A Few of My Favorite Things

I'm a little at a loss about this week's topic. It's not that I hate my city (I don't), but if I'm going to be completely honest, there is only one reason I live here: my family. I grew up here, my parents, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and various cousins all live here. I moved back here because of family. But...and here's the big but...I have been planning on moving away almost from the moment we moved back.

I know. But it's the truth.

Where do I live? Toledo, Ohio. And I can also honestly say that every reason I love this city has nothing to do with the city itself. It's about the people I love. Not just my family, but my friends, my writing group, and...oh, wait...that's about it. Not that Toledo doesn't have anything great to offer, because it does. Here are a few of those things:

• The Toledo Zoo: Toledo has an amazing zoo. Seriously. We're "one of the world's most complete zoos," and the zoo has been in existence for over 100 years. So that's cool, and my kids definitely enjoy summer visits to the zoo, as well as the special Halloween and Christmas exhibits.
• The Toledo Museum of Art: Our museum is also globally recognized and has won many awards over the years. Because the museum remains privately-endowed, admission has remained free since the museum's opening in 1901.
• The Toledo Mud Hens: Toledo's very own Triple-A Professional Baseball Team that has been around for over 100 years, and whose popularity extends well-beyond this community.
• Toledo Botanical Gardens: Also free to the public year-round, the Toledo Botanical Gardens is a living plant museum that is a beautiful place to stop and smell the roses.

Oh, and there are a few celebrities who are from Toledo:

• Jamie Farr
• Eric Kripke (Creator, writer, and more of Supernatural)
• Katie Holmes
• Bonnie Turner

And, we're also the home of Tony Packos, made famous on the TV show MASH. Yummy Hungarian food, especially their hot dogs and dumplings. And, we're also the home of Hickory Farms.

Hm, now I'm feeling a little guilty about my statement of only living here because of family, but I'm not going to delete and re-write. Mostly because while I love all of these things that Toledo offers, I'm still planning on moving to another city when we are financially able. But while we're here, there's a lot to do, and there's a lot to be proud of.

And yep, my family is still here too. :)