Life in Michigan

I thought I'd just jump right into the middle of life and make random posts here and there of how we're growing and evolving. Ideally I'll just as randomly fill in our history as I go along.

We've moved to Michigan. Seems like the shock is wearing off a little, and we're getting used to our new life here. We're still on hold, waiting to build a house that should last us the next 10 years or so of our adventures here. The house SHOULD be complete by the 1st week of August, when we hope to really settle in. But all in all I think we're starting to feel comfortable here.

This was a big move, not only as it was kind of out of the blue, and involved moving all 7 of us and our most important belongings across 5 states or so and 2 time zones, but, as we knew if we were going to make a move, it would be for some of the most important years of our kids' lives. This is where we'll be facing teenage hood in all it's glory, times 4, likely times 5. We LOVED our life in North Idaho, skiing, biking, hiking--just enjoying the views and the nature. I think we truly eked all we could out of it. Somewhere along the line the idea came up that perhaps we should have some new adventures, add some new dimension to our lifestyle, and seemed a college town might be a good way to go (as our ideal of beach living or anywhere else warmer would likely be too pricey or crowded for our whole crew).

Technically speaking the East Lansing area looked ideal for our family--hundreds of activities, if not thousands, all sorts of cultural events, and many places on the east side of the country to explore by car that we would never have otherwise thought of visiting. It's thankfully proven true already in our 3 short months here. Above all, the schools are fantastic, and we're constantly exposed to the benefits of a great university nearby. We might not have the mountains of the west, but we've still found familiar beauty in the forests, lakes, wetlands and farms. We're not far from beaches and I hear there are cliffs and mountains not far south in Kentucky, if not closer. (I keep finding it funny how although I know my states pretty well, I'm getting such a different perspective here now that I'm on the ground here, and not just thinking of all these places as lines on a map. Kind of like filling in the dots.)

I'm pretty sure we'll have a good life here, and glad we made the move. As much as my heart still aches for our friends in Idaho and throughout the west, I think we'll make some great connections here, too.