oh wait...

We moved to Wisconsin 3 years ago when the husband had a job in a teeny town.  Then we bought a house 2 years ago in a slightly-less teeny town and the husband commuted a few minutes to the teeny town.  But last year, the job situation became toxic and the husband went a-courtin' interviews again.  He interviewed in lots of places, and even in Mad-Town just to be fair to the poor cheese state.

We did not expect to stay here.

But the job he took ended up being in Mad-Town.

He now commutes an extra long way.  To an actual city.  With city stuff and probably less cows.  While we still live in the slightly-less teeny town than the original teeny town.

This fact has slowly dawned on us, especially since he discovered how many hundreds of dollars he spends on gas, commuting to the actual city.  And we ask, WHY are we still here, exactly???

Well, first, moving stinks and is expensive.  This is the THIRD house we've owned in our short almost 8 year marriage, and the moving between different places equals to something like 7 times so we know whereof we speak.  Our bank account agrees that it doth stink.

The neighbors on one side FINALLY sold their house after at least 2 years on the market!!!!  The problem is, then the neighbors on the OTHER side just moved to Chicago and put their house on the market.  Ugh.  So unloading this place is obviously being put off until the neighbor's house sells.  And then there's the undeniable fact that you really can't sell a house here during the snow or ugly season, so you've got a brief  late spring/summer window before you are up a creek until next year.  There's only 2 houses on our block too (the other neighbor is a corner lot).  Double ugh.  And I'd have to live in it while I was trying to sell it... and with 2 kids (and by then, a baby) that's pretty impossible.  It would look seriously unappealing, although it's a lovely home, just in rural Wisconsin, being inhabited by hobos.

The kids are in decent school situations, although I know it wouldn't be too hard to find a situation that would work for them.  They're pretty easy going, especially with the Dude only requiring hugs and WonderGirl only requiring ALL THE ATTENTIONS.

So we're stuck here in this small town where we get to try and handle our church responsibilities - which have their challenges everywhere, I know, but everyday when I think about what I'm doing and how I'm still a failure at it all and annoying the heck out of the locals at every turn, the idea of just taking off sounds soooo delicious.

Maybe next year?  uuugghhhhh.

So I'm forcing myself to make a list of all the things that don't stink about living here.  Because at this moment, I need as much positivity flowing through my system as possible.  Since presently, I am full to the brim of ARRGJSDLRKWJSGAAAAAAAAA.

1.  The closest movie theater as $5 tickets every day except weekend evenings.  It's in the Dells, so it's all touristy and they need bodies the other times.  Not that I ever really have the chance to go to movies, but it's a peaceful feeling know it's an option.

2.  No traffic.  Well, almost none.  I have to drive by 2 nursing homes to get to Main St. so I can get stuck behind some slooow clunkers - although only when I'm late.  I'm counting it up, and I think there's only 8 traffic lights in the whole town?

3.  Fantabulous early services for the Dude.  We did seriously luck out - and our non-verbal Dude will now not hush up.  It has been the one huge miracle of moving to Wisconsin.

4. Everyone knows me at the library.  That's kind of cute.

5. There's an Aldi in town.  For a town this size, that's pretty awesome.

6.  The parks are pretty cool.  There's one across the street, too.

7.  It doesn't always smell like cows.

8.

Okay, I'm losing it here.  Ideas??