One of my younger sisters lives in Minnesota. I don't know how she does it, but she's lived there almost 21 years, so she's apparently found a way to adapt to the land of the frozen tundra. She married a man who grew up in Michigan, so he doesn't know any better ... but she does! Regardless, they've been married 25 years, so it seems to be working out for her! Her husband is a good man. He's a good provider, a good husband, and a good father. He's a pretty good brother-in-law (living 700 miles away, it's hard for him to be an intrusive in-law!), and he's really funny. He has a very quick, sarcastic wit and I enjoy talking to him.
It's a good thing her husband didn't marry me. I don't think he would have been very happy. I mean, really ... how happy could a man be if his wife won't take off her clothes nine months out of the year? And how romantic would it be to sleep with a woman who wears a snowsuit to bed from August until June?
For their 25th Anniversary, they went on a cruise. And where do people who live in Minnesota like to cruise to? If you guessed the Caribbean, you would be oh-so-wrong. They went on a cruise to ... (drum roll, please) ... Alaska! I've seen a lot of their pictures, and my sister looked happy. She was smiling, so I assume she was happy. Of course, she could have been smiling inside the cabin, walked outside and the smile froze on her face. But, she was smiling none-the-less!
The kids and I went to Minnesota one June to visit them. I figured it was safe to visit Minnesota in June!
Boy, I was wrong.
I nearly froze to death! I slept in my jeans and a jacket. It was cold enough that I would have been wearing a winter coat at home, and they had the air conditioner on!! When my sister found out I was sleeping in jeans and a jacket, she said "Oh, Jackie, you should have told me!" I expected the next sentence to be, "We could have turned the air off." But that's not what she said at all. Instead, she finished by saying, "We have more blankets."
I wanted to cry! I didn't want blankets ... I wanted heat! I didn't really expect them to turn the heater on, but I really hoped they would turn the air conditioner off!
We went to one of their kids soccer games. My kids and I were huddled in a pile like puppies, trying to stay warm ... while all the Minnesota-ites walked around in shorts and tank tops! (I'm not really sure how they refer to themselves ... ("idiots" is the first word that pops up in my mind) ... but that's probably not how they prefer to be referenced ... so Minnesota-ites it is!)
Their oldest daughter will be in her third year of college this year. She was excited about going to school down south, where it's so much warmer. And it is a lot warmer where she goes to school, but it's hardly "down south". She's going to school in St. Louis, Missouri!
That poor, frozen thing!
If I accomplish only one thing in life, it will be to never live someplace so cold that winter in St. Louis is warm!
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