You know you don't live in NW Iowa anymore when ....

Thought I would share some of the things that pop out at me that are remarkably different from living in Spencer.

You know you don't live in NW Iowa anymore when you check the temperature this time of year and the real feel temp is higher than what it actually is or when you do that in the summer and the real feel temp is LOWER that what it actually is.

You know you don't live in NW Iowa anymore when you go to the grocery store and there is not a long line of Christmas trees leaning up against the building.  

Or when you get an alert on your phone for Air Stagnation Warning.  Or dust storms that are common and the tumble weeds a normal sight.

I've also noticed a few things in speech, such as nativity is pronounced with a long "a" sound and when people are talking about the Hawks, it is not U of Iowa, but the Seattle Seahawks. ;)

Distance from place to another is described in minutes, not miles or blocks.

Your granddaughter comes home from school with a note saying they had a cougar siting this morning near their school.

You hear on the radio that the season for putting on your tire chains is now.

When having a sprinkler system in your yard is a necessity and not a luxury.

Yesterday was Black Friday.  A cool thing I noticed was all the businesses that gave the day off to their employees.  Not those in retail of course, but many others.  It was a gift to spend more time with their families.  

The Tri Cities is an amazing place to raise a family.  The school systems are award winning.  It is fast growing and full of extremely kind, happy, and talkative people.  Some say it is because of all the sunshine and wine.  Hahahaha.  I'm not sure why, but I will definitely say the sunshine is fantastic and I am enjoying the way you can have a conversation with a person so easily.  Ex. - I did run to Hobby Lobby last night for a couple of things expecting to find a store in disarray and employees ready to go home.  But what I found instead was that with both encounters I had with employees, they began the conversations, shared smiles on their faces and wished me well as I was leaving.  (And yes, they did work all day)

I know I have grumpy times, hurried times, and frustrated times.  But no matter where you live, or how things are different - share a smile with those around you.  Put aside what is frustrating you - many times after a little while you realize it isn't such a big deal.  And slow down - time really does pass by too fast.  Don't have any regrets about places and people you wish you would have seen.  

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.  Romans 12:9-10