Michigan Life

So far Michigan bodes well for us. I'll admit during the first week I was a little sad as I felt even further away from my family [2,210 miles]. A visit home wasn't just a cheap and easy trip anymore. Technology eases the pain of the distance though. There have been a lot of phone calls and FaceTime sessions.

It wasn't just my family that I was missing. I was already missing our old life. But when we were in our old life I couldn't wait for our new life to start! What's my deal!? I couldn't help but relate to what Andy Bernard said in The Office finale, "I wish there was a way to know you were in the good ol' days before you actually left them." 
I made such an effort to soak up our last year in Utah by taking advantage of all it has to offer, hoping I would leave feeling fulfilled. And I did feel fulfilled. Jay and I managed to do so many incredibly memorable things before we left. But what I've learned is that no matter how well you try to prepare, change is always difficult. I'm also constantly reminding myself that these are "the good ol' days." There's so much in life to enjoy and be grateful for.

Our house is perfect. Old and small, but just right for us. I'm dying to show off the inside, but it's still a work in progress.

Our neighborhood is delightful. Every day at least one of the neighbors is out gardening, mowing their lawn, walking their dog, or running. The other day I was having some trouble with the lawn mower and was hesitant to ask for help from my neighbor whom I hadn't really interacted with yet. Despite just having surgery on his hand that morning, Jim came to my rescue. Our mower seemed to be broken, so Jim loaned me his mower. After a few minutes, his wasn't working properly. Just as I went to return the mower, Jim flies out of his garage on a John Deere riding mower and insists on mowing our front and back lawn.

THEN he came back with a leaf blower. This man's sweet act of service really gave me an idea for what this neighborhood is all about. [I was sure to thank him with a batch of cookies.] Also, our mailman came and introduced himself the day we moved in. It's those little things like being on a first-name basis with your mailman and having neighbors who are willing to go above on beyond despite their own difficulties that make you feel at home. 
The neighborhood is quiet, lined with trees, and doesn't get much traffic which makes for perfect walking conditions.

Our church is literally a 15 second drive. We would walk if it weren't so hot out. Our ward is lovely. It's so very different from any Utah or California ward. There are not a ton of members, but the members are strong and always looking for missionary opportunities. We have been able to join the Sisters and the Elders on their lessons with investigators multiple times. Last week during a lesson with the Sisters, they told the investigator about our living prophet Thomas S. Monson. It was so neat to see someone receiving that information for the first time. It makes me realize that I often take my knowledge of the Gospel for granted. It's all been incredibly eye-opening and spiritually uplifting

Battle Creek is a small town with not many stores and restaurants to offer. Not the good ones anyway. What I wouldn't give for a meal at Spaghetti Factory or even Panda Express! Thank goodness for Panera just three miles away though. 
Jay and I realize this is a great opportunity to eat healthier and save money by eating out less. And if every now and then we want to treat ourselves to a finer dining experience, Kalamazoo is only 30 minutes away. 
However, there are defintely pros to living in an old small town.

The weather is hot and humid. Pouring rain along with thunder and lightning is not unusual. It will be a clear, sunny day and within minutes a dark storm rolls in and not just sprinkles, but floods. Then within a few more minutes the sun comes back and it's stifling hot again.

The storms make for amazing sunrises and sunsets.

With the heat and humidity comes a lot of bugs. We're not so fond of the mosquitoes, but I do love the fire flies that come out in the evenings.

Lots of gorgeous greenery and high pollen count means crazy allergies for me. I was informed that eating local honey would ease my symptoms by building up my immune system to the local pollen. Miraculously it has worked! Though I still have an occasional allergy attack, it is NOTHING compared to when we first arrived in Michigan.

When we moved in there was a lot of cleaning to be done. I spent the entire first week cleaning literally everything- walls, base boards, blinds, windows, cupboards, and floors. Poor Jay came home to a sweaty and stinky wife for awhile. I was so anxious to get the cleaning out of the way so the decorating could be begin. By the second week I completed a couple of projects- shelves and a new frame for the bedroom mirror.

 There's a lot of responsibility and expense with a house, even just as renters. Our landlord takes care of major things like replacing the fridge, [for three weeks we had a fridge that froze and a freezer that wouldn't] fixing door knobs, and putting up new blinds. He left the yard in our hands which has been very exciting and also a bit stressful. I have come to realize how very little I know about tending to a yard. Luckily the Wilson's are loaning us their lawn mower for the summer, but eventually we will have to accumulate or borrow things like a leaf blower, snow blower, weed-wacker, and other gardening tools.

 Jay's first weeks of work were uneventful. There wasn't much for him to do yet, so he was able to come home early and even home for lunch one day. Things will be getting very busy for him at work, so he's enjoying the down time.

Everyone raves about Sweetwater's donuts. So Jay surprised me with half a dozen after getting off work early, then we went to the park. It's so refreshing for him to come home and not stress about completing a homework assignment or studying for a test the next day.

Jay gets to go to work for a company he loves and treats him well, and I get to stay home and be a homemaker/mommy to the pup. We feel so very fortunate to be living our dream. I miss my family, friends, the ocean, and dare I say it... Utah. But we got a good thing going on here in Michigan.