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Ten years ago today, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
careswen and I arrived in Minnesota, all of our worldly possession in a 36-foot Ryder truck, our car on the trailer behind it.
I had been working at Storm Lures as their shipping manager, and we were bought out by Rapala Lures. They offered to transfer me to Minnesota, but didn't offer enough pay to make the move worthwhile. Instead, I took the severance package, which turned out to be six-months pay.careswen had finished her degree at the University of Oklahoma, and we were looking for a major change. We considered several possible placed to move to, and chose Minneapolis because it had everything we wanted in amenities (parks, theatres, arts, music, museums, etc), low unemployment, a modest cost-of-living, and real winters.
When we arrived, we knew three people: my aunt and uncle, and a former co-worker (who later moved back to Oklahoma). We had six months worth of savings and no jobs. Most everyone back in Oklahoma thought we were making a mistake; that we’d be slinking back to Oklahoma and our families within six months. They tried to discourage us from moving so far away.
They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with. There were some difficult moments in the beginning, and there have been some challenges since, but neither of us has ever regretted moving here. It is, we think, one of smartest decisions we ever made, second only to getting married (another decision many back in OK thought was a bad idea).
Ten years later, we own a home, have careers and a future, have made many wonderful friends, and cannot imagine living anywhere but Minnesota.
As I look out my patio door on this chilly autumn day, I have to say I've come to love living here. May we have many more happy years in Minnesota, in this charming little city of Hopkins.
careswen and I arrived in Minnesota, all of our worldly possession in a 36-foot Ryder truck, our car on the trailer behind it. I had been working at Storm Lures as their shipping manager, and we were bought out by Rapala Lures. They offered to transfer me to Minnesota, but didn't offer enough pay to make the move worthwhile. Instead, I took the severance package, which turned out to be six-months pay.
careswen had finished her degree at the University of Oklahoma, and we were looking for a major change. We considered several possible placed to move to, and chose Minneapolis because it had everything we wanted in amenities (parks, theatres, arts, music, museums, etc), low unemployment, a modest cost-of-living, and real winters.When we arrived, we knew three people: my aunt and uncle, and a former co-worker (who later moved back to Oklahoma). We had six months worth of savings and no jobs. Most everyone back in Oklahoma thought we were making a mistake; that we’d be slinking back to Oklahoma and our families within six months. They tried to discourage us from moving so far away.
They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with. There were some difficult moments in the beginning, and there have been some challenges since, but neither of us has ever regretted moving here. It is, we think, one of smartest decisions we ever made, second only to getting married (another decision many back in OK thought was a bad idea).
Ten years later, we own a home, have careers and a future, have made many wonderful friends, and cannot imagine living anywhere but Minnesota.
As I look out my patio door on this chilly autumn day, I have to say I've come to love living here. May we have many more happy years in Minnesota, in this charming little city of Hopkins.
