August 6-7, 2011: Jasmine Morse's Visit

 

Jasmine Morse came to our apartment to have a sleep over with her 'Aunt Amy'.    She was so excited about coming over. In fact, Melanie said Jasmine had her bags packed Friday morning.  Jasmine made a card for me and asked if we could have a birthday party for her American Girl doll.       She got to our house in the evening.   We took her to Arby's for dinner and then came back to the apartment and got in our bathing suits and went down to the pool.  There were some wild kids in the water which we didn't like.  In fact, one boy rode his scooter into the water.      Jasmine and I went to Meijer to get her American Girl doll a cheap birthday gift. I think Jasmine wanted everything in the toy department. She kept asking for the price on everything.    Then, we got some mini cupcakes for the party.

Jasmine dressed up the dolls for the birthday party. We set them on chairs around our kitchen table and then put a cupcake in front of each doll and sang "Happy Birthday". It was so cute.

Jasmine wanted to watch a movie before going to sleep.  Maggie slept with us too.    We didn't get to sleep until about 12:30 a.m. which is 4 hours past Jasmine's bed time.    Oh well, it was the weekend and she was visiting.  

On Sunday, we took Jasmine to the Grand Haven beach.   Jasmine and I buried each other in sand.      Then, we walked the beach.    We had a pronto pup for dinner.   Jim said later that Jasmine was exhausted, even though she wouldn't admit it.   I had a good time hanging out with Jasmine.

July 23-24, 2011: Ann Arbor Art Fair and Hell, Michigan

Mom and I decided to go to Ann Arbor for the annual art fair. We hadn't gone there in a few years. Joy wanted to go with us, too.     It was pretty hot and humid outside.  We stopped at Bigby's for a smoothie.  Then, we walked inside the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor. We took some goofy pictures of ourselves with our phones.

On Sunday, mom and I drove to Hell, Michigan to get ice cream and take some pictures.      It was on our way home and we hadn't gone in a few years. It is an interesting place to stop around Michigan.   The town is very small.   You can even get married in Hell.   That would be quite funny.  I like the ice cream area.  They have a coffin set up with all of the ice cream condiments inside.  They are labeled with funny sayings.  It is always nice to stop at different places.

July 30, 2011: Fish Boil in Silver Lake

My mom has always wanted to go to a fish boil ever since we went on the trip to Door County, Wisconsin.   She made reservations for us to go to a fish boil next to the Cherry Point Market in Silver Lake for her 65th birthday.   Each meal was $18.    It was interesting watching how they did a fish boil.     I am not a lover of seafood, but I did enjoy the fish.    They served us fish, coleslaw, and cherry pie for dessert. It was all very delicious.   Then, we walked around the lavender garden.  

June 10, 2011: Murfreesboro and Franklin, TN

This morning, Mom and I drove around downtown Murfreesboro to check it out. We walked around the town square. The courthouse is the oldest courthouse in the state of Tennessee.  Then, we went to the mall near our hotel and wandered around the stores there.   That particular mall reminded me of Muskegon's mall.

My aunt Charlene's friend moved to Murfreesboro from Grand Rapids about 20 years ago.    Her name is Sharon Stevens.     We met Sharon at her work inside the courthouse.  She works as a GIS technician for Rutherford County.     Sharon introduced us to one of her coworkers who had a brace on her leg.  We asked what happened and she said it was an injury that occurred a year ago when she was chasing a chicken. I died laughing.     Sharon said the lady lives in a subdivision and has about 20 chickens as she likes fresh eggs.   That lady's neighbor has a mule. I am just picturing chickens in the backyard in a subdivision.   It makes me laugh.     I love the southern accent. I wish I had that accent.

Sharon took us to this delicious restaurant in Christiana, TN called Millers Restaurant.  It used to be a grocery store.     The food was good ole southern cooking.   Sharon and I both got meatloaf and mom got the Millers Delight whicch was potato pancakes, chicken salad, frozen fruit, and these fried corn puff things.  The food was delicious.   Sharon said that their county also has the 80/20 percentage for how much the county and employee are responsible for with regards to health insurance.     We had a nice time with Sharon. Wish we could have spent more time with her, as she seems like alot of fun.  She thought I was only 28 yrs old.  That made my day!

