Detroit!

We were a young couple with two little boys, Kyle was 2 years old & Zach just 10 months old when we moved from Arizona to Michigan. We lived in Auburn Hills, a northern most suburb of Detroit. My parents had come from Detroit to Phoenix & I came along later. ;) I have many Aunts, Uncles & cousins in the Detroit area, and as a teenager, I loved spending my Summers there. I remember when we were moving people told us, even though we would be just an hour drive, we'd never go into Detroit! It's a Scary place. "The Murder Capitol of the World!" they told us. But I am a City girl! And we ended up going into Detroit a lot. As an Arizonan, we found just about the only place to get Authentic Mexican Food, was in Mexican Town in Detroit. And some of out Favorite food we found in Greek Town. We couldn't go there often enough! Opa! :) We'd always go to the big Auto Show they have every year. And the first time I ever saw Les Miserables was at the beautiful Fox Theater in Detroit!

We have so many great Memories from our Eight plus years we spent in the Detroit area! The best one being that Our Girls were born there! :) And many people we consider among our best friends are from our time there. We've kept in touch with many of them. Some that still live there & others that have since moved away. One such couple is Mark & Debbie, who now live in Farmington, New Mexico. And on our way up to Colorado for Vacation, we stopped to meet them for lunch. We've seen them a few times over the years & it's always great! It was thanks to them that we saw Les Mis for the first time! And when we went in to the hospital to have our girls, it was them who kept our Boys at their home over night!

Their son Micah was a teenager in our Youth Group & when we found out we were pregnant several kids in our Youth Group told us we were having Twins. We said of course we're not, but they persisted. Then we found out we were indeed having Twins. Micah said repeatedly that they would be born on his Birthday, October 3rd. Our original due date was October 11th, but when we discovered we were having multiples, the Dr. told us if we made it to September, we'd be doing really well & he'd be very happy! (Multiple births are high risk & the vast majority of them are born very early) Not only did we make it to September, but we made it Through September! (and thankfully I was never put on bed rest either) at 39 weeks my Dr. put me into the hospital & issued cervical gel & the next day they would induce labor. The gel sent me right into labor & the girls were born around 2:30 am on October 3rd. That's right Micah's 18th Birthday! And their daughter Jenesis was our son Kyle's first love of his life. Never mind that he was in Preschool & she in College! :) Jen had inturned at our church one summer she was home from school & Kyle feel head over heels! I'll never forget the Sunday after Jen went back to school & we had hired a new Church secretary, Kyle marched right up to the new lady & said very forcefully: "This not you office, it's Jenis!" :0 He went on a few years later to be the Ring Bearer in her Wedding. :) Well Jen & her family now also live in Farmington & she & her adorable son Josiah got to meet us for lunch that day as well.

We couldn't have centered this picture any better if we'd tried. Look at how the fan on the wall in the Thai Food Restaurant frames little Josiah's head perfectly like a halo! :) We met them the same week we had all heard the news that the City of Detroit has filled Bankruptcy. And I think I speak for all of us when I say it breaks our heart. They told us we wouldn't recognize places in the city now that look like a ghost town. So many people have left. We knew the economy hit Detroit hard. And the Auto Bail Out helped (as Mark put it, it was a Band Aid) but it couldn't reverse all the damage. I'm praying they can rebuild & come back as the Great City we know it is.

I loved that this year on So You Think You Can Dance a young man from Detroit made it into the top 20 with a style of Dance called Jitting, that is native to Detroit and is so cool! And on the up & coming season of American Idol, they will hold Auditions in Detroit as well. That makes me happy. There is so much good about Detroit. After all it is the birth place of Motown! The music we listen to today wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for Motown! Out of Detroit also came Kid Rock, Eminem, and of course my Favorite: Madonna! It is also Hockey Town! Go Red Wings! And they have one of The best Baseball Stadiums in the Country! So glad we got to take our boys to the new Tiger Stadium before we moved away. Detroit gave us the Automobile! And you might not know this, but Little Caesars Pizza came out of Detroit as well! "Pizza Pizza!!" :) You see, there is so much to love about the city of Detroit! It's one of America's most important cities. And I for one am Praying it can come back & rebuild!