last few years. I mean, it could happen, I suppose. (Will have to revisit this in a few years . . . if my new co-workers haven't run me off by then for talking too much smack during football season.)
10. There really is such a thing as Hoosier Hospitality. Most people here tend to be very friendly, and they'll go out of their way to help you if you need it. I'll miss that.
Yeah, I could probably list a lot more things I'll miss, but my limit here is ten. However, I'm sure that one day in the not-too-distant future I'll think of something else. That's what reminiscing is for!
Thank you, Indiana, for giving me the best 14 years of my life (so far)!
1. My Hoosier friends! You know who you are! (Yes, YOU!)
2. The amazing local food scene . . . farmers' markets, vendors, producers, farmers, chefs. It was here in Indiana that I really began to appreciate homegrown food and what it takes to get food to the plate.
3. Bloomington. It's true that I've only been there once in the last four years, but Bloomington, Indiana is a special place. I love the thriving "college town" atmosphere and the campus with its pretty limestone buildings. And Bloomington is where I met Sandy! And KT! And Amyd! And several other cool/awesome people.
4. Long's Donuts. What can I say. (That was not intended to be a question.)
5. Bjava Coffee. Best coffee around. Period.
6. Cheap housing. Indianapolis has one of the lowest housing costs in the United States. It was only because of this fact that I was able to live in a 5,000 square foot house for the past three years. Now I'm moving into a 2BR apartment in Charlotte. The irony. (At least it's not like in San Francisco. If it were, I'd probably be moving into my friend Q's guest room closet. LOL!)
7. Predictably unpredictable weather. They have a saying here in Indiana: "If you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes." There seems to be a lot of truth in this. Just today, for example: it was sunny, then it was cloudy, then it was sunny, then it looked like a tornado might come along, then it was sunny, then it poured rain, then it was sunny. All this happened in about a two hour period. Weird, I know, but it's never boring. Oh, by the way: I never knew what a "frontal system" was until I moved to Indiana. This is because Indiana is the only state that gets frontal systems. (Um, just kidding.)
8. The colorful autumns. I never fully appreciated the fall season until I moved to Indiana. OK, so there are parts of Indiana that don't have many trees (we call them cornfields . . . or new subdivisions), the places that do have trees put on an amazing show around mid-October or so. The reds, oranges, and yellows of Brown County State Park (for example) rival what you might find in Vermont or New Hampshire. It's simply amazing.
9. Colts football. I realize I'm moving to Carolina Panthers country. But I'm not sure I'll ever get as excited about Panthers football as I did about Colts football these last few years. I mean, it could happen, I suppose. (Will have to revisit this in a few years . . . if my new co-workers haven't run me off by then for talking too much smack during football season.)
10. There really is such a thing as Hoosier Hospitality. Most people here tend to be very friendly, and they'll go out of their way to help you if you need it. I'll miss that.
Yeah, I could probably list a lot more things I'll miss, but my limit here is ten. However, I'm sure that one day in the not-too-distant future I'll think of something else. That's what reminiscing is for!
Thank you, Indiana, for giving me the best 14 years of my life (so far)!
