Hello to everyone in Ria’s world! This is Michelle at www.misplacedmomma.com (AKA irishcailin from www.irishcailin.wordpress.com). I am guest posting today while ria is out on vacation! She’d say she’s “up north,” however she’s not as far north as I am living, so she’s still down state from me

While our blogs are widely different (mine is a mommy blog, and ria…well, shes not a mom! And I think she has expressed her feelings on this somewhat…- for those of you who are avid followers- insert giggle here!) we do, however still have a lot in common. One thing in particular is our love of nature. However neither likes the bug part of nature… see pic below as I’m ducking as a fly zooms by my ear! while on one of our nature walks. Ria just happened to take the picture at that point.

Almost as coincidental as this picture taken as we were falling off a camping chair- mid fall- at one of our favorite places “up north” to visit. This is one of my favorite pictures, and it’s about 9 years old now! …

Just don’t show my daughter that picture when she gets older! So bad! And no, I don’t smoke anymore! lol… or really drink much for that matter…But I’m getting off track here…

My point is that one thing we both love is Northern Michigan. I actually just moved here from sunny, warm Florida. Crazy I know! Ria says shes jealous I live up here… but I don’t think she could last and stay sane! It’s too slow paced for her busy demeanor. She likes to be busy and there’s not much to do here. But it’s a good place when you need to chill out and de-stress. Is there anywhere special you like to go, or anything in particular you like to do, to de-stress??

Well thanks for reading my 2cents… if I made any “cents” at all here! Have a good weekend!

© ria for & that's the way life goes, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: guest post, nature, northern michigan

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I’m having a bit of writer’s block.  It’s an awful feeling.  Yes I have a couple things I’m pondering to write about, but I’m not that sure about it yet.  So instead you get this…

Summer, I’ve been realizing, is a magical time for me.   Narrowing this down even more, the place up north that I swear I leave a part of my heart, holds a lot of firsts.

So summers in northern Michigan, here is my list of firsts you let me experience:

• Seeing a snake swimming in the water – I was probably between the ages of 6-8 and thoroughly freaked out
• Picking berries from the island
• Paddleboat
• Sunfish & Blue Gill were my favorite fish to catch
• Appreciating the silence and sunlight filtering through the trees behind my grandparents cottage – I still remember the odd rolling little hills in the field
• Riding on a tire swing -  laughing and giggling
• Fireworks on the beach, I remember laying on the towel with my mom
• Horseback riding
• Canoeing around the lake with the bestie
• Licking cheese off the doritos and holding them out the car window to “dry”
• Camping with my dad – where he made the most amazing Filipino food in the wok on a propane stove
• Fishing at the dams – learning to appreciate nature and cutting off the butts of crayfish (I’m sorry PETA!)
• My first period (sorry boys!) – I was camping and at the dam fishing with my dad.  Luckily two of my more “mature” girlfriends were there and we bought the necessary items at Kmart and hid them from my Dad..haha I was embarrassed
• Backing my dads van into a tree stump – yep it left a big dent.  That was actually my first time behind the wheel…hmmm foreshadowing I suppose
• My first kiss – HA for the kissing whore I turned out to be I didn’t get my first one til I was 14. He was classy, he referred to it as ‘neckin in the woods’
• Riding on a jetski – again way behind the times, we were 18.  So lucky IC and I didn’t drown!
• Getting swore at by a crazy Mexican woman who was yelling that we had slept with her nasty husband WTF?!  That was a scary night
• Riding on top of a Ford Escort
• Sex in a tent *blushes (just fyi it took a whole summer before that happened, I just want to keep my squeaky clean image *winks)
  
• Being so high I thought I’d suffocate from laughing too much
• Being searched by the cops – both body and tent
• Having a “bowl” hidden underneath the floor of the tent
• Getting kicked out of the campground for being too loud, only it wasn’t us just the company that was visiting
• Renting a cabin on Lake Huron
• Having my heart stop and everything slow down around me when trying to park the car

Here’s hoping to more firsts this next time around.  I’ve been so lucky to be able to visit 3 times already this year.  I don’t know how I go 9 months without a glimpse of it’s natural beauty.  Oh wait, that’s right, the only time IC and I decided to drive up there in the winter my car got “stuck” and was “out of order”.  I need to find someone to drive me up there, because obviously I am not capable LOL.

I would love to someday own my own place up there to escape to on the weekends and for vacations.  I used to want to travel the world, and I still do, but I’ve realized that getting out of the city proves to be a good thing for my mental health.  Maybe I’ll just rent a place to live for the time being and buy something to retreat to?  Thoughts?

© rialeilani for & that's the way life goes, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: firsts, memories, nature, oscoda, summer, tawas

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“Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate
I believe that happiness is something we create
You best belive that I’m not gonna wait
‘Cause there’s gotta be something more”

~Sugarland, Something More

Things that make me happy:

• sunshine
• puppies
• random acts of kindness
• laughing so hard you cry
• songs that bring back good memories
• best friends
• dancing
• writing
• reminiscing about fun times
• finding money in your pocket
• taking pictures
• vacations
• making new friends
• listening to water lap the shore
• rainy days with no where to go and a good movie/book
• reading
• tennis when my forehand and backhand make my opponent want to cry
• scoring a point when sparring with my dad
• hugs
• thoughtfulness
• dressing up and feeling pretty

…to be continued

© rialeilani for & that's the way life goes, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: friends, happiness, memories, nature, random, song lyrics, thoughtfulness

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Yellow Flowers…in the ground…in Michigan…not covered in snow or frost…YET!

© rialeilani for & that's the way life goes, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: flowers, nature, photo challenge

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