He Was Our Captain

I lost my dad to leukemia two weeks ago. He battled hard against the disease for a grueling six months. We thought we were going to lose him a few months ago, but he fought his way out of the hospital and was doing better until the leukemia knocked him down again. He tried to get up from leukemia's last blow, but he had nothing left.

It was a horrible way to see a strong man die. It wasn't fair for man who spent his life healing others to die such a merciless death. In the end, his four living children were there for him in the hospital for the last several days of his life, and my mom, his wife of almost 50 years, sat by him as he breathed his last breath.

My dad shaped so much of who I am. He loved me and my siblings unconditionally. He was strict when needed, but always compassionate. He was prouder of our achievements than we were, but he never let us take ourselves too seriously. He was a father figure to our best friends growing up and a second dad to our spouses.

I've told my grandparents' stories on this blog and my other blog, but I do not know when or if I will be emotionally ready to tell my dad's story. He was everything I could've ever wanted in a dad. I am lucky to have shared this earth with him, and I am even luckier to carry his spirit with me for the rest of my life.

Thank you, Virginia

On the George Washington Parkway, leaving Virginia

I am back in Michigan to stay. Yesterday morning, I finished packing up the car, loaded up the dog, and said goodbye to what had been my adopted home state for more than a decade. I still need to find a house and move the rest of the family (and all of our stuff) to Michigan, but my life as a Virginian is over.

Although I am excited to be home in Michigan, Virginia will always be a special place to me. I met many amazing friends whom I will miss dearly. I asked my wife to marry me in Virginia...though we did get married right across the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. (I will miss the many things D.C. has to offer too). Soon after we were married, we got a dog together, the first for both of us since childhood, from a rescue group in Virginia.

I became a homeowner for the first time in Virginia. I nervously rushed my wife from that home to the hospital twice and both times felt the pure wonder of holding a newborn daughter for the first time. I spent countless sleepless nights trying to get those girls to sleep so my wife and I could sleep for at least a few minutes and be slightly more human than zombie at work the following day. I saw first steps and heard first words in my Virginia home. I held hands, laughed, sang songs, told stupid jokes, danced silly dances, told tall tales, read books, wiped away tears, and did so much more in that home.

Although Michigan never stopped being home, Virginia was home too.

Thank you, Virginia...for everything.

Mich-Again!

It's official. I am moving back to Michigan.

I will be living and working in the Detroit area. I am excited to have the opportunity to spend more time in the city and to be near friends and family whom I have not seen enough during the last several years. I also am looking forward to taking weekend trips throughout the state. I will continue to write about Michigan and Detroit, and I am thrilled that I will have more experiences to write about.

In my very first blog post, I wrote, "Michigan is in my blood. It is who I am." No matter where I have lived, I always considered Michigan to be home.

I'm coming home.

A Year in Review

Rediscovering the DIA

Lifelong Michigander started one year ago today with my first post.

With one year down, and hopefully many more to come, I would like to share some of my favorite posts/experiences while running this blog.

Most Popular Posts

These five posts had the most page views:

5. The Sugar House: A Thrilling Tale of Prohibition in Detroit

The Sugar House is a good read, especially for history buffs. As a Polish-American, I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the Polish immigrant experience in Detroit in the early 1900s.

4. Burn: A must-see movie

I have a special place in my heart for firefighters, so I am happy that this post reached a lot of people. Hopefully, some of them watched this great film and donated to the Detroit fire department (or their local fire departments).

3. The Little Things I Miss About Michigan

A list of a few things I miss about Michigan. It is by no means exhaustive. I am grateful that Getty Images allows free usage of most of their catalog now, so that I could find plenty of photos to publish with this post.

2. Detroit Is More Than They Say It Is

My response to all the unoriginal people who have made "Detroit is crap" and "Detroit is dead" into top searches on Google.

1. 104 Weekend Days in Michigan, Part I

I was crazy enough to come up with a list of 104 weekend activities throughout the state of Michigan (one for each weekend day of the year). Part I was the most popular blog post of the year.

Great Lakes Relay, Part III

by Jamie Stec

The author running the Great Lakes Relay. Photo courtesy of J. Stec

Day Three

There is an old saying: "If you don’t like the weather in Michigan, just blink." It can change from pleasant to catastrophic in an instant. The same could be said about the state of our roads. The combination of a long winter and aging infrastructure came together on day three to completely close a road.

We received this news as we arrived to drop our first runner at the start. Officials informed us that the first runner would also have to do the second leg, since no cars would be able to make it to the exchange point. Suddenly, all (poorly laid) plans were thrown out, everything changed, and we sent our runner off at 6:00 a.m., southwest of Grayling, and continued on to the exchange to pick up the third runner.

The next bit of the morning was a blur of waiting, cramped sleeping in the back of a Scion while friends snored, and more waiting. Our third runner took a bit longer than she might have, because she stopped and took off her shoes in order to cross a large stream. We picked her up, sent the fourth runner on his way, and continued on to another charming resort town, Fife Lake.