Random Facts About Illinois

Well, I’m back in Illinois! Harvest is underway, the trees are red, orange, and yellow, and the weather is finally cooling down (maybe a little too fast). Knowing I’ll be here for the next year while I further my education at Illinois State University, I plan to explore parts of Illinois I didn’t get to see as a kid.

Here are a few fun facts you might not know about my home state:

• Metropolis, Illinois is Superman’s hometown and was declared such by both DC Comics and the Illinois State Legislature

• Square Dancing is the state dance and frequently taught in PE.

• Sufjan Stevens dedicated an entire album to the state: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!

(It’s catchy and historical!)

• Rock Island hosted a nasty prison camp during the Civil War - 17% of the detainees died. The entire prison was destroyed after the war.

• Illinois hosts 6 professional sports teams: Chicago Bears,Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Fire.

• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site was home to the most sophisticated prehistoric society north of Mexico.

• The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick’s Day

With so much to see, I’m pretty sure this is going to be a good year!

AAAAANNNNNDDDD WE'RE BACK!!!

Since I'm unemployed and about to go back to school, I figured now would be an excellent opportunity to start posting again. I have, admittedly, been very neglectful of Away We Go, and the rest of the staff has been incredibly busy. On behalf of my writing staff, I would like to apologize for failing to keep you in the loop with our high jinks. It is with great pleasure that we re-launch our blog!

To all of you who continued to check up – Thank you so much! We're thrilled to be back. Thank you for your patience! We will begin regular posts on Thursday.

Sincerely,

Jaimie Gleissner

Falling into Place

by: Jaimie Gleissner

Things I've done since I turned 25 (October 1, 2011):

Local Wine Girl:

This was a pretty awesome job. Not only did I get to chat with a lot of cool people, but I also learned a lot about wine. Wine for Dummies was an extremely useful tool for gaining a basic knowledge of popular wines. By the end of the month, I was able to describe and recommend wines. It was pretty awesome.

Moved to Denver:

After several months of deliberation, I finally decided to move to Denver, CO. Even better, once I made the decision, I followed through with it! A little shopping around on Craigslist provided cool roommates and an affordable place to live.

Got a Full-Time Job:

Do I enjoy my job? Absolutely not. Am I proud of myself for lining up a job the same day I moved into my new home? You bet! Though I'm looking for a different job, it's nice to have an income while I get on my feet.

Twenty-five is a pretty intimidating age. A lot of my friends are getting engaged, married, or having kids on purpose - life decisions that I can't even comprehend. Honestly, if I had a puppy it would probably die due to neglect. It seems like 25 is the age where people start to fully embrace their adult lives, yet here I am just beginning to figure mine out. My BA degree is collecting dust while I pretend to bust my ass in a job that pays 100% commission. On Wednesday I called fax machines for the last hour so that I didn't have to talk to people. Needless to say, I'm hoping to have a new job before the month is out. Sure, at times I feel a little lost, but I've been lucky enough to have a great support network. Every thing is falling into place nicely.