I never wanted to move from Chicago because our families are there and we have no one here in West Michigan, but my husband, Acy, got a promotion he couldn't afford to pass up, so we moved here. It's very different than Chicago because it's quiet. That was a big adjustment because we were used to the city, we were young and newly married, and we didn't think there was much to do here.

 

Now we've been here six years and I never want to leave. We live in Caledonia, a small town just outside Grand Rapids, and have a three-year-old son. Our big thing is that we wanted our son to be in a school system that has a lot of diversity, so he can have contact with a lot of different types of people. His daycare has the diversity we were looking for, and he'll go to Kentwood schools which have a lot of ethnic, cultural and economic diversity.

 

The cost of living in West Michigan is much cheaper than Chicago, so we were able to buy a house that is nicer than what we could have afforded in Chicago. And we're just two-and-a-half hours from family whenever we want to go home to visit.

 

My husband entertains a lot for his job, so we've probably been to every restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids, and there are a lot of options for dining out and fine cuisine. And we do a lot of family things. We've taken our son to a local farm to pick his Halloween pumpkin -- something I've never done before. We go to Frederick Meijer Gardens for Butterflies Are Blooming, we've been to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and to ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

My husband didn't play golf in Chicago, but here, there are so many great golf courses that he plays all the time. And the people are friendly. When we walk in our neighborhood, people speak to us and we've made lots of friends. Once I got over the fact that this is where I'm going to live, I decided it was time to get out and really experience West Michigan. And I've discovered that it's a really cool place with a lot to do.