Meet Your Neighbors: Michelle and Matt Harris
Where did you relocate from? We moved from Gardner, Kansas, which is about 30 minutes south of Kansas City.
How long have you been in Columbia? We have been in Columbia for about two months now.
What brought you to Columbia? Matt’s job promotion. This is the first time living outside of Kansas for both of us.
What did you hear or know about Columbia before moving here? Well, living in Kansas our whole lives, we grew up Jayhawk fans. (We probably won’t make many friends now that I’ve said that.) So when Missouri was a part of the Big 12, Missouri was a rival; now that Missouri is part of the SEC, and we are a part of the community, I do miss the rivalry. I am excited for football season and to see all the hype about the SEC. We also knew there was a college here, and it was called Tiger Country.
What is your favorite thing about Columbia so far? All the festivals that go on in and around Columbia. It’s fun to get out of the house and spend some quality time with the family.
What’s something you miss from your old home that Columbia is lacking? Thismight seem a little funny, but we miss the trash and recycling cans for trash day. We like just dumping the recycling in a can and wheeling it to the curb, but we understand every city has its own ways.
What do you like most about living in Columbia? Everyone has been very friendly, whether it was with our house-buying process, moving in, meeting the neighbors, visiting different churches or going downtown. We also love our neighborhood; there are a handful of children on our street, which will be good for our son.
What does the word “CoMo” mean to you? We haven’t really lived here that long to know what it means. All I know is that it stands for Columbia, Missouri. I think it’s a little weird.
Are there any activities you would like to get involved with or have already done so? We have gone to a festival, which was really nice. Our son is in swimming lessons at the Macher Swim School. We have visited some churches; once we find a church, we would like to get involved with them. Because I work from home, I haven’t really been able to get out and meet more people. I would like to find, get involved and hang out with a mommy group. Hopefully, once we start getting involved in more things, I will get to meet more people.
Are there are any Columbianisms you’ve noticed? Living in the Midwest our whole lives, Columbia is a lot like other cities we have lived in, so we haven’t really noticed anything odd or out of the ordinary. I do notice that people don’t like to use their blinkers around here.
What is your favorite restaurant so far? I like to cook at home a lot, so we haven’t been to many restaurants. We have been to La Siesta a couple of times and really enjoy it. We have also been to Shakespeare’s Pizza, D. Rowe’s and CC’s City Broiler, which have all been great.
Know somebody who recently moved to Columbia? Connect them to Stacey Thompson with Columbia Welcome to receive introductory city information, access to local businesses and fun newcomer gifts! Call Stacey at (573) 289-0500 or email her at [email protected].