Dianne, you are in God's country!!! I grew up in Minnesota - most of my family are still there, many rellies in Minneapolis area including 2 sisters.

You mentioned your acting career - smile is right, there is a wonderful theatre community there. My cousin is in the development department of the Ordway Theater in St Paul. Call there and ask for Amy Anderson and tell her that cousin Jo from ND told you to call and I'm sure she will do her best to connect you with information on the theatre scene.

Mpls./St Paul is a great urban area. Theatre, restaurants, shopping, major hub airport, and the list goes on and on and on. You are also in a hotspot for quality medical care should you need it with the U of M hospitals and Mayo clinic nearby in Rochester. My brother-in-law is listed as one of the top internists in the twin city area - he is Dr. Richard Beck at the Park-Nicollet Clinic - Golden Valley. Here is a link to info about him - http://www.parknicollet.com/Methodist/Doctors/Find_a_doctor/provider_detail/provider_detail.cfm?ID=487

Looks like you have a place to live so don't need to refer you to my cousin the realtor!

The winter can be cold but the summer is well worth the wait! The lakes are absolutely beautiful and abundant. If you have time in the summer be sure to visit the Fergus Falls area (go I94 north a couple of hours). Ottertail County where Fergus is located has the highest concentration of lakes in the state and is totally gorgeous in the summer. If you get that far, let me know and I'll tell you the best places to go. And when you decide to buy a lake home I'll put you in touch with that realtor cousin!

My sisters are chanpion shoppers so if you need to know where to get anything, I can find out where to get it for you. I have so many connections there so if there is anything you need to know or find, send me a PM and I'll get the answers for you.

Also have a nephew who is a fantastic financial advisor. When he was laid off because of company restructuring he had his pick of other jobs because of his previous work. Was offered a position overseeing three Wells Fargo banks but turned it down to stay in the individual advisory field.

Well, hope you get settled in my beloved Minnesota quickly and find many new friends and activities to enjoy, too!!!