After lunch with Sharon, Sharon drove us back to the courthouse and then my mom and I left for Franklin.      Franklin is a ritzy city abourt 20 miles outside of Nashville. It is where many of the country music stars have their homes.     

Our first stop in Franklin was at Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University which is on Mallory Rd.      It is a large brick building with alot of beautiful flowers outside.   We went inside just thinking it was just a corporate office.  We had no idea that was where Dave Ramsey did his live radio show.  There were about 8 places to sit outside of the studio where you could sit and watch/listen to his show live.    The bookstore behind us had his books and other things to buy. The lady who worked there gave us complimentary lemonade and delicious desserts.   On Dave's break we were able to meet him in person and have our picture taken with him.    I told him about me paying off my $28,000 debt and he gave me a high five.    That was fantastic.    He does his show from 1-4 p.m.     He left about 10 minutes after 4 for the day. My mom told me to run by the door and see what kind of car he had. He had a grey little Lexus sportscar.   After leaving Financial Peace University, we used our GPS to find where Dave lives.    It is only about 2 miles from the studio.  You have to take Cool Springs Rd to get to the Avalon subdivision.  We drove down the tree lined road to the end, but there were big gates so we turned around.       There is also another entrance about a mile behind the subdivision where the other gate is.   His house is way up on a hill. I found the picture on the internet.     It was about 10 million and he just moved into it last fall.

Then, we drove around downtown Franklin which has a bunch of quaint shops.   The traffic was bad.    There were several 2 lane roads around there.  It was bumper to bumper traffic for several miles.      Then, we went shopping at the mall called, Cool Springs Galleria.    

June 9, 2011: Cary, NC to Murfreesboro, TN

This was one of our longest drives on this vacation. We drove over 500 miles today from Raleigh to Murfreesboro. I know some people drive straight through to FL all the time, but 500 miles seems like an eternity to me. We did make a couple of stops along the way. We stopped in Thomasville, NC which has the World's Largest Chair. We wanted to stop to find the largest coffee pot in Winston-Salem, but my mom was driving and the GPS was not cooperating so we just skipped that one.



We had a wonderful lunch at this bakery/cafe in Weaverville, which is just outside of Asheville. I wanted to see what stores were in Weaverville so drove around the area. We ended up taking highway 25 which went on the north end of Asheville around the mountains. It took forever. It was a beautiful drive, though. It took us into Newport, TN, where we started to see a bunch of junky trailers.


I think my medication hit me today, as I was quite tired so had my mom do alot of the highway driving. She was quite nervous driving especially around the traffic. I don't think moving is a good thing for her, as I am seeing how nervous she gets. I told her tonight that I think she really didn't want to move and that she is just wanting to stay in her comfort zone. It's frustrating to me, as I have wanted to move for so long. I finally have all of my debts paid off and almost have my 10 years in with the County of Muskegon and would like to move. However, when I see these places, I wonder if it is something I want to do on my own without my mother nearby. She has always said she would move near me, but I don't think she would if I moved away. My mother is the only immediate relative I have left. I do have aunts, uncles and cousins, but they all have their own lives. I have thought about moving to Ann Arbor, but my mom doesn't.


After seeing some of these other cities, I have seen that there is hardly any water. We do have a large asset with our Lake Michigan. I think I would miss living near water, as I have grown up by it. I hate the snow and always will complain about it. I would never move without a full time job lined up as it is much too risky.


People are always telling me I need to be back on my own in my own place. Sure, that would be nice, but it is expensive. I don't want to live in some crummy part of town just to say I am living on my own. Safety and my neighborhood are much too important to me. I wouldn't mind living in Grand Haven. Losing my dad and grandparents and other family things that have happened have left me not wanting to live in Muskegon, per se.


Please pray for me that God will show me the right way. I have always been a goal oriented person and wanted to make a move to a new place, but after the trip, wondering if the grass is greener on the other side. If you have any advice for me, please let me know, as I am more confused as ever. Thanks.

