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What I know so far

I've been in Grand Rapids for a little over a month now and I wanted to share some random thoughts on what I've observed so far.

  1. Michiganders are NICE. I had heard this anecdotally before I moved here, but I can confirm its veracity. We have had lovely encounters with our neighbors and fellow parents; we have left places like the local post office, Target and the Michigan DMV with smiles on our faces; the friendly server at one brewery we went to would have joined us at our table if she could have.

  2. Space matters. We may not be neat-as-a-pin people, but having storage helps. A lot.

  3. I need a routine. I thought that I might be able to motivate myself to exercise on my own, but it turns out that my 12-year-boot-camp habit did not turn me into a morning person. To get me out of bed, accountability is still required. Luckily, I have found a community of runners (see NICE above).

  4. Having seasons is fantastic. However, talk to me again in February.

  5. Michiganders complain about the weather, too. I thought the locals would take cold, rainy weather in stride, but, no, they complain, too.
  6. I LOVE having wood fires. I have already had several fires in each of our two fireplaces, but since our big supply of wood was delivered last weekend, I've had two marathon days of fires where I started a blaze at 9:30am and maintained it until 9 p.m. It makes me so happy to sit in front of a fire all day, especially when it's cold and gray outside.

  7. Michiganders sure like their lawns. I can't let go of my California view of this lawnscape as wasteful and unnecessary. The dogs sure love it though.

  8. Michiganders come to a complete stop at stop signs. Colleen is the one who pointed this out to me. The "California roll" is so named for a reason. Colleen is pleased as punch to be living in a place where traffic rules are obeyed.

  9. Cider slushies are a thing. Yaaas.

  10. Three to five pumpkins stacked on top of each other is a thing. Cool, cool, cool.

  11. Candy corn + peanuts. I don't know that this is a Michigan thing, but I found out about it here, and everyone I mention it to is like, "Well, yeah."

  12. I miss everyone. We're all enjoying our time here, but it doesn't mean we're not missing friends and family. I love having a house that can accommodate guests (see random thought #2), so please come visit.

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