Welcome to Michigan

Today I'm so excited to be linking up with the Influence Network to share where I live, southern Michigan.  I grew up in a small country town in west Michigan, but once I got married I moved south to be with my husband and his family.  In the beginning it was suppose to be just a year.  Four years later, we're still here and anxious to see where God is going to move us in the future.  Each day I try to find some unique joy in where were at right now.

• Our town is a great size! It's not too small, but not huge.  I don't wonder around a feel lost. Sometimes I see it as a downside, but lately I've been loving it more and more.  If you would have asked my thirteen year old self if I would be living here in ten plus years I would have said no! Now that I'm a mom, I love it.  
• We're nuzzled right in the middle of Amish country.  It doesn't phase me any more walking through Walmart with Amish around me, passing horse drawn buggies or roads filled with children playing at farm houses.  We live less then fifteen minutes from Shipshawana, sometimes it's fun to step back to a different era and take life slow.  
• I've become a runner, which is still weird to say, but I love that I get to run through a town filled with flowering trees in the spring.  Michigan might be cold, cold, cold during the winter, but it certainly makes spring extra sweet.   
• Sometimes I laugh at my former self.  I would never believe I would be anywhere but a city or overseas.  But here I am and I love it.  I love raising my kids where they can run barefoot, play with friends, enjoy animals + nature, and just be silly kids.  
• Oddly enough, I love that we live near a conservation club where we can go out and enjoy our inner hillbilly.  One of my favorite things to do lately is go shoot guns with my husband and his parents.  Don't worry, I only shoot paper.  I don't know if I could actually hunt. 

If you were to come to my house on any give day I would probably make sweet tea for us to sip on our back deck while we watched the kids swim, play and drive around the four wheeler. We might go to our favorite little park where we spend most of our summer days.  Or we might load the kids up on bikes while we walk through the neighborhood behind our house chatting about wanting a Starbucks in town.  I would definitely take you to my favorite little coffee + chocolate shop in town.  Although I'm not in love with their coffee, they're salted dark chocolate caramels are to die for.  If you stayed long enough we would take you to our favorite Amish restaurant so we could have amazing food and the best strawberry pie of your life!  Then take all the kids on a buggy ride drawn by the most beautiful white draft horse.   

Then at the end of the day we would probably relax on the deck while we laughed about the plans I once had for myself.  How God wrecked me to rebuild me and trust Him that we're right where he wants us to be.  

Please come visit me. 

We'll have a great time laughing.

And eating delicious treats.

Linking up with The Influence Network