Dear, Iowa

2 and a half years ago, I got a Facebook message, which turned into a phone call, from someone who was curious if I'd be interested in taking a radio job with a new company. "Sure, I'll hear what he has to say and see if it would be a good fit" is what I told my fiancé at the time. I had been at the same radio station for 9-ish years, maybe it's time to try something new.

I was at an interesting point in my life where it felt like the right time to go on a new adventure with my then-fiancé. Neither of us knew a ton about Iowa other than it was the state below Minnesota, her sister attended the University of Iowa, Des Moines was the state capital, and a LOT of corn is grown here.

We had no idea what living in Iowa was like, what the people who live here are like, or if we would be any good at our new jobs. Neither of us had family here, other than her sister who was a college student at the time, so we couldn't really ask anyone "Hey, what's Iowa like?"

My wife was a pretty big driving force in us both accepting new jobs in eastern Iowa as she's never been afraid to take a leap and jump into the unknown. She was excited and was ready to try something new. I took a little more convincing but 2 and half years ago, we visited our new job locations, looked at buying our first house, and then we loaded up a U-Haul and started our new journey in Iowa.

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From the time we both interviewed and accepted jobs, we bought a house and moved into our home, it took less than a month to complete the process. We started out living in/renting our house for 1 month, before all of the paper work was completed, and the home was officially ours.

Thank You

I really can't think of a better word for our time in Iowa other than, Thank You. I would run out of room in this story if I wanted to say everything I could so for now, thank you will have to do. Thank you for hanging out with me on the radio and thank you for clicking on any article I've written. Whether you've loved/hated me on the radio, or loved/hated what I written about. I tend to write articles exactly how I talk and in a very conversational way. Some people love it and I'm sure plenty of people hate it. I'm grateful for both of those people.

I have learned so much about this state, it's amazing people, and what helps make all  of the different Iowa communities special. I've made friends that will be part of my life for as long as I'm around, and I'm extremely thankful for that. There are hundreds of smaller towns in Iowa that each have something unique about them. There is a charm here that you won't find in every state you live.

I might be way off to some people but for me, it feels like Iowa is kind of a hidden secret from most of America. Some people think Iowa is Idaho, others mix it up with Ohio, some people think there is nothing but corn fields everywhere you go. Of course, parts of Iowa can feel like that but Iowa is so much more than the Hawkeyes, corn, hogs, and farming. Iowans are proud to be from here and most people seem proud of where they grew up.

For the people who will never get the chance to live here for an extended period of time, they don't know what they're missing. Even Iowa's bigger cities have a small town feel to them and as someone who was raised by parents who were both from a town of 2,000 people, I found it special how proud Iowans are of where they're from and I hope that never changes.

What's Next?

Just like when I left Minnesota to take a job here in Iowa, I wasn't looking for a new job at all. My wife and I have a good life here and moving had never crossed our minds. Out of nowhere, I received a message on Instagram about potentially taking a new job. I've been extremely lucky in my radio career that I've never had to look for a place to work. I've been blessed to always have someone call me.

That's not meant to be braggadocious either, but it is surely what most people want in their profession. Hopefully, you work your a** off, get a little bit of luck, and someone notices. That's all most people can really hope for. At least, that's all I've ever hoped for.

I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities I've had in my 13 year radio career and I don't take those for granted. Other than working hard and not being lazy, I would like to hope I have a little bit of radio broadcasting talent...but realistically, I just work hard and have mostly gotten lucky.

My new job will allow my wife and I to live a little bit closer to where I grew up, I get to continue being an "on air personality" and it will be another exciting new adventure for the Glidden's. We are sad to leave our jobs and our friends in Iowa but I'm not sure how many opportunities I'll have in my career like my next one. I am so excited to take on my next challenge and I'm thankful I even get a shot at what's next.

I didn't have to accept the new job, Kori and I could've stayed but for me personally, it's a pretty big step forward and I don't want to miss taking a chance that's right in front of me. I could go on and completely fall flat on my face but I would never forgive myself if I didn't go for it when I could.

My last day on your radio station will be October 25th and I hope to have as much fun sharing laughs and memories until then. As my wife and I get older, we will always share our love for Iowa and how much we enjoyed be a part of this state. We've loved calling Iowa home and have nothing but positive things to say about being here.

Until next time,

- Gabe

P.S. I also hope Flannel Friday's continue to live on in Iowa! Thank you for those who have been a part of them!