We had appointments and errands to run in the city, so we stopped by Michigan Central Station to take a break at Roosevelt Park in Detroit.
The kids really loved sitting on the swings at Roosevelt Park.
The kids were amazed by the view of the historic train station from the park, and it reminded me how much Roosevelt Park has changed over the years.
I really like the new walking paths and seating throughout the park, especially the swings.
I enjoyed seeing people walking, riding bikes, reading books, playing catch, and simply slowing down to enjoy the afternoon.
Lovely flowers at the park 🌸
Zaya enjoyed picking dandelions at the park. 🌼
I wish I had taken more photos, but honestly, I was feeling a little anxious after my annual doctor’s appointment. Now I’m waiting for my lab results, along with the biopsy results from an unusual spot I found on my skin.
I just needed a quiet moment in the park to slow down and let my mind rest. 😌
It was another hot day, so the kids and I spent some time at the pool today. The temps reached 94°F, but i think the weather app said it felt like 102°F! 🥵
I’ll be honest—for most of the summer, I kept putting off going to the pool because I don’t particularly like wearing a bathing suit. 🫤
But once we got in the pool and started swimming around, I really started to enjoy myself! 😄🏊♀️
It made me realize I need to just relax and take a break sometimes, stop being so hard on myself.
I mean, it is summer after all. Lol ☀️😊
Mj (24), my oldest daughter stopped by to hangout with us at the pool after she got off from work.
She has her own apartment in our neighborhood—just three minutes walking distance from our house.
It’s nice having my daughter live in the same neighborhood as me. I really enjoy having her live so close by to us.
I’m so glad we went to the pool around 1 p.m. and hung out for a couple of hours because the weather unexpectedly got bad later in the day.
All of a sudden, around 6 p.m. the air quality became hazy and unhealthy because of the wildfires in Canada. 😲 (We live about 40 minutes from the Canadian border.)
The atmosphere became very smoky outside as if the entire neighborhood had finished shooting off fireworks. You could even smell the burning wood!
I’m keeping Canada and all U.S. states affected by these wildfires in my prayers! 🙏🏽
We’ve been living in Michigan for ten years now, and we’ve never traveled more than two hours outside of our local area. I know that’s pretty wild, huh? 😆
The first five years we were living here, the thought never crossed my mind to explore more of the state. I honestly wasn’t expecting us to live in Michigan for over five years.
We also fell in love with exploring more of Detroit and the metro area, so the past ten years, our leisure time has been spent close to home.
The Detroit Institute of Arts is one of our favorite places to visit in Detroit.
But right around the seven-year mark, I started to realize we needed to actually start exploring our other cities and towns in our new home state! 😄
Here are a few cities/towns I want to visit in Michigan.
Mackinac Island (M has been to Mackinac Island, and she really enjoyed it.)
Grand Rapids
Traverse City
Lansing
Port Huron
St. Joseph
Frankenmuth (We visited Frankenmuth once in 2017, I think. We attended a hot air balloon festival, but we didn’t actually explore the town, so I’d like to go back again.)
And I’d really love to go camping in the UP!
Milliken State Park and Harbor in Detroit. I love going on bike rides here!
I know Michigan has many amazing cities and towns, especially in the UP. A lot of people I know who live here, like to travel to the UP for vacationing and just to get away for a weekend.
I hope one day our family will be able to start going on road trips to visit more of the Mitten State!
💜 XO
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float… to travel is to live.” — Hans Christian Andersen
I could be wrong, but I think this is the most it has snowed in the winter out of all the winters I have lived in Michigan (10 years). It feels like it snows at least twice a week!
I used to love it when it snows, but now I dread the snow because I have to drive in it so much. Lol 😆☃️
While driving to pick up my daughter from work it snowed…again. 😏❄️
Please, no more snow! I’m ready for May to get here!
I would say I can’t wait for the spring, but the truth is, here in Michigan it can still snow in April! 😲❄️😭 Haha!
Everything is slushy outside—the sidewalks, parking lots, and the roads.
A lot of the neighborhood roads and store parking lots are still covered in snow because they haven’t been plowed yet.
Some of the main roads are clear, but not all of them. So, you still have to be cautious when driving on the roads.
But some people are so impatient and will still zip down the roads in the slush. Smh 🤦🏽♀️❄️ Couldn’t be me! You can honk your horn at me if you want to, but I’m not getting into a car accident.
Here are a few moments from today’s slushy snow day.
Snow-covered statue at church.
A black squirrel eating sunflower seeds at my patio bird feeder.
These green alien earrings I made were a great accessory for my thrifted green cardigan and green deer hunting shirt (no, I don’t hunt lol).
Keeping warm on this slushy snow day with a cup of Lavender Rose Black Tea. 🫖🍵
Zaya (5) pouring herself a cup of Mango Tango herbal tea.
Every morning, Zaya now asks for tea with her breakfast. Just like Mommy! 🫖🍵😊
I’m trying to take advantage of these cold, snow days and read more books!
Reading one of my library books while waiting for our pizza order.
M also reading her library book in the car while we wait on the pizza.
Here’s the book M is currently reading: Kill Switch.
My fortune from my fortune cookie. 🥠
“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; better is a patient spirit than a lofty one.” Ecclesiastes 7:8
On our way to the Saturday farmers market, I noticed a small crowd of people gathering around a large statue and taking pictures with their cellphones.
I didn’t have a chance to see what the statue was because I was driving, so I just didn’t really think anything of it.
But after our market trip and lunch at a local diner, I still saw people gathered around this statue.
We were curious to see what this mysterious statue was all about, so we headed over in the direction of the crowd.
As we got a little closer, I realized the statue was RoboCop! Wow!
I honestly can’t remember if I ever watched the 1987 movie, so I can’t say that I’m a big fan. (More than likely, I probably didn’t see it because when the movie came out I was around 7 or 8 years old. 😂)
But I do remember at least seeing images of RoboCop in the media when I was a kid, and I probably heard other kids talk about it.
I’m not originally from Detroit (I grew up in Tennessee), so RoboCop doesn’t have any strong connections for me like I know it does for many Detroiters.
But it was still very cool to see the RoboCop statue in person! 😁✨️
Also, my kids were so confused about why RoboCop was such a big deal to everybody. “Who’s RoboCop, Mom? Why are all these people taking pictures of this statue?” 😂
It made me feel super old to say, “Back when I was a kid, RoboCop was a famous movie.” 😆🤣
Photos: Pictures I took of the new RoboCop statue in Detroit, Michigan. You can find it in Eastern Market on Russell Street if you’d like to go see!
All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!
