Finally

We have finally settled in. What a relief. No more boxes. No more mounds of trash. My kitchen is finally set up. My wife is able to relax. My pets are finally at peace. Life is good. So, now to business...

Where to begin, where to begin...How about a couple of new experiences like storms and bugs?

Bad, intense storms terrify me. I am not talking about a little lighting storm or passing rain shower. I am talking about the power of God revealed in hurricane force winds, water pouring out of the sky, deadly blizzards, and cascading lightning. I speak of death on the wind. Back in Colorado, I prided myself in our amazing storms, our torrential rains, micro bursts, and blizzards powerful enough to freeze time itself. How naive I was. In the past 6 weeks, we have been nailed by horrific storms countless times. Trees have toppled, tornadoes have screamed by, and we have had more rainfall in the month of July than in a full quarter of a year in Colorado. In Colorado, it was rare to have really bad thunderstorms outside of May and early June. It could happen, but it was rare. So far, this seems normal for a Michigan summer. Last night, as we were preparing to leave for bible study, I looked up at the sky. There, in the low hanging clouds, was a maelstrom so violent, so breathtaking, so malevolent, that I stopped in my tracks to stare. Nothing could have prepared me for that sight. I stood there awestruck, waiting for death. Had a tornado dropped out of that roiling, boiling vortex in the sky, every house within a mile of us would have been destroyed. If it had not been for The Diva calling my name, I would probably still be there.

We had bugs in Colorado. We had the occasional mosquito, some moths here and there, a spattering of spiders, and sometimes June-bugs intermixed with flies. In Michigan, we HAVE bugs. I have seen mosquitoes that could carry away a small child, stag beetles that scared my cats, and scores of spiders, flies, and ants. The Diva is enamored with all of the bugs. She keeps a bug identification book next to her at all times and spends chunks of the day running around our property trying to identify all of the bugs. Whereas, I like to keep a fly swatter handy and just kill everything on principle. However, the one bug that I am utterly fascinated with is the Firefly. Just after dusk, in the freshness of the night, fireflies rise out of the surrounding fields in numbers that I can only guess at. It looks like the star filled expanse of an entire galaxy is rising out of the fields behind my house. If it wasn't for the mosquito trying to carry off my pug, I could stand there for hours watching a galaxy of fireflies rise to the heavens.

Michigan is full of new experiences. So far, we have met many new friends, witnessed scores of massive storms, and been bitten by a plethora of bugs I never knew existed. Furthermore, I am loving every aspect of this new chapter in our lives.

A new Journey

Let me introduce myself. I am married, we have zero children, two dogs (a pug and a retriever), four cats (three orange tabbies and a black cat), and two horses (Morgan mares...both of em). We live on a small hobby farm just outside of Monroe Michigan.

I love to work with my hands and see the fruits of my labor. I spent years restoring and protecting natural habitats throughout the Colorado front range. Then I went back to school, earned two college degrees (and B.S. degree and an MBA) and a graduate certificate. I have spent the past decade working in corporate America managing supply chains for retailers and agriculture companies. My wife is an Opera singer. She is getting her graduate degree in Vocal performance at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). She is the reason that we are in Michigan.

Six months ago, we set our current situation in motion. We put our house in Colorado on the market (it sold in a day), my wife (The Diva) auditioned at EMU (and was accepted), and we started packing. Three months ago, we put an offer in on a house and we closed a month ago. Three weeks ago, I quit my job, we drove across the country, and we officially became Michigan residents. God brought every piece of this move together and we praise Him for all that He has done for us.

I tend to be self reliant and take the initiative in all aspects of my life. Now I am jobless and have to rely on God to provide. It is a new experience and strangely comforting.

I like to canoe, hike, golf, cook, read, work with wood, play video games and surf the internet. I love God, my wife, my pug, and food. Now that we are on a hobby farm, I plan to explore gardening, raising chickens (and other livestock), and hand crafting artisan foods (beer, bread, cheese and other tasty foods).

The purpose of this blog is document my journey as I explore Michigan, confront my regional biases, enjoy many new experiences, and introduce my new neighbors to a little bit of the Colorado high country.