Now does that make a stitch of sense to you?!
I was thinking, earlier today, of what a treat it would be to go sit down at a Starbucks. *Gasp* Sit down?! Yeah. Like, as in sit down, drink a tall nonfat Caramel Macch1ato (my favorite. for life.) and read a
Of course, the reality is that that would never happen. Never did when I did live near a Starbucks (in MI). I'd have to get a sitter for the kids and whenever I get a sitter, I feel the need to run errands because it's such a treat to grocery shop. Without them. And thus leaving a quiet hour spent at Starbucks...in my dreams.
But, still, doesn't it sound like a treat?
I also was thinking of how it'd be so nice to go to a nice restaurant. When I say 'nice', I'm not referring to some fancy formal restaurant nice. I'm talking about TGI Fr1days or Ol1ve Garden or Red L0bster nice. The nearest of any of these restaurants is not so very near. It's about a day trip away. But I've been having my cravings for a touch of the city, lately.
But make no mistake. I love where I love. I'm a country girl with a touch of city. Just a sprinkling. And I don't miss the busyness of city life. There was mention on my sister Amanda's blog about that recently. She was saying she's a city girl and I left a comment down the lines of the above.
I miss my friends and family in Michigan but I love living in the north woods where it's peaceful and quiet and I may well possibly have a convicted sex offender as my new neighbor. 2 doors down. (On the other side of our landlords).
WHOA!
Dude!
Say what?!
Yeah. I got a call from a friend this evening to warn me. She heard from one of our local police officer's wives. (Edited to add: The guy moved in last week). I tried calling the police dept. to get a name and a confirmation on that. The answering service wasn't aware of it and said to call back during
All I can say, with all of this drama in our neighborhood, you'd think we live in the getto! We really don't. I promise. It's a small one-horse town. Thank goodness we're moving by the end of August. ;) (That's sort of a joke there - we're moving five minutes away. And I love this place. Flaws and all ;) so it's not like we're moving across the country or anything).
On another note, we may have possibly found renters for our landlords. Yay! This was after I told them about the drama...so they still may be interested. I just feel better if they have all of the information so they can make that choice on their own. :) And I would really like for someone great to move in here for our sweet landlords sakes. They're so kind. They deserve to have non-drinking renters. They even said themselves that they hope to find people who don't drink. They're a dime a dozen in these parts. So hopefully they will and cross your fingers that our potentials will work out for them!
And as I'm skipping from one subject to the next and now back, are you a country girl/guy or city girl/guy? And why?
And no wisecracks on the "girl/guy" wording! ;) You don't get to pick your gender!
Edited to add: :) I had no idea that this could come across as a city vs. country post when I first wrote it and that was not my intention. It was not intended as, say, a debate in any sense. (Never crossed my mind that it would even be construed in that sense). :) I thought for conversation's sake it would be fun to see which one each individual prefers and why because I know everyone usually considers themselves one or the other...or sometimes both (like me - I consider myself more country than city but a little of both. ;) I really wanted to clear that up because there seems to have been some thoughts that it was a vs./debate type thing. No harm done! (Next time I'll note that, just for good measure ;). love, ~J
13 comments:
City - no ifs, ands, or buts. I want my loft in the Pearl District, with restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops, parks .. down below. I do not, however, love lots of traffic, but that's why I like the thought of living downtown, downtown somewhere with a good mass transit system.
On the other hand, I would make exceptions. I could live on the Oregon coast in a heartbeat. I would be willing to visit the city, in order to wake up and fall asleep with the sound of the surf in my ears, and to run on the ocean each morning. I am also willing to not live downtown for Atlas' sake, because of the commute.
Ahhhh .. I could sit at Stbx or any other coffee shop for hours - to read and/or people watch and/or chat with friends. And I love caramel macchiatos. In fact, I think I shall go buy one now; I have to run to Petco anyway and there is a Stbx drive-thru on the way home. Good suggestion! ;-)
and by "run on the ocean", I meant 'run along the ocean'. Unfortunately, I cannot walk on water. ;-)
now I have that song in my head .. "if I could walk on water, walk on water for you .."
Ok, technically I can walk on water. A puddle is water. And I can certainly walk on a puddle. ;-)
Eliz ~ your comments make me smile. :) Have a caramel macchiato for me too!
i to with no if's, and's or but's am a city girl!
- i like the convieniences of being able to run to walmart or target real quick to pick up milk/grocerys or anything and not have to plan a day trip somewhere! if i had to plan a day trip to go shopping, id forget something i really needed and i wouldnt be able to just run to the store real quick!
