what i've learned from Minnesota so far...10 things

Before my parents moved to Minnesota a couple years ago, the midwest was not even on my radar. Besides a brief two years in Virginia when I was really young, and my Freshman year of college at Missouri State, I have been a west coast dweller for most of my life. I had come out here a couple times before to visit my parents with my family, but it wasn't until Scott and I moved here last June that we really began to get a feel for midwest living in all of its glory (and it is glorious!) I have seriously loved being out here, despite some bone chilling days, and much more humidity than I am used to. But being out here has also exposed me to a thing or two you just don't really get until you live here. This is my list of things that I've learned since moving to Minnesota (with a few random photos placed throughout because what is a blog post without photos.)

1. The accents are no joke- I first noticed this when I was setting up my internship and would get phone calls asking for AY-lee instead of aaaaa-llie (short A). It is hilarious! All the ya, you betchas, dotcha knows, it is real folks, it is so real. Also, totally acceptable to pronounce bagel (BAY-gull) like BAG-ull or BAY-jel. I still laugh at it.

2. Cold takes on a whole new meaning here- Being an Alaska girl and going to college in Utah, I'm not a stranger to snow and ice and long winters, but you get to -20 out here and people don't even bat an eye. Just make sure you're armed with gobs of heavy duty lotion, and invest in a good pair of boots and winter coat (preferably knee length) and you can take on the world. Fashion goes out the window come January and all the matters is staying warm by whatever means possible. Try dressing for church when it's -30 out without looking amish. It isn't possible.

3. That being said, when we get a 20 or 30 degree front (which has been going on the last couple of weeks) it feels like paradise!!- Everyone talks about how warm it is, and you think that if it felt this way all year you would be totally okay with it.  It's funny how your body gets used to different climates.

4. St. Paul and Minneapolis are NOT. THE. SAME. THING.- I remember before moving out here just grouping the twin cities into one city. Like, yeah they're St. Paul and Minneapolis "technically" but really they're just the twin cities. Mistake. I quickly learned that people here have very strong preferences toward one city or the other, and they definitely have their own unique vibe. In case you're wondering, Minneapolis is more metro, fast paced, city vibe, and St. Paul is the low key, trendy, slightly high maintenence vibe. Jury is still out on which one I prefer.

5. Car washes are everything- When I told my preceptor about 3 weeks ago that (confession) I didn't think I had washed my car since before we moved out here (it hides dirt well...!) she was in literal shock. I have washed it since then, okay. But her disbelief was reasonably founded. When they salt here in the winter time they mean business. And it is totally normal to have to wait 20 minutes to get a car wash. You should see the lines on the weekends, like 10 cars lined up. And I timed it, a car wash takes 7 minutes. You do the math.

6. Casseroles aren't casseroles, they're "hot dish"- and they are the life blood of people here, the foundation of their food pyramid, if you will. (i'll have to share the recipe for the "hot dish" pictured above, it passes my health test and husbands taste test)

7. Dinner and supper are not interchangeable- You learn this one quick when you're a dietetic intern and your first rotation is in a weight loss clinic. And for all my west coast friends, our dinner is their supper. People would get confused when I asked what they had for dinner..."don't you mean supper?"...uhh yep, supper. I still haven't gotten used to this one.

8. It doesn't matter where you live in the metro area, you can get to where you need to be in 35 minutes or less- The only caveat to this is during rush hour, of course. This strange phenomenon is both a blessing and a curse. It has become a fun game for me and Scott every time we go somewhere new, we guess how long it is going to take us to get there. It doesn't matter if its in the center of St. Paul or the far west end of Minneapolis, it is between the 25-35 minute window 95% of the time.

9. Confrontation doesn't happen- If you watched How I Met Your Mother you know that Marshall joked about this a few times, and yeah, it's true. People hate and will avoid having a confrontation even if it means going home from work early to do so. But this is probably only because of number 10...

10. People here are really really super nice- I noticed it my first time ever visiting, and especially now living out here. People are friendly, inviting, and so geniune. Midwest hospitality is not a joke.

We have loved learning the culture of this new city and feel like we fit in well with everyone, even if we don't talk like them (yet!). I totally get it when people say that this place sucks you in because it is definitely doing it to me. I'm so glad this unexpected place popped up on our radar.