Mission Calls

So many have been submitting mission papers and receiving calls lately that it seems at times as though calls are a simple, automated response to geographical demand.

But I stumbled upon this:

“I have had [many] experiences feeling of the Holy Ghost…But I’ve never felt what I have felt as I have…participated in the assigning of missionaries…Because of technology, it is possible for us to have your picture and the information about you displayed. And then quickly, on that same screen, all the missions of the Church with all of their needs are displayed. Within minutes, and sometimes less than a minute, the impression comes so powerfully that it would be, if it were a single instance, something that you would never forget. Can you imagine sitting there for hours at a time, having that happen time after time without interruption? I testify to you that it is real…[The Lord] somehow not only knows you but loves you enough to ensure that your call is where He needs you to go to teach the children of our Heavenly Father.” (Pres. Henry B. Eyring, “Called of God,” address delivered at the Missionary Training Center, Aug. 26, 1997).

What we actually did in Michigan.

Forever ago I wrote this post about fun things you can do in Michigan.
I wrote it in anticipation of my boyfriend coming to town, but the list included a lot of museums, and museums in Michigan aren't free (unlike the Smithsonian in DC).

So here is a really late list of what we ACTUALLY did in Michigan-- cheap things to do in Michigan!

1. We went to Hell.
There wasn't actually a whole lot to do or see, but now we can say that we've been to Hell. Take that, Dante. And there were amusing signs. Like "The road to Hell is paved with potholes." #MichiganRoads

2. On the way back from Hell we stopped by Island Lake to play in the lake. There was lots of goose poop (a Michigan landmark). We also threw around with some lacrosse sticks. Colin and I went back to Island Lake/Kensington Park later to ride the tandem on bike trails and to kayak. 

3. Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne (1845)! This one was on that original list I made, and it was actually really cool! We were lucky enough to be there to watch to the surrender to the British. They even had a canon going. We talked to some reenactors and saw their cool historic paraphernalia. As two history majors, it was pretty neat. Plus, you could walk through portions of the original fort, which were AWESOME. Additionally, it's location on the Detroit River allowed us to see across to the Canadian shore, and driving there gave Colin the opportunity to experience some of Detroit's deterioration. This was definitely a favorite. You only have to pay for parking. I wish we'd taken more pictures here!

Reading some exhibits inside

The river (& Canada) are behind us.

Surrendering to the British

 4. Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. This is absolutely free to wander around and admire the mechanical marvels, but if you can leave without spending any quarters on their games, I commend you! They had some REALLY OLD things. And some more modern ones. We took a couple of friends with us, and it was a lot of fun.

A wooden pig. Why not?

 There's a LOT in there.

There were some more standard games...

Lot of rounds of basketball. Colin was pretty much the champ.

And some less standard...

We tried to cure Colin's arachnophobia. He had a hard time with it.

Zelda, the fortune-teller. She's pretty old.

I don't remember what this guy is, but if he's the one that was supposed to give me a massage, it was pretty lame. But he's super old, too!

5. Woodward Dream Cruise. People come from all over to experience this. UNFORTUNATELY, I screwed up and we got there late in the evening after most cruisers had already quit, and got to see more SUVs than we had anticipated. But if you're in Michigan at the end of August, don't miss this!

6. Sukho Thai. Colin loves a Thai place in Silver Spring, MD, Ruan Thai, and always brags about how it's pretty much the best. But after eating at my family's favorite, Sukho Thai, he had to admit that he'd been one-upped.

7. Visit downtown Birmingham, the social hub. Yoga-doing soccer moms and corner-sitting middle schoolers congregate here. We walked around, met a friend, and grabbed a smoothie.

8. Visit Ann Arbor. Home to the University of Michigan, it serves the interests of the college-age demographic. We went to Five Guys, ordered fries, and stole peanuts, which we fed to fat and friendly squirrels.

 Sitting at Five Guys

 

We also got bubble drinks and a cookie and visited the spot where JFK announced to organization of the Peace Corps.

Enjoying Bubble Drinks

On the spot where JFK announced the formation of the Peace Corps

JFK

With friend/tour guide/Ann Arbor resident, Corey.

Graduation Goals

My goal before graduation is to make it onto some of the Communication Department's SVU propaganda. A pamphlet, a commercial, a billboard... whatever!

But as a fall-back, should this goal fail, I can say that I've been featured on the university's website. You can find me on the homepage:

I can also be found on our library's homepage (unfortunately- it's not a particularly flattering portrait):

It was humid. No hair cooperation.

Actually, neither picture is very flattering, but it's a decent back-up plan!

Blogging

Sometimes I feel like I should probably have a style blog because I impress myself with the outfits and accessories that I throw together.
But then I would have to figure out how to take pictures of myself without humiliating myself in the front yard.


I also want to be a mom with a photography business on the side.

And an etsy shop.





I read too many blogs.