Another Year

This post is long overdue!  If you remember on our one year anniversary of being in Michigan I posted the 52 things we miss about Arizona.  My plan was to then post a year later the 52 things we love about Michigan.  Yep, missed that date.  But I have been trying to get to it.  I promise.

So it has been just over two years now since we moved to Michigan.  Two years, and five months to be exact.  Things haven't changed much since that last post.  It is still hard, busy, crazy, stressful, fun, and wonderful.  We are still learning so much about living here, it seems like it is going to be an ongoing theme to our life.

Tree in spring bloom from last year.

So in honor of another year in the greath north, I bring you another list.  Another year means another 52 things.  This list will be things we love about Michigan combined with phrases we never thought we would hear ourselves say.  Enjoy!

1. Green  2. Spring  3. Summer  4. Fall  5. Winter  6. Trees  7. Lakes  8. Rivers  9. Ponds  10. "We need to plan the garden."  11. Birds  12. Family  13. Congregation  14. "Better bundle up for service today, it is 0º out this morning!"  15. Flowers  16. Wild vegetables  17. Grass  18. "No school today, it's a SNOW DAY!!!!"  19. Friends  20. Farms  21. Backyard wildlife  22. Small Towns  23. "We need to plan a trip. . .to ARIZONA!"  21. Fall colors  22. Homecooked Goodness  23. Not ever reading 110º on the thermometer  24. "It's raining" (again, or still, or period!!!)  25. Snow  26. "I live in Michigan"  27. Wildflowers  28. Weather  29. Bald Eagles  30. Forests  31. "We need to shovel the driveway today"  32. Homecooked Goodness  33. Garden  34. Wild Berries  35. Strawberry picking  36. Snowmobiling  37. Pick-Your-Own Farms  38. "We need to weed in the garden."  39. Aunts and Uncles  40. Space  41. Deer  42. "The kids are down swimming in the lake."  43. "Sorry I missed your call, I was out stacking wood."  44. Four - yep, four DIFFERENT seasons  45. Grandma  46. Dinners consisting of only what we picked from the garden that day  47. Sledding parties  48. Lakes as big as oceans  49. Fireplaces that get used  50. GREEN - have I mentioned this!?!?!  51. Festivals  52. The Scenery!!!!

Potato fields just a few minutes from our house.

Needless to say, we love, love, love it here.  This third year is already almost half over.  Each year brings its own challenges and we are working through them.  Each passing year also makes the missing of or friends and family back in Arizona so much worse.  We miss you all so much.  I can't believe it has been almost a year since we have seen you last.

It truely is beautiful here, you really must see it for yourself.  Our door is always open and we would love to see you.

Squash Blossom from our garden last year.

Photo of the Week - Week 42 - ARIZONA

Week 42 of 52

Location:  Tucson, Arizona
Subject:  Arizona Wildflowers

In honor of our recent trip to Arizona, this week's photo is of my favorite Arizona wildflower.  I always loved these bright, happy flowers.  They made everything so sunshiny and happy.

Our trip out west was great.  The drive out was tremendously long.  We were driving into the big snowstorm that hit New Mexico/Texas/Oklahoma so we decided to avoid it and head the long way through Texas. Ugh!  That is the only word for it.  It makes the long drive to Arizona seem so much longer heading the long way through that big ol' state.

We arrived safe, sound, exhausted, and with full bellies thanks to a stop at a burrito shop for some breakfast burritos. YUM!!  We spent a few precious days with my big sis and her family.  Friday was girls day and gift exchange.  Then Saturday we headed to Tucson to visit family and friends down there.  It was good to see everyone.  Saturday we had BBQ at my other big sis's house and we had friends from Marana, Green Valley, and Silver City come to see us.  Miss my girls so much!  Sunday we vegged all day, gearing up for the big drive back.

We arrived home at 4 o'clock in the morning Wednesday and each of us headed straight for our beds and slept soundly.  Some of us until almost noon.  And those "some of us" were the ones that slept most of the way home in the first place!

It was a great trip, tinged with a bit of worry for events happening back home, but it was really good to spend those few precious days with loved ones.  We will be back in May, with hopefully a few more days to see everyone we missed this trip.

Love you all and can't wait to see you again!

365 Days Later. . .

One year ago today we arrived in Michigan.  Yep, one year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, or 525,600 minutes ago, we officially arrived in our new state of residence.  It is amazing how quickly time passes.  I have had to count that year sometimes in months since it flies by so fast, and sometimes in minutes because it seems to pass so slowly.

It was a very long drive, a very sad goodbye.  Even as I write to you all today I tear up thinking about all those I had to say goodbye to in order to come to this new life.

So in honor of our making it one whole year I decided to dedicate today to listing 52 things I miss about Arizona.  One for every week we have been away.

1. My Sisters  2. Our family  3. Our friends  4. My house  5. Our congregation  6. My sisters  7. Mexican food  8. Grocery stores that have everything I want to buy in them  9. Knowing EXACTLY where everyplace I want to go is  10.  nieces and nephews  11. My Sisters  12. a K12 school that has no limits on enrolled students  13. Those I love even though I didn't know how much until I had to leave them  14. Arizona sunsets  15. Great craft stores five minutes from my house  16. My Sisters  17. Gem Show  18. Camping in the mountains  19. Patagonia  20. Mountains  21.  Knowing north, south, east, west just by looking up  22. My Sisters  23. Friends  24. Discount movie theaters  25. Sitting on a mountain and seeing for miles and miles  26. Great Mexican Food  27. living around the corner from M&M K.  28. night walks around the city block  29. backyards with walls so my pups could run free  30. My sisters  31. fireworks you can actually see from your house  32. Our friends  33. seeing our friends children grow up  34. nieces and nephews  35. second-hand stores  36. circuit assemblies where you know almost everyone there  37. getting to that circuit assembly without the use of a GPS  38. MY SISTERS  39. living so close to California  40. Our house  41. My brother  42. Giant, mysterious saguaro's  43. walks in Sabino Canyon  44. weekends in Florence  45. My Sisters  46. Mexican Food  47. Friends  48. Family  49. Driving home from my Big Sisters and watching the city lights  50. Monsoons  51. Adopted Parents/Grandparents  52. Friends/Family

So there they are, 52 of the things I miss most from Arizona.  And no, I am not crazy (well mostly not), I have some things listed more than once.  But that is because I miss them so much I had to list them more than once!

It has been a hard, busy, crazy, stressful, fun, wonderful year.  We have learned so much, made so many new friends, and are so glad we made that very hard decision.  We miss you all so much and can not wait until we can see your smiling faces again.