Pure Michigan

 There is a place that I call home. It is a place surrounded by not just any lakes, but the Great Lakes. A place where one day you need a sweater and the next day sun screen. Where you call a carbonated beverage “pop.” It is the home of 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams. It’s the home of Detroit. Where football and baseball reign. The home of the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Detroit Pistons. The birthplace of pop singer Madonna, Actor Taylor Lautner, boxer Floyd Maywether, Tennis player Serena Williams, actress Kristin Bell, and yours truly. This place is Pure Michigan.

Pure Michigan. The reason I use my hand as a map and point to it to explain where I live. The reason I have an unconditional love for the water. The reason I have a swimsuit and a beach towel thrown in the back of my car at all times. The reason I find myself going to more than one beach a day. The reason I have an ever growing collection of sea glass. An abundance of brown, white, green and the ever rare blue pieces. The reason I grew up fishing. The reason I can bait a hook, and cast a line out. The reason I have a new state park sticker on my windshield every year. The reason I’m a proud owner of a kayak. The reason I embark on outdoor adventures.

Pure Michigan. The state that holds a small town. A small town that I grew up in. Where I lived down an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Where there was a house surrounded by nothing but trees. The trees were my playground. Where me and my sisters built tree fort after tree fort. Where we caught frogs and toads. Where we climbed trees, cleared trails, made obstacle courses, built fires and learned how to ride a dirt bike. The place where I learned not to squeeze the throttle too fast and lose control and crash into a bunch of logs. The house where we played catch outside for hours and I learned to not trust my older sister when she says I don’t need to wear any protective gear while she pitches the ball to me. Where I learned to drive down the back roads with my dad. Where I helped my mom make dinner and set the table.  Where my mom dressed us kids up in her old dresses, jewelry and makeup. Where my mom sang to us before bed and my dad told us bedtime stories. Where the basement was an adventurous place filled with every toy imaginable. Where so many memories were made. Where I can’t help but smile when I think about it. This is the place that holds my heart. Pure Michigan.

What place are you from?

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Hello and Welcome!

I am starting this blog because it was bestowed upon me by my English professor. You are probably wondering how I got so lucky. Well, first you should know that I am a student at Grand Valley State University. Secondly, I am completing a double major. I am both an English and Education major. With that being said I have to take a pretty ghastly amount of English classes, but that is no surprise.

The class options are extensive. When the time comes and I have to create the schedule I am supposed to live religiously by for the next semester, it is not fun. I spend hours, sometimes days, searching for that ideal class at that perfect time. I find myself in a fog of stress, confusion, hopelessness and occasional rage. However, one day after a long hour of cycling through class descriptions the fog was lifted. I happened to see this class, Literature and the Environment. This class appealed to me the most. Since I was drawn to this class I have to partake in all its assignments. This blog being one of them.

                I wasn’t sure how I felt about having this new responsibility. I was originally very nervous. I mean after all a blog is a blog, a place where you post your work on the all mighty internet and everyone in the world can see it, read it, and worst of all critique it. I mean you can’t just throw your words and ideas into some magical machine, hit a button and have them come out as a perfect post that breeds love and understanding. No, it is much more complicated than that. I have participated in a blog before but it entailed only simple reflection questions provided by my previous professor. I have never had to do a blog of this caliber. I have never had to write about the ever evolving environment, but I am excited. I absolutely adore nature and all of the adventures it provides.

            Setting this blog up was actually a fun experience, nestled up on the couch, flipping through layouts and colors and deciding on that ever so important background picture. Speaking of background pictures, you may have noticed mine. It just so happens to be one of my very own photographs from one of my own outdoor activities. I plan to do the best I can do to provide a swell experience for my readers as I attempt to navigate through nature with my words, ideas, and images. So open your minds and come on in.

Enjoy!