Originally, I am from the oh so lovely Everett, Washington. Those of you who are also from the Everett area will, hopefully, pick up on that sarcasm. No, Everett was a good place to grow up. I learned to be street smart and grew up with such a diverse group of peers.

Now living in the Midwest I wish there were some things people would have told me before I made my journey to good ol’ Nebraska.

There are some foods you just can’t find here no matter how hard you try

All a girl wants on a hot summer day is a dang Red Bull Italian Soda! Is that so much to ask?! For those of you who don’t know what that is it’s, basically, an Italian soda, no club soda, substitute Red Bull; that’s it. I have the lovely ladies at Sunrise Coffee in Yankton, SD trained pretty well on my order as long as I bring my own wings (see what I did there!). But you know what I can find here that I can’t find in Everett? Kolaches!

Trips to Walmart are a planned event

Going from Niobrara, NE to Springfield, SD now in Wayne, NE I’m getting better and better at grocery shopping! See in Everett if you go grocery shopping and forget something you have the option of 2 walmarts, a Fred Meyer, 2 Albertson’s, a Winco and even a number of Asian or Middle Eastern Markets! Out here I have to make a list, check it twice, fill my tank, and ask if anyone else needs to go grocery shopping because the nearest Walmart is usually 30 or more minutes away.

People here are really nice

It’s not that those on the coast aren’t friendly, they just take a few more precautions. I once needed to put transmission fluid in my car and I had no idea how to do so even after referencing my manual. A friendly gentleman must have seen my confused look under the hood of my trailblazer and came over to ask if I needed any help. Yeah, that could happen anywhere because, believe it or not, there are nice people in the world! But there’s just something about midwest hospitality that seems so much more genuine.