4 things that I love about Michigan ...
1. If you hold your right hand in front of you (palm toward your face, thumb extended slightly to the right) your hand becomes a state map by which I've received many a referenced direction. You think I'm joking but just this morning I was instructed to visit "the tip of the pinkie." Sleeping Bear Dunes is apparently amazing for a weekend getaway.
2. Everyone loves to share their favorite spot with you. When people find out I'm not a local they launch immediately into, "Well, have you seen this yet ... or have you been here yet?" People all over the place wanting to share their favorite thing about this unusual state with you. (See "pinkie" reference above.)
3. Snow in November. The conditions are very Sugar City-ish which means I've spent several bitter cold mornings reminiscing about my fairly fabulous childhood. Home-made skating ponds, weather too cold for school buses to start, going on an actual date in a snow cave (having lunch and playing board games - talk about creative group dating). It really was an amazing place to grow up! Is it possible to imagine a white Christmas for my kids??
4. Trees. Every neighborhood is connected in some way to a nature preserve. We get to walk through ours every day on the way to school and back. People assured us that it would all become quite ugly as the seasons changed and the leaves fell ... but I tell you it is NOT. The forest was just as exciting and beautiful this morning as it has ever been. We tracked a deer's hoof-prints in the snow (along with a small "pawed" creature) and fresh white snow clung the slender naked branches that stretched way up into the sky. B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
And there you have it. The first, of what I'm sure will become many, lists of reasons I am loving the Mitten State.
p.s. I would love to hear about why you love your state and/or town ... don't dissapoint, fellow bloggers!
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8 comments:
Jean, you are awesome! I loved reading about Michigan and now I have a new-found appreciation for that state.
I live in Texas these days. I miss the snow around this time of year, but I like the low heating bills in the winter time. I also like that the roads are dry in the winter aside from the occassional ice storm.
Living in the city, I don't usually meet a true Texan-- a goatee wearing, gun toting, ya'all shouting, Texas star displaying, kind of Texan. Sometimes I will come across one though, and it is really fun. Already if you ask my son where he lives he says, "In Texas!" with a big smile on his face.
They say a pledge to the Texas flag along with the American flag in the Elementary schools here. I asked my fourth grade students what country they live in and they all said Texas. If you were born in Texas, you can order a "Native Texan" birth certificate to prove that you are a native of Texas. There is a lot of state pride here which is really fun.
The people are friendly and generous, and in spite of their state pride, they are very welcoming to outsiders like Ben and me.
Oh boy, I laughed out loud (and interrupted Jason's studying) when I read that you were instructed to visit the tip of the pinkie. If you go please tell us about it. :) How handy (pun intended) to walk around with a map of your state as an appendage.
Oh and you can now read all about the shocking graduation on my blog. And you are totally not prying. Thursday was Kaden's birthday. Sad day for me every year.
It's very Sugar City-ish here too. :) That's why I LOVE living here. It's home. I do miss my family though. Glad you are liking Michigan!
I love that you have a state map quite handily attached to your body. You never cease to amaze me with your talents!
As much as I miss the heat, beaches, my family, childhood friends, palm trees, disneyland, and awesome entertainment I do like living in Idaho. well let me rephrase that, not Idaho cause I am sorry but it is still kinda embarrassing that I live in Idaho. But I love the area I am in because of the great people and it is a nice area.
It sound like things are going really great for you. I used to have relatives in Michigan and I was shown on my very own hand exactly where they lived. We may not have a white Christmas here either, if mother nature doesn't start producing!
Loved this post. I'm glad you're lovin it here. Or at least being positive. :) Its refreshing.
Hey Jean, Carter does not seem to be more afraid of anything. But he was never afraid to begin with so I don't know if it would scare a timid child or not. He has however practiced "his moves" on Ryan. Not cool. I still am not sure what to think but I get that it would be good for your kiddos. I probably wouldn't be so undecided if I had known beforehand what was going on. I guess I need to be more inquisitive...
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