1. It is an amazingly beautiful state!
2. The Upper Peninsula is the destination spot in Michigan. (And just so you know, locals call it The U.P.)
3. There are these food items called “pasties” popular on the UP. (Pronounced past-ees. Not paste-ees.) The latter pasties were what I thought was being advertised for sale everywhere and I was so confused why families would want to buy them at tourist stops. When I hear of pasties I think of Janet Jackson. And this picture of Mason:
When someone at church clarified for me what the pasties of the UP actually are (a meat and vegetable filled pastry), it helped explain why there would be huge signs advertising “Large Homemade Pasties” all over the UP. Things make so much more sense now…
4. The best way to cook corn on the cob for a large group of people is in an empty ice chest. Pour boiling water over them and let them sit for a couple hours. Amazing!
5. It’s a good thing I have avoided the sun for so many years. Because I got so. much. sun this last week floating in Lake Michigan on perfect sunny days with my kids that I look in the mirror and feel like I’ve aged a couple years with all the sun damage. Imagine if I hadn’t been wearing sunscreen and cowering in the shade for summers past, I’d look like a 100 year-old lady. (That being sad, I’m more tan than I’ve been since I worked as a golf cart girl that one summer in college. Those were some good days. I was young, tan, and I made serious cash. Ahh… a lifetime ago.)
6. Bugs. Bugs. Bugs. I guess thick trees and an abundance of fresh water mean bugs. Mosquitos, gnats, flies and species I’ve never seen before due to my desert roots. When I ran in the morning there were swarms of them. They’d get in my eyes and up my nose and almost make me consider it wasn’t worth it to exercise. Then I’d turn the corner and run along the shores of a beautifully magnificent lake reflecting the sunrise and I’d decide inhaling a few bugs is a small price to pay for such amazing beauty.
7. Meeting together in worship at church is life-giving and invigorating. Not that I didn’t know this, but living in a Covid-quarantined world I realize what I have taken for granted in the past. We visited a church near Grand Rapids where we knew no one. Afterward, we spent some sweet time talking with staff and sharing about Mason’s Place and Hope Partners and what we are doing as a family. We also got to hear their hearts for their community and church and it was a breath of fresh air. It was so lovely to spend time in such a healthy, missional church.
8. People are better than places. In the midst of hitting the tourist spots of Michigan, we ventured down to the lower peninsula (which is still completely beautiful) to see our dear friends for a few days. We barged onto their driveway with our massive trailer and they welcomed us into their home with grace and hospitality, amazing food and deep friendship. I learn so much seeing how other people do life, how they parent their kids, how they love others. I love sitting and listening to the lessons they have learned and the things God is teaching them. These moments are truly my favorites. God has brought rich, soul-filing moments though the people we have connected with along the way and I know I’m better because of it.