- i like traffic, to a point, like i like to not be the only driver on a loooong road!
- i am scared to death of bears, big wild cats and every other big scary wild animal...and those arent as likely to be living or found in the city!
- i like night life with cities and towns that dont completly shut down at 9:00pm
- i like the fast pace of city life...not like new york city fast
- i like olive garden, applebees, starbucks, old navy, gap, maurices, target, walmart, bed bath and beyond, borders book store, dairy queen, cold stone, etc. too much to live hours from any of the above!
As I enjoy those city perks that you all love, I am definately a country girl. I think I always have been. Growing up we lived both in Jen's town, and in Phx. alternately. I would love to move my family back up there, but there are not too many jobs for my hubby... I love the thought of letting my kids explore outdoors without constant supervision. I like not having neighbors so close. The pace of life is slower with more time to enjoy your company. And you don't have to feel like you need to hit every event, like art fairs, concerts, sales, etc. Also, the option is there to have a farm animal, if you so desire. An outdoor dog is actually possible!
One thing I realized, if you live out of town and it takes 15 minutes to get into town to get that gallon of milk, or if you live in a big city less than a mile from the store, it also takes you 15 minutes to get there because of the traffic and stop-lights, most of the time.
I try to be happy where I am though. As long as your family is healthy and happy, that's the most important thing. Doesn't mean that I can't appreciate both counrty and city life. They both have their perks, like you said.
Angie M.
I agree with Riss's answers but yet consider my self not such a city girl. I love where we are..seems like the best of both worlds. It's not to far from all the conveniences of a city, but not busy. I do love the quiet of the backroads, though. I can send the kids out to play without the worry of cars and bears too! Jen, you have to try Beaners Coffee. I love the caramel drinks too but I can't think of what theirs is off the top of my head. Been too long since I've been there..guess I just might have to head over there. I'll have one for you!!!
Hmm, I don't know for sure. I enjoy living in the country because the pace of life is slower, which is nice when you have kids. I think if I were single I'd DEFINITELY be a city girl 100%! But, with kids, living in a small town is nice.
I miss the convenience of coffee shops, Target and the mall being nearby, though. A simple Target run ends up being a half-day trip in which nap times need to be earlier... or later...than usual. Thankfully, though, the mall is "only" an hour away and not more!
Eventually we plan to move out of town, so we can enjoy more acreage. So, apparently, we're more country folk than city, I guess! Now, if only we could find that acreage (affordably).. in the city! That'd be perf!
I love living up here because of the quiet. It's nice to be able to let the kids ride their bikes up and down the street without worrying too much about cars driving on our street. And in the beautiful summertime, we have our pick of choice beaches just minutes away (and they're virtually empty!). There are times when I miss the city, but the summer time is NOT one of them! -Kathryn
THere's nothing better than sitting on the back deck at the end of a day and looking at the stars and maybe even some northern lights! Or swimming in the crystal clear waters of Lake Superior. I get my city fix--I am with you on the Olive Garden and shopping ideas. (unfortunately everywhere you are there is probably a sex offender somewhere)
I know! That's the sad truth these days...
Well, since you are asking the question in the middle of summer, I am FOR SURE, 1000% a country girl!!!! can't beat sun, sand, water, trees, lighthouses and a boat! It is definitely a more relaxed lifestyle than other places I have lived. I hate traffic back-ups...every time I was stuck in one, I threatened to move home. :]
but, on the other hand, I do love shopping, so the city comes in handy once in awhile!
Since we will probably be moving to a city in a year or so for a few years, I will get used to it and do like the fast pace most days. I feel like I could adjust to most places...as long as my hubby and daughter were there (and at least one other couple/friend would be nice). :)
Good question! When I moved to IL I remember talking with one of the older ladies at church and she said she could never move to the UP cuz she'd miss the shopping. I remember thinking "Seriously?" But having been here for 7 years and having tons of shopping within a very easy distance (and I'm not just talking clothes...I mean Home Depot or a nice quilting fabric store or some neat boutiques or whatever) I can see her point. I do like the conveniences and choices we have here but I'm turning this into a close-to-a-big-city vs living-in-the-UP argument. I'm 100% country...I'd rather live where the neighbors can't see into my bathroom window and can't hear my kids making war whoops in the yard. I'd love a barn, some horses in the pasture, a big vegetable garden, room to roam, dark nights to see the stars etc etc...
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