If I didn’t live here…
If I didn’t live here in New England, I know exactly where my husband and I would have settled with our kids.
More than three decades ago, after graduating from the same college, my boyfriend moved to one of his favorite places on earth – a charming corner of the world where he spent summer vacations with his paternal grandparents, and where his older brother had put down roots.
About a year later, he convinced me to join him… and I’m so glad I did.
It’s true what they say about Minnesotans – they are kind and gentle people. And that sweet nature is reflected everywhere: from their beautiful, lush neighborhoods to the friendly corner shops to the patient way they drive. (They actually stop for pedestrians and say hello to strangers!)
After 5 wonderful years out there, we were now married with our first child on the way, and I was terribly homesick… so we moved back to the East Coast where we’ve lived (more or less) for the past 30 years. But I’ve never stopped thinking about Minnesota, and what life might have been like had we stayed.
This past weekend our oldest nephew married his college sweetheart in Minnesota
All the cousins — who flew in from New York, Maine, Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, and North Carolina — had a blast together! And, of course, we had to take our two kids down memory lane…
To our first home where they almost grew up,
To the lakes where they would have swam,
To the Mississippi River where they could have kayaked,
To the parks where they might have biked,
To the city where they would have lived and grown and flourished.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s more than a coincidence that the publisher of 3 of my 4 novels is headquartered in Minnesota… It was great to catch up with my editor, Amy Fitzgerald, in person at Lerner Books!
I love my New England life, and wouldn’t trade it for anywhere else… but a big piece of my heart will always be in L’Étoile du Nord — the Star of the North — my home away from home.
So where would YOU live if you didn’t live where you live now?
More than three decades ago, after graduating from the same college, my boyfriend moved to one of his favorite places on earth – a charming corner of the world where he spent summer vacations with his paternal grandparents, and where his older brother had put down roots.
About a year later, he convinced me to join him… and I’m so glad I did.
It’s true what they say about Minnesotans – they are kind and gentle people. And that sweet nature is reflected everywhere: from their beautiful, lush neighborhoods to the friendly corner shops to the patient way they drive. (They actually stop for pedestrians and say hello to strangers!)
After 5 wonderful years out there, we were now married with our first child on the way, and I was terribly homesick… so we moved back to the East Coast where we’ve lived (more or less) for the past 30 years. But I’ve never stopped thinking about Minnesota, and what life might have been like had we stayed.
This past weekend our oldest nephew married his college sweetheart in Minnesota
All the cousins — who flew in from New York, Maine, Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, and North Carolina — had a blast together! And, of course, we had to take our two kids down memory lane…To our first home where they almost grew up,
To the lakes where they would have swam,
To the Mississippi River where they could have kayaked,
To the parks where they might have biked,
To the city where they would have lived and grown and flourished.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s more than a coincidence that the publisher of 3 of my 4 novels is headquartered in Minnesota… It was great to catch up with my editor, Amy Fitzgerald, in person at Lerner Books!
I love my New England life, and wouldn’t trade it for anywhere else… but a big piece of my heart will always be in L’Étoile du Nord — the Star of the North — my home away from home.
So where would YOU live if you didn’t live where you live now?
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