June 8, 2011: Raleigh and Cary

Mom and I set out to check out Cary. We drove around the west side of the city and went by some homes. We noticed that most of them were built right next to each other and hardly had a front or backyard. The homes were about $350,000. I have always liked the homes in Norton Shores in the Evergreen subdivision off of Pontaluna Rd. Those homes are big, with large front and back yards and trees all around. I have always said those are my dream homes. That was the first difference I saw in the homes in Cary vs Norton Shores.



We drove to the outlet stores in Smithfield which is about 30 minutes south of Raleigh to meet up with one of my high school friends, Lynn Goerl, whom I haven't seen since high school. It was so good to see her again. She is a sweetheart. She is married with 4 beautiful children. She has lived in St. Louis, Iowa, and Nebraska. Her mother still lives in Nebraska. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel and she showed us her family photos. I wish she lived closer to me, so I could hang out with her more often.


We went shopping at Chicos and both got something there. I love the fact I can wear a size 2 or 3 there.


Mom and I then drove to downtown Raleigh and found the Cupcake Shoppe. We split a velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting and then a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting. They were each $3 and so delicious. Then, we drove around downtown Raleigh and saw the Capital building.


Our next stop was at the Crabtree Mall which is one of the main malls in the Raleigh area. I would compare it to Twelve Oaks mall in Novi. I have done most of the city driving on this trip. I really don't get too nervous driving around it, as long as I have my GPS. Without the GPS, there is no way I could do a trip like this. That is like the navigational bible to me. I don't care for the traffic around the triangle and wouldn't want to deal with that for the next 30 years of my life working, but once in a while I could handle it.


We are staying at the Hamptons Inn in Cary which is quite nice. I would recommend staying at this chain, as they include a nice breakfast, nice rooms, and a snack in the evening. The rooms are not too expensive, either.


After our snack, I drove us to the Cary Senior Center and we took a tour of the facility. It was quite large with many activities for seniors.


It is quite a challenge trying to find a place that both my mom and I like. We are both in different stages of our lives. I know that as a single lady without children and only 1 living parent, it is important to have her nearby. We are a support system for each other. Yes, everyone says to just move without my mother, but when you are a single lady close to your parent, you may understand why it is important to have her nearby while I have her.


Again, I don't like Muskegon at all, but not sure yet where I will go. Perhaps, Grand Haven or Grand Rapids might be an alternative to moving out of state, but not sure. All I know is that I won't move without a job, as it is so important to have health insurance and a steady job. I just got out of credit card debt a few months ago and working on savings. I don't want to struggle like I have been for the past 6 years.


Please continue to pray for us that we figure out what is best for us.

June 7, 2011: Mt. Airy to Durham

We had a nice leisurely drive from Mt. Airy to about an hour west of Raleigh. We went through this city, High Point, which is now the furniture capital of the U.S. Every year, they have a large furniture convention. Near their downtown is the World's Largest Chest of drawers. It's funny how it is just sitting there next to a house. There is a giant sock hanging out of one of the drawers. Then, we continued driving and found one of the furniture offices with a chest of drawers built into the front of the building. It is quite a site to see.



We got to Durham in the afternoon. It took about 2 hours to get there. We checked into our hotel called the Millenium, which was next to Duke University. In fact, the Duke University Sleep Apnea tests were performed out of our hotel. We went to visit a childhood friend, Dan Morse, at his place of work in Cary and had a nice visit. He told us all about the area and how built up it is becoming.. Wake County is working on a toll road highway on the west end of town. It will be the only toll road in the state of North Carolina. We didn't like driving on I-40. It is very congested.


We drove around Chapel Hill and Durham and were not too impressed with it. We walked around the Duke University campus. I liked the gothic designed buildings.


I was quite surprised how much traffic was all over this area. Cary is about the size of Grand Rapids, but the traffic seemed much worse. I decided I won't move anywhere unless I have a job lined up. So many people on the forums are saying not to move without a job.