Coming to Iowa, Part 2

Obviously we loved Iowa immediately. Joey got a company truck so not having our own car wasn't a problem, after all. I got a good comfy bike with a bike trailer for Jacob and groceries and we were set for the summer. We rode almost every single day, including the six mile trek for prenatal doctor visits. Despite all the exercising I still managed to gain over 40 lbs.! Joey did a 5K run, we bought a boat and had suppers on the lake. Jake learned to pee on trees and then yell very loudly, Look Dad, I wrote your name! Had old people yell at me from the road that I shouldn't be riding that bike in my condition, and then had nicer old folks bring us fresh picked sweet corn. Jonas was born in August, and then we felt like it was time to get back on the road, we had to introduce Jonas to the World, after all. We traveled from IA to MI, and then all the way to AZ and CA, before getting a call that Joey's needed again in Iowa. We don't hesitate, and boogey on back. The campgrounds closed for the winter so we park at a friend's farm before finding an apartment for the winter. We decide at this point to buy our own farm. In March we go to AZ to get all our stuff from storage and while on the road again realize we're not quite ready to settle down yet and back out of the farm the day before we close. Instead we get to see NY, visit the Boston Aquarium, hike in Pennsylvania, Virginia, spend a few days in the Great Smoky Mountains, fall in love with Big Bend Nat. Park in TX, and boondocked outside the hospital in San Antonio giving the family a place to gather while their highly respected Granddaddy was spending his last days inside.

Another year later, and another pregnancy, we finally decide it's time to settle down. Joey flies from CA to Iowa to check out a house we saw on the Internet. We decide it's the one for us. We move in 2.5 yrs after leaving AZ, and think we've found home.

I still think Iowa is a great place to raise a family, if you're into that traditional way of raising families, turns out we're not. We never got into the social scene, we're not drinkers. We don't go to church and we don't put our kids in school. Yeah, I'd say we're a little odd for Iowa. It worked out OK since we were never around in the winter anyway, we'd head South for work. We've been here so long now (5 yrs.) that I almost starting growing roots, thank goodness for all the recent trips in the motorhome....I came to my senses and saw what was happening to me, and how complacent living was bringing me down. Being on the road makes me feel more alive and I can't wait to get back out there full time again. No more rushing home once the jobs done because.... well, I don't know why because, but that's what we'd been doing lately. Not that relaxing on the farm is a bad thing, but it is time to move on. Iowa's been a good place to live, and now will be an even better place to visit.