13. I'm Grateful for Farms in Central Illinois

When people ask where I'm from, I can easily tell them, Indianapolis.  I lived there until I was 24 and will always consider it home.  So when people say, Oh that must be where your family lives too! I have to laugh and say, Welllll...

My brother in law lives in Charlotte.
My brother lives in Atlanta.
My other brother lives in California.
My sister in laws live in southern Indiana.
My sister in law and OTHER brother in law live in Illinois.
My father in law is south of us in Illinois.
My dad lives in North Dakota.
And my mom and uncle live in Indy.

Not exactly Indianapolis, but it gives us some cool places to visit!

My dad moved to North Dakota after I got married and has been there for almost nine years.  And although it's pretty for those few months weeks each year when the weather is nice, it's 18 hours away from me and a few days away from my brother.  Way too far to just come visit for the weekend.  Having my mom and Jay's dad less than 4 hours away is about as far as I'd like close family to be.  So after a few health scares this spring and his house being 4+ hours from the nearest hospital, Dad bought a 17 acre horse farm in central Illinois, and is now 45 minutes away.

It's definitely interesting having him THAT close after being so far away for so many years.  But after his heart attack this August, I'm definitely grateful for the close proximity.  And the girls are very grateful too.