Can I get a high five?

Yes, I do have pictures from Christmas and I will post them.

But first I had to share this with you.

Of all the potatoes (and there were a lot), we got the bag with this potato.

Let me tell you how.

There are potato chip factories in Indiana that sample each truck load of potatoes. If the potatoes don't meet the standards of the factory, the potato shipment is rejected. Instead of throwing these potatoes out, a group has organized a distribution at a church. One of the men from my parents church said he would take 1,000 of the ten pound bags.

When he showed up, they had 1,500. He said he couldn't take that many. He was told take them or leave them.

It was all or nothing.

So he took them.

My parents have been taking bags to give to as many people as they can, like Spencer's baby sitter, my sister, Bill and me.

Last night, when I reached in the bag to pull out potatoes, I pulled out this one.

It's the mitten!

The Lower Peninsula!

I had to take a picture.

Can you believe out of 1,500 bags of potatoes that we got the bag with this one in it?

Now we can eat it.

Thursday's adventures from Dayton to Dayton...

Having been born in Michigan and growing up in Indiana I have mixed feelings about colleges. My Dad went to I.U. (South Bend), so we've been I.U. fans. Cyndi went to Ball State so we also became MAC fans. Then I met Bill who attended CMU (another MAC team). When people ask me which Michigan team I like, I typically respond with, "I don't care, we're a MAC family".

There is one thing that we can agree on.

Ohio stinks.

Across the board, whether you're in Indiana or Michigan, we all agree to root against Ohio.

Now that you know that I can get to the rest of my blog.

Jerry's oldest son is Dayton. You saw pictures of him in the post about our trip to the Children's Museum. On Thursday, we went to Dayton, Ohio. Cyndi had a meeting there so Skylar, Spencer and I went along.

It was a beautiful day, which was good because the meeting was held near the Occasionally Yours store at an outdoor mall.

Skylar took a picture of Spencer and me because he was wearing his "Cool like Auntie" onesie and his shades.

It was cute, until he started crying.

He's still cute.

Later that day, Mom and I walked to the local ice cream store. They had a new flavor, "Buckeye Classic". Since I had been in Ohio, I asked about it. It's peanut butter ice cream with fudge swirled throughout. It also had those peanut butter clusters dipped in chocolate that look like a buckeye. 

Of course I had to try it.

I had a very Ohio Thursday.

working on that bucket list

The more I think about a bucket list, my bucket list, the more I come up with.

One of the things I'm putting on my bucket list is to go to Lake Ontario. Technically it is part of the Great Lakes and is therefore claimed by Michigan. I don't know how strongly other people from Michigan feel about this, but um, have you ever looked at a map?

I have and it appears that we might have actually been closer to Lake Ontario when we lived in New Jersey.

Now to be fair, I googled directions from both houses to Rochester, NY because I needed an end place. When I just chose Lake Ontario, Google maps told me it could not give me directions.

Here are the facts:

It is 389 miles from Toms River, NJ to Lake Ontario (as roads go, not as the crow flies)
It is 452 miles from Grand Rapids, MI to Lake Ontario (as roads go, not as the crow flies)

Now, by the time you get to Rochester, NY from Michigan (by way of Canada), you have driven along quite a bit of lake shore. 

So if I move my end marker to the closest point which is Lakeshore Road in Burlington, Canada; that makes the trip shorter. It is 328 miles. To be fair, I changed the end point from Toms River too. The closer point is East 1st St, Oswego, Canada. That is 343 miles from Toms River.

So do I live closer to Lake Ontario now? Or when we lived in New Jersey? I think as the crow flies, it may still be NJ. I can move my marker to make the route shorter and it become 333 miles. We're getting closer. So maybe it is Michigan.

Who knew both places were basically equidistant to Lake Ontario? We're talking about a five mile difference. I'll leave it at that and go back to why I want to visit Lake Ontario.

Oh? Did you think I just want to visit there just for fun? 

No. If it's on a bucket list, doesn't it have to have a reason? Maybe not, but I have a reason!

I want to visit Lake Ontario because I have been to the other four Great Lakes. Doesn't it make sense that I go to the fifth lake?

For example: when I went to New York City on the Young Adult Mission trip (which I can't believe but I did NOT blog about it, at least that I can find) in 2010; I went to all five boroughs. We went to Staten Island to catch the ferry to Manhattan. We stayed in Brooklyn and we worked at a site in Queens. My group had a small amount of extra time one day and we just happened to be on a train whose last stop was in the Bronx. So we didn't get off at our stop, but instead rode the train to its last stop, got out, went up the stairs and outside, took a quick photo, and went back down to catch the train back to where we were supposed to be meeting the other group (at Grand Central Station). 


I've been to all five boroughs.

I've been to four of the five lakes.

I want to make it all five.

Blue and White

I noticed something; many people in Michigan like to paint their houses blue. It is not unusual at all. Our house in Niles was blue (it still is, my uncle lives there now). It was no surprise when we moved to Indiana that my parents wanted to paint that house blue (it was a brick red). Unfortunately the blue they picked was a lot less gray, and a lot more Smurf. Almost twenty years later, they were able to reside it (and put in new windows which have saved them a lot of energy, too bad it was too early for tax credits) and now it's a nice pale, celery green. It's very nice.

