dirt don't hurt

It happens every time our family travels anywhere outside of northeast Ohio; the grass is naturally greener.  We have  fanaticized about living in the south, where the sweet tea flows as smooth as the chatter from a belle sitting through the afternoon sun on a front porch rocker.  We have dreamed of living in the mountains, where only the tougher than nails survive.  We have even dreamed of living at the edge of the ocean, where beach bums, millionaires, and fishermen redefine harmony and all sing Jimmy Buffet songs. But at the end of the day, we are still born and raised northeast Ohioans.  And the truth is that maybe living in northeast Ohio isn’t so bad.  I dare even think that, if we put the time into it, it could be as romantic as the place where the southern mountains meet the ocean. Northeast Ohio has great things and great people that make our part of the world something absolutely wonderful.  We get to experience all four seasons, which the rest of the world may know as

My children sat around the table and talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up.  For kids, this is almost as exciting as deciding what the theme for next year’s birthday part will be, but usually doesn’t change as much.  I love when kids daydream about their adult future, though, because they have no idea that it involves things like salaries and taxes and leaf blowers and nose hair trimmers and heating pads and the right to fall asleep on the couch 30 seconds after the dinner dishes have been put away. Instead, they see the world at their fingertips, full of possibility, hope, and dreams. I once had the pleasure to work with a bunch of second graders and I asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up.  At first I heard the typical answers. Policeman.  Teacher.  Video Game Arcade Owner.  Professional Athlete.  It was a great combination of service related careers and the dreams of children, which was exactly my point in asking them.  When you’re in second gra