Loving Minnesota

A friend recently said to me "I hope Minneapolis grows on you again" to which I said, 'I know, I need to make more of an effort to love this city again'. And it's true. Minneapolis really IS a great place to live, and it's not like I don't like Minneapolis. It's just that I really really miss Brooklyn. Aside from the obviousness of it being in New York and all the cool and exciting things that go along with that, it was also our first home as a married couple, and then later as a little family. Charles was born there. My first interpreting job was there. In Brooklyn we made close friends who feel like family. It was even a big part of our relationship as Chris and I became friends and later in a dating relationship and it shaped our love for ministry in the city. Brooklyn will forever have a special place in my heart. Always.

But Minneapolis can have a place in my heart too. After all, it's where I grew up. Our family is here. Our lifelong friends whom we have known our whole lives are here. It's our roots. And did you know that Minneapolis was named 'Most Hipster State in the US'? beating Williamsburg, NY?
Bicycling.com named Minneapolis the #1Bike City. (ps, one of the first things I did when we moved back was buy a bike! A beautiful old Strider for $20 at a garage sale- another great thing about living here! Garage Sales!)

Parenting rated Minneapolis number 4 on it's 'Best Cities to Live in & Raise a Family' list.
Minneapolis is also said to be the third top theater city in the United States, with the second most theaters per capita in the country.
And, Forbes says that Minneapolis is the number one healthiest city to live in.

All this is not to say that I need someone else to tell me how great Minneapolis is, but at times, when I am really missing Brooklyn and the people we left, it does help. What else helps? Impromptu lunches with family, Saturdays spent with friends, food, and movies, taking walks and chatting with a close girlfriend, coffee and shopping with my mom, plenty of lakes and parks to chose from. These are just a few things that are great about living here. Sure, I miss Brooklyn. I miss Sharon and Irene and Lindsay, Prospect Park, the City, Park Slope, our stoop, 2EFC.. but I am learning that liking Minneapolis doesn't mean forgetting Brooklyn. My heart is big enough to hold both of these cites, and all of these people.