Today was an absolute beautiful day here. It made me miss some things about Michigan. I can't believe I just typed that! There were some great benefits to living there. There are some great benefits to living in Central Illinois, too. Here are a few things I miss...
- I miss the great parks we had in Michigan. We had some terrific play structures in really nice parks. I am not finding that here. Nice parks but older play structures.
- I miss Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. Today would have been a perfect day to go to Greenfield Village. It is an old fashioned village that replicates the time when cars were first manufactured. The Village and the museum were created by Henry Ford. If you are looking for a get away I highly recommend this as a tourist visit. We had a membership and went quite often. The carousel alone is worth the trip! The attached picture is on the carousel and yes, I am very pregnant with Amanda in it.
- I miss my friends in MI Heidi and Tamsen. They were my partners in crime. We all originally were neighbors and now none of us live there anymore but I still miss them. I have kept in contact with Heidi but not so much Tamsen. I need to find her number and give her a call. We could all talk for hours!
- I miss my MOMS Club friends. I loved that on any given day there would most likely be an event planned and you could choose to go or pass. We used the Evite system and you could check to see if anyone was going. On a day like today someone would have planned a park visit and we would have had a great time. I wish there was something like the MOMS Club here. I haven't found anything like it. It was a great group of women!
- I miss our second family at Cherry Hill UMC. There were a handful of retired women who became our away from home Grandma's. They were available to me in a pinch and would come over and baby-sit or ride along to an appointment to help me keep the kids occupied. They were a lifesaver and I miss that. They were wonderful women and I learned a lot from them.
- I miss being able to show people where you live on the palm of your hand. Michigan is shaped like a mitten and it is common to point to your town on your palm. If you don't know what I mean ask me to show you sometime. It is one of the most clever things I have ever seen. I'm easily entertained!
Michigan isn't all bad!
There's a quilt shop in MI that I found on the web that is located between "the thumb and first finger". Every year they have a Middle of the Mitten Shop Hop for all of the little shops located in that area!!
ReplyDeleteYou should go do a road trip and visit it. I have heard that area is very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow is Mr. K and his shingles?
Hey Beth,
ReplyDeleteI keep meaning to tell you who I am so you don't think you have weird psychos following your blog! I went to high school with Jess, and I probably remember you more than you remember me, since you were older and therefore "cool!" Like when you took Jess and I to DQ- that was my first trip there! You had a broken arm, and had gotten pulled over on your way over I think but got out of your ticket- the WEIRD things we remember!
Anyway, I enjoy your blog, and I find it hilarious that you have found things about Michigan to miss...as we are currently in MI and HATE it. I do agree that there are some ok parks, but not as many as I would like. And we haven't been to the Village and Henry Ford, but will definitely make a point of that now that I know you miss it! We are in the process of trying to get out of Michigan, so who knows, a few months from now I might miss it, too- I doubt it, but you never know!
I didn't know who you were but my Aunt told me. I figured you might be a friend of a friend. Welcome to my blog!
ReplyDeleteI got pulled over speeding a few weeks ago and I remember it happening with the broken wrist. I am known for a lead foot and I didn't even tell my husband until the other day! I'll never hear the end of it. :)
You really should check out Greenfield Village. Kids love it! Get a ride pass if you go. Makes it totally worth it. You can ride a steam locomotive train, a Model A car, the carousel, a horse drawn wagon/buggy or an old fashioned bus. I think the thing I liked the most about MI was we were only 3 hours from home vs. 8 hours now. What was an easy drive now became a whole day of travel. Where in MI are you?
I just saw Jess and Dave on Easter. I'll have to tell her we connected. :)
We are in New Baltimore right now (Anchor Bay area, between 23 and 26), but we are moving to Harrison Twp next month. I really have many more complaints than anything else about MI, A major one being the MI lefts! I do hope we can leave soon, but since it is warming up, I hate it a little less. (We spent the last 4 years in GA, and this was our first winter since we left OH 9 years ago. Quite an adjustment!)
ReplyDeleteI admit that being close to home has been nice, since this is the first place we have ever lived that people can come to us instead of us going to them. We have too much family, most of which can be in the same room as some other member, so going home is the most stressful thing in my life. I am happy to report that we have not gone home since just before we moved here last May. ( I know that sounds terrible but no one has room for us to stay anymore and everyone fights over who saw us more...not to mention we really aren't close to our families to begin with.)
But I hope that you are able to settle in to IL, and most likely you will eventually feel at home if you allow yourself to get involved and settle. (This is our 12th move in 8 years. I have found it is all on me to find my niche, nobody will do it for me.) Best of luck!