We left for Minnesota on the morning of Friday, the 9th of October, and arrived later that night in a suburb outside of Indianapolis called Fishers, later that night. It rained most of the way, and I was exhausted by the time we finally stopped. We stayed with Ryan's friends Mark and Stacey Friday and Saturday night. Ryan used to work for Mark when they lived in Atlanta. They have two cute kids who are two and three years old, they were a lot of fun. Sunday we stayed with Justin and Erica, two more of Ryan's friends, that live in the same neighborhood as Mark and Stacey. They have a seven-month old baby named Victoria, and she is so sweet and cute! She is such a happy baby, she loves to talk, smile, and laugh. She was fascinated with Ryan, and wouldn't stop staring at him! I was very excited that I got to feed her and play with her most of the day on Sunday. We also went to a pumpkin patch farm with Erica's family that day, and that was really fun! It was on a beautiful farm, and all the leaves on the trees were the perfect fall colors. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, got some apple cider, and walked around and watched all the activities going on around the farm. It was a wonderful Fall day, and the farm was exactly what you would picture a Midwestern farm looking like, complete with the plethora of kids and families.
Monday morning we got up to freezing weather and reports of snow in Owatonna and Minneapolis. We hit the road, bracing ourselves for whatever weather lay ahead. I was already freezing cold in Indiana, and I knew it was only going to get worse! We drove through Chicago, and then the rest of Illinois, and then Wisconsin. There were snow flurries throughout our drive, especially in Wisconsin. Everyone was really friendly wherever we stopped, even the people working at the gas stations. The countryside, which makes up most of these states, is very pretty in most parts.
We finally made it to the Minnesota state line, and as we crossed over the Mississippi, we saw some really beautiful scenery. There were these huge bluffs overlooking the river, and all the trees were sprinkled with snow. We were surprised because we expected Minnesota to be flat, but it was mountainous and really pretty! About ten minutes after we made it out of the bluffs, it did get considerably flatter, though, but still pretty. It was all farmland and countryside the whole way, with rolling hills and old silos and barns. Very charming! There was snow everywhere, it was strange to see! I felt like I should have been listening to Christmas music.
Owatonna finally came, and we're still in the countryside, just in a little town in the middle of it. It's a cute town, with old Victorian houses making up most of the neighborhood surrounding the town square, and the buildings are mostly all old and historical. There isn't much here, it's certainly a huge change from being in Atlanta. The cold weather is the hardest thing to get used to, and it will only get more intense, I know! Our apartment is in one of the old houses I mentioned, and it has a lot of character, to say the least! Everything in here, including the sinks, lights, doors, etc...is original to the house. The house was probably built in the 1920's, if not a little earlier. The floors slope, and the bathroom is tiny, but it's pretty cute, and we have worked hard to make the most of it! One of the more interesting features is the cellar where the laundry facilities are. The doors to the cellar are in the ground, just like you see in old movies. The doors lead down to steps that go into the basement, which is very dark. It feels pretty creepy with the dirt floors and slanted walls made of handmade bricks that are barely holding together. I'll take some pictures of it and post those later!
Ryan and I have been putting the finsihing touches on the place and running errands, looking for a job for me, but more importantly, enjoying each other's company. It's been scary, exciting, and fun, and we're making the most of it. I think we're going to like it here, until it gets extremely cold! The cable guy told us that it has gotten to -60 degrees here before!!
I'll keep everyone posted on what's going on with us, and I'll try to update this every couple of days. I'll take some pictures of the town and post those next time.
