I wanted to begin a blog as our family begins a set of big(ger) changes. There's really no way to put everything in a nutshell, but here goes:
I was born and did some of my growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP), specifically in the Marquette area. We moved away when I was about 8, because my mom got married and her husband's job took us away from the UP. Eventually, I landed in Ann Arbor for college, and have been in the area ever since 1995. Much of my family remains in the UP, although my mom, sister and brother are in lower Michigan, about 2 hours away from where I live now in Ypsilanti.
I met my husband Paul through some friends. We knew each other casually, but then started dating in the spring of 2005. He went to college in the UP, and we started to talk about moving back to the UP "someday." The place appealed to us; it seemed clean, quiet and simple compared to the crowded Southeast Michigan scene. It's rather hard to come by an industrial electrician job in the UP, though, so we just kept it to "someday" for the longest time.
Paul and I got married in October of 2006, and have been living in Paul's house in Ypsilanti. In January 2009, I gave birth to Henry, our son. He was born at home, and has grown like a weed; we love him terribly. It's been a trip to become parents, and learn how to negotiate all the changes that come along with that. Our marriage has evolved. Our home life has evolved. Our friendships have evolved.
Here's a photo of us in January (actually, in the UP for Paul's job interview).
After Henry's arrival, we planned for me to be able to stay home from work and live on Paul's income. Unfortunately, he was laid off in May of 2009, right at the cusp of me having to let my manager know whether I'd return to work or not. I am a nurse in a hospital birth center, so I had some flexibility with my schedule. I've been working 2 twelve hour shifts weekly while Paul cares for Henry. Paul's been looking for work locally and not-so-locally. When the opportunity arose for a couple of jobs in the UP, we began to seriously consider taking a shot at moving north.
Two weeks ago, Paul was offered one of the jobs he interviewed for. It's not electrical work; he'll be a "track laborer" for a railroad line that runs iron ore from the mine to the ore docks in Marquette harbor on Lake Superior. He accepted, and we'll be moving north in the first week of March. My grandma, Aurelia, has invited us to stay with her in her big house in Negaunee. She's 93 and lives alone, so has plenty of room. This is such a blessing, as it will allow us to take our time to find a house to buy. I think it may be of help to her too, and give her some company...hopefully, not too overwhelming for her!
Obviously, this move is bittersweet. Paul's family lives near us now, and we see a lot of them. I see my mom and sister once a month or so, and will miss them a lot. I've made a lot of friends here in the last 15 years, and am pretty rooted in this community. However, we both are looking at this change as a "fresh start" of sorts; a chance to find a really suitable house for our family, have me home with our baby (and maybe make another baby), enjoy making new relationships and enjoying all that the beautiful UP has to offer.
I'd like to use this blog as a journal of sorts, and also a way to share our adventure with family and friends. I'll figure out how to spruce it up with photos and design soon, but for now, thanks for reading.
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