I mention this because in high school a friend was amused by the blue house. I became pretty sensitive to it and never knew why it hadn't bothered me before that moment.

It recently occurred to me while Bill and I have taken our walks around our neighborhood, and while driving around in the 'Vette, I have noticed the multitude of blue houses. I believe it is the state color of Michigan. We love our lakes and we love the color blue. Our state flag has a blue background. The lakes are blue. Some days we see blue sky. Blue it is.


Our other favorite color is white.

While most teenage girls are concerned about being tan for prom, Michigan girls are still white. We don't see that blue sky until mid summer so neither does our skin. We are proud of our white, white skin (although most times embarrassed) and don't mind waiting until after the 4th of July until we can work on our tan. You see just as many umbrellas at the beach as you don't (it makes sense, just think about it a minute).

Nancy and I did see a couple of girls in bikini's sunning themselves on a porch roof on Friday and it seems like everyone is in Florida or Alabama right now for spring break. But the rest of us like to be white. Or we don't have a choice and we will be white because we're still far enough north that the suns rays can't penetrate our thick winter clothes...

still something...

No. I haven't left blogworld. I've been super busy. It's not a good enough excuse, but please accept it for what it is, a lame excuse for not blogging more.

Labor Day weekend we went to the middle of the state, where dirt and gravel roads are alive and well. Where you can see millions of stars at night without even trying. Where our friends Heather W. and Josh live on forty acres. Josh built a HUGE bonfire, and we roasted marshmallows. We took a walk around their property, and we relaxed. I had allergies so I wasn't feeling that great and we only stayed one night. But it was a nice way to get back in touch with nature.

The following weekend was Homecoming Sunday at FUMC GR. There was a big turnout (over 500 in attendance at the 2nd service) and youth group was a lot of fun with a carnival theme. We're studying the Prodigal Son Scripture. This last Sunday we started off with the first two verses and played a shoe match game. Heather O. and I hid everyone's shoes (leaders too) in suitcases. It was fun. It was kind of smelly, but that's okay. We discussed the decisions we make everyday. Everything is a decision. It's pretty amazing. The kids are pretty good about discussing these things. We've had fifteen both nights. It's also Confirmation year, so I think that has something to do with attendance, but it seems like they enjoy youth group so far! Bill and I also became official members of FUMC GR this last Sunday.

This last Saturday we drove to Mt. Pleasant, home of Central Michigan University (who played Purdue and lost), and met Heather W. there. We drove over to Midland, home of Dow Chemicals. Also home to Dow Gardens. We strolled through the Gardens looking at beautiful flowers. We saw a wedding there, then while driving around Midland we saw at least four more weddings, then while eating dinner that night, a wedding party was outside having their pictures taken!!!

I'm on a big gardens kick. This Friday we're going to visit my Grandma. She mentioned something about going to the casino. Um, no. I'm not a fan. I don't care how good the buffet food is. I am not a buffet kind of person. It makes me want to vomit. Seriously, why do you think Americans are over weight? I can't eat that much food. So I'm just wasting money by going. So, instead of not doing anything about it, I remembered that my membership to Meijer Gardens is good for a Botanical Garden in Niles! I looked it up, found directions and am going to cross my fingers that she'll be up for that instead! I also looked up other things to do in the area. Notre Dame is close by, and my Grandfather was an alumni, I love that campus.

We'll see what we end up doing. But that's what I've been up to. Oh, and on this Saturday there's a Degage Ministries walk. So we're doing that with the youth groups and then we're eating at Yesterdog. Perhaps I'll have a picture or two to share from one of these experiences! (it's Jars of Clay's favorite place to eat when they're in town)

I "heart" Michigan

I couldn't tell you what it is, but I've always had this feeling of needing to live in Michigan. I was born here, so maybe it's just in my blood. I am very happy that I grew up where I did in Indiana. But since the day we moved from Michigan to Indiana, I knew that I needed to live here. I do not count the first fourteen months after Bill and I got married. Sorry to my friends on the east side of the state, but that was not the part of Michigan I wanted to live in. There were many things that factored into that, it was our first year of marriage, I had just graduated from college and was desperately seeking a "real" job, I was depressed, etc. As you know, we moved around. And each move was to bring us closer to moving back to Michigan. Back home. Eventually we had to do it on our own. We made it back last year, in June. It has taken me quite awhile to feel as though I am finally back here. It's weird, but true.

I am a midwest girl. I like the flat farmlands. I like the country roads that are tar and gravel and run north/south or east/west. I like that I can use my hand to show someone where I live. I do not enjoy the smell of cow manure, but I do like that it means there is a farm nearby. I love the corn fields (hey, remember I grew up in Indiana).

Last night, we took a drive on those country roads. And once again, it hit me. We live in Michigan. I expect it will take a few more months before I not only believe this, but don't think of it as a surprise either. I could go on and on, because that's how much I "heart" Michigan. But I'll stop there for now. Just remember this little fact: There are around 9,942 miles of shoreline around all the Great Lakes.


Yes! Michigan. Now if we could only have better roads...