I moved from NY to Illinois

I went home today for lunch & fed my fish. Above is a picture of my fish pond.

DH got a job at Western Illinois University. Great position at assistant professor, tenure track, heading up the music business program at the school of music. It offered a full time job with benefits, security, lower cost of living, a more relaxed lifestyle. So after much soul-searching, we moved.

I resigned my job in NY & was lucky enough to find a new job also at WIU as a graphic designer in the University Relations department.

We found a beautiful house. Just to let you know the cost differnce: we got about twice the size of house for about half the price. It's 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, fireplace, front porch, back deck with a gazebo & fish pond, on a cul-de-sac accross from a park. The house is less than a mile from the university, so I can go home at lunch time, like I did today.

We're still getting over the culture shock. It's so Mayberry. We've been welcomed to the neighborhood with homemade cookies, bread & flowers. Wow! People are so nice, kids are polite, there's no traffic, it's quiet: not planes, trains, sirens, horns. But there's miles & miles of cornfields, the shopping is limited to Walmart, few restaurant choices, and there's a lot of hicks who for some reason ask me for a ride (as if!).

DS20 is going to WIU. DS15 is going to high school. He's joined the marching band, which in NY is geeky, but in IL is the cool thing to do. This band wins all sorts of awards. And best of all, he likes his new friends. DS8 started making friends from day 1, and plays outside everyday until dark.

I try to stay open-minded & optimistic about being in Illinois. Sure, I miss family & friends, but on the whole, it was the best move for us.