My family is considering moving to North Carolina in the not too distant future and I have mixed emotions about it. When I think of NC I think of mountains and beaches, southern hospitality and northern seasons, more manageable winters and fewer summer insects, and I’m ready to high-tail it out of Illinois. Then I see the Phlox blooming in my garden, have a neighbor over for a backyard bonfire, hear my children rave about their school and my roots sink further into the Rockford ground.

My husband says, don’t forget Rockford’s stats: the highest unemployment in the state, highest crime rate, highest high school dropout rate…

I say, but I love my super aggravating/rewarding job…

He reminds me of when my minivan gets stuck at the top of the entrance road to my son’s school in the wintertime and other parents have to get out of their cars to push me…

I remind him of some of our favorite restaurants, the Sinissippi Light Show every Christmas, how much we love our church family…

We go back and forth. I waffle. But for the time being, we stay.

On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to like about Rockford, IL. In fact, lots of Rockfordians are “as grumpy as a cat caught in an empty fish barrel,” says the man who works at Kelly’s Mobil. So I thought, I’ll use this blog to remind me why I want to stay. I’ll create a running series entitled, “What’s to Like About Rockford” and once a month I’ll post something positive about the city and surrounding neighborhoods where I live, work and play. That’s only 12 posts a year. Surely, I can do this.

Suggestions welcome!

Photo by Karin Blaski, 8/3/2012