I-O-W-A!

I was born and raised in Iowa.  I have lived a combined total of 30 years in Iowa and 5 in California, my current residence.  I can't compare the two states - it's apples and oranges, but one thing you will never find me doing is putting down my native land.  I'll admit, it took me leaving the state to fully appreciate it and there is no question that my friends that still live in Iowa will remain so until the day we die. 

I don't feel like I need to defend Iowa from naysayers of the Midwest - those that have actually been there don't have anything to say about it, but there are some token questions I get asked when someone finds out I am from Iowa.

• Did you live on a farm?  No, I did not, nor did my husband and neither did my parents.  Farms are HUGE.  If everyone lived on a farm in Iowa, there would be about 2 people living there.  That is only a slight exaggeration.
• Did you go cow tipping?  No.  Seriously?  Seriously, no.  Do you have any idea how big a cow is?  I don't know anyone who has successfully tipped over a cow.  I have been chased by a cow, though.  That was enough for me to know that I never wanted to try and tip one over.
• Isn't it cold there?  Sometimes, specifically in the winter.  It's not Iceland, it's Iowa.
• It's really flat there, right?  Wrong.  There are a lot of rolling hills.
• How much does a house cost in Iowa?  Just like everywhere else in the world, it depends where the house is, how big it is, when it was built, etc.  If you are asking if housing is cheaper than it is in California, yes, it is...by a lot. 

If you want to know more about Iowa, here is an excellent video that my friend, Matt posted today. (Congratulations Matt!  You are the first friend in the 365 days of posts to get mentioned in my blog.  Matt also just got engaged so he deserves a public congratulations for that as well.  You're welcome.)

There may be a little bit of swearing in the video, but I found it to be completely appropriate.  I feel I'm a pretty good judge of what swearing is constituted and what is gratuitous.