Are you sure this isn't Seattle?

We've now been in Ohio for three weeks. In that time, there have only been four days that we didn't see rain. No wonder it's so green here. Someone at Church told us they usually get about two weeks of perfect weather each year. Other than the one time I was caught in a hailstorm without an umbrella (wishing I had a hat...nickle-to-quarter-sized hail and a bald head don't go well together), we haven't minded the rain. It doesn't usually rain all day, so it's still quite nice, even though things are a little wet. We like Ohio. Time will only tell if we love Ohio.

In addition to the rain, here are a few of our first impressions of life here:

• There is no food sales tax--Yay! Perhaps in conjunction with this is that the roads are not kept up very well. There are potholes all over the roads, especially in Akron. The roads aren't as bad as Detroit, but they are something else.
• No food sales tax, but food is definitely more expensive here. We spent quite the load of cash just getting the basics when we arrived.
• It's far from the Bible Belt, but by the number of churches, you wouldn't even know it. I don't know how full they are each week, but the sheer number of churches here is just staggering.
• People are friendly and nice. Natalie mentioned before, but it's worth telling again: Before we were able to move into our apartment, my manager invited us into her home for five days--that's five days we didn't have to pay for a hotel and five days we didn't have to eat out. My manager Rhonda and her husband Curt and family had a planned vacation for three of those days, so it was just us and the dog. On top of allowing us to stay in their home, they've helped a ton with lending us furniture and items to use while we're here. My colleague Jennifer and her husband Shane also lent us a couch, TV, and plan to bring us a table and chairs from their storage in Buffalo. Thanks guys!
  Jackson loved riding this bike so much, they sent it with us. Now the trick is to keep him on the sidewalk and out of the parking lot.
  
He had loads of fun playing with the Dozer the doggie. See the video below.


• Of course, there aren't mountains here, but there are more trees than you can shake a stick at...whatever that means. Lots of hills, and we're not that far from the Allegheny mountains--which I glimpsed the other day when I ventured into West Virginia.
Looking across the Ohio River at West Virginia from East Liverpool, OH.


• There is rich history here related to the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the early years of the United States. Ohio became a state in 1803. Washington explored and surveyed here. Many important battles and other events are related to Ohio. Remember the Whiskey Rebellion? I found out the other day that one of my Irish ancestors participated after settling in Ohio. There is a lot to see and do regarding historical sites--which for me is a pretty good time.
• Our ward has welcomed us warmly. The members are great. Our membership records are now in the Tallmadge Ward.

We don't know what the future will bring for us--whether or not we'll live in Ohio again--but we're enjoying it while we're here and trying to take advantage of all it has to offer.