In the movie Dogma our friends are banished from heaven and doomed to spend an eternity in a place worse than hell---They are to live in Wisconsin.
I never set out to spend the rest of my days in Wisconsin. In fact, it was a place I swore I’d never come to again after a bad visit two years ago. But after one of my sisters moved from our Southern Californian roots to Wisconsin 12 years ago to her husband’s home town, my family has had a connection here. Then a few years ago another sister packed up her family and transplanted into Wisconsin. It was then August 2000 and my brother decided to join the bandwagon. He was the third of my parent’s four children to give up the sun for stormy blizzards, bars and the like. I still was set to remain in California, until the inclination came upon me that my parents would be the next to relocate themselves.
In November 2000, my parents, along with myself, my husband, two daughters and mother in law all caravaned across the country to spend the remainder of our lives in Central Wisconsin. We arrived on Thanksgiving Day.
Home Atmosphere:
Although I cannot deny missing California, there is something about Wisconsin that makes me feel so cozy. It is a place with old time family values. ’’Welcome to Wisconsin. Don’t forget to set your watch back 25 years.’’ is a saying I have heard and find to be very true. This makes for wonderful place to raise children. I am no longer afraid for my children to walk down to the corner. There will be no stray bullets harming my kids. I no longer fear the kinds of friends they may make as years go on. Most of all, the schools are unsurpassed. My daughter went from an awful teacher/ student ratio in California to a class where there is 1 teacher for every 9 students. My kids will benefit for the rest of their lives. I am sure of this.
Snowstorms:
I am the first to admit my unbelievable ideas on the weather here before I got here. I pictured blizzards happening on a daily basis. This is far from the truth. I have heard from several people that this is the worst winter in years... and yet, it does not seem all that bad. Am I ready for the snow to go away? You bet! But it really isn’t near as bad as I had anticipated.
Care for a drink?
I lived minutes from Los Angeles in California. I have cruised the strip of Hollywood many a nights...and yet I have never seen as many bars as you can see in a mile radius here in Wisconsin. If you like bars, you will LOVE Wisconsin.
Place to Visit:
I find Wisconsin to be a wonderful state to raise a family. I have yet to see, though, why one would vacation here if there are no family members to visit. My views about Wisconsin have changed a lot from a year ago... When the thought of seeing the state ever again would send shivers down my spine. Now, my family comes first and I couldn’t offer them better.