Welcome to Illinois!

Wow, lots of updating to be done, but I'll try not to be wordy so this post doesn't drag on and on (though it probably will anyway).

First off, we made it safely to Olney, IL. It was a long, but relatively uneventful drive. Our only stop was in Columbus OH on Tuesday night. I think that Columbus is a very underrated city. I kept hearing that there is nothing in Columbus, but man, that is an incredibly clean city, with a very new feel to it. Great restaurants/breweries. We enjoyed it a lot. And we got to see a life-size replica of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria. That alone was worth the trip.

Amanda and her buddy Chris Columbus

The "most accurate" Santa Maria replica in the world

We were back on the road first thing Wednesday morning, where we passed through Indianapolis on our way to Olney. I'm pretty sure I didn't see a single hill in Indiana. It's ridiculous how it's nothing but flat farmland, And Olney is no different. It is surrounded by expansive farmlands, and all of the towns here are spread out anywhere from 35-50 miles apart. You are literally in the middle of nowhere.

I'm pretty sure this is 100% accurate

I don't mean to say this is a bad thing, we really do like how different this is from what we are used to and how everyone knows everyone else in this small town. People are so friendly and we know this is a nice, safe place to be.

Our apartment is perfect for what we need, small but simple. Our landlord, Edith, is fantastic as well. She's this funny and energetic 85 year old woman who would do anything for you and genuinely wants us to feel welcomed. We really couldn't ask for a better living situation. We even met one of our neighbors, Rusty, the other night. His claim to fame is that he owns a gigantic aquarium in his room, which apparently for Olney is a big deal. All in all we are happy where we are and this seems like a great town to experience and explore.

Yesterday, we had lunch with the rehab staff from Richland Memorial Hospital. Again, everyone was very welcoming and we can't wait to get started working with them. However, I get the feeling that they think because we come from the East Coast that we are "fancy" people. They kept trying to give us information about other towns that have "nicer" places to eat. Of course when they say "nicer" they are referring to Applebees. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Little do they know we are looking forward to all the hole in the wall places around here. Even Amanda is excited to go to the local dirt racetrack once the racing season gets started.

Overall, there is a lot to see and explore around here. We are looking forward to going to the the lakes and parks around here in the summer, visiting the nearby cities and towns, and just seeing what the Mid-West has to offer.

And for those of you wondering, we have spotted the elusive white squirrel. Unfortunately we didn't have our camera, so I took a pic with my phone. I promise you more, and better, photos in time.

This little guy put Olney on the map

Finally, here's the white squirrel fun fact of the day. In Olney, the law states that cats are not allowed outside unless they are on a leash. This is to protect the white squirrel from attack. Previously, if cats were outside they had to wear a bell at all times so they could not sneak up on the squirrels. However, they discovered that squirrels were still being killed by cats, thus the leash law was passed. Welcome to Olney, IL.