Memorial Day Weekend 2017

It was hard to work on Friday knowing I would be off of work for the next 3 days.   I was so excited when I got a text from Josh that he had money and we could hang out.  I figured I would be spending a lot of time with him this weekend which wasn't the case.    We did go to Barnes and I stayed over Friday night and we had a nice breakfast at the restaurant called "The Dive".  

Saturday,  went with my Mom on our annual trip up to Baldwin.   We didn't go last year as Peggy wasn't in town and it would have been depressing for me to go up there with how the town has changed since I was a child.

Got the delicious dinner rolls in Bailey from Hilltop Bakery.  We went to the Newaygo Arts and Crafts fair and then through this nice antique store in town.    Had a nice lunch at Riverstop cafe.   Got to Baldwin and went through the clothing store which used to be Peggy's store.  It wasn't the same as when she had her store.  She used to have such cute things all displayed perfectly.

Visited Peggy and saw her son and daughter and their spouses.   Had a nice visit with Peggy.  Since Kenny has passed away, she has found other things to occupy her time.   She met this friend who used to be a heroin addict but for the past 3 months has been clean.   He is a genius at computer repair and goes to doctors, lawyers, big name celebrity homes, etc fixing their electronics.  He doesn't have a license so she drives him to his customers.  It has given her a new sense of purpose in her life which is wonderful.

It got me thinking about my purpose in life and what I will be doing in my future.  This weekend, I have thought about where I have lived over the years and feel that God has placed me in the perfect places for that stage in my life.  When I lived on Lawnel,  I had all kinds of kids my age to play with outside.   I went to high school and to a Western Michigan University at the right time, as well as lived in Chicago at a time when it was safer.   I lived in the apartments at the right time and met some wonderful people.  We had this condo built at a time when the development wasn't done so we were able to see it's completion and enjoy the festivities.   We have lost some good neighbors who moved which has been sad for us as we had so much fun with them the first few years.
I feel that I had my little sister and my dog, Maggie at the right time of my life.     Now, I have to wonder what is next.  

Sunday, I had a hard time figuring out what to do as I haven't been home on the weekends in several weeks.    I ended up going back to church, then to the Fruitport craft fair to see my friend Tony do caricatures.   Then,  I contacted Kay and Karen and we went on a nice ride around Muskegon and took a walk on the Beechwood Trail.

Monday,  I went to my friend Mirelda's house to get ready for the parade in Lakeside.  I got to ride in a TransAm convertible and pass out candy to the cute kids.   Saw my friends from high schoolJenn Elenbaas, Lisa Hoffman, and Sarah Luna.  They took pictures and posted it on Facebook.     Mirelda's family took me out for lunch at Brann's.    Took a long nap and a 3 mile walk where I ran into my friend Beth Keur, whom I met years ago at Bridge Bible Chuch.  

So what I envisioned for my weekend on Friday turned out to be completely different than expected, but was very nice.

May 20, 2017: Jackson State Prison Tour

Mom and I decided to go with Countryside Tours on a 1 day bus trip to see the Jackson State Prison, as well as a Greek Orthodox Church.    The tour name was called 'Saints & Sinners.   Our first stop was at the Michigan State Theater in Jackson, where we learned a little about the prison.      The tour guides were quite entertaining.     Then, we went to lunch at Steve's Ranch Restaurant which wasn't too good.    

Our tour guide was listening to NPR radio in Miami 8 years ago and heard that the state prison in Jackson, Michigan was going to be converted into apartments.   She jumped at the chance and within 2 weeks, she had come to Jackson, picked out her apartment, and sold her place in Miami.     She was quite fascinated with prisons.       We got to see the inside of her apartment which used to be a cell in the prison.

We stopped at a Greek Orthodox church and learned about icon paintings and had some delicious baklava.