I was born and raised in Michigan, a girl from a small town not far out of Detroit.  I always thought Michigan was perfect because I knew all the wonderful things about it, but as I got older, I began to understand the economic trouble now overwhelming our state.  But while we may not have money, we have more valuable things.  If industry can ft save us, maybe tourism will, because Michigan has many beautiful places to visit and love.  The beach of Lake Huron in Oscoda will always be a spot close to my heart.

The year I was born, my family started a tradition.  For two weeks every August, my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my grandparents forgot about their jobs and busy schedules, and we headed to Oscoda for fourteen days of natural beauty, apathy, and sheer enjoyment.  I have pictures of my first birthday up there, everyone I care about crammed around baby me in a tiny two bedroom cottage, just feet from Lake Huron.

For twelve years we did this, until the owner of the cottage decided to sell.  My grandmother, unable to part with the place, bought it, starting a whole new chapter in my life of Michigan wonder.  Now, instead of only two weeks, my family has five months in which we can enjoy the cabin, the beach, and everything breathtaking about the place.

So for the last three years (and for many more to come), I rise at six o fclock every morning we fre up north, pull on a pair of running shorts, and lace up my tennis shoes.  The beach is inches away, a whole other world at my fingertips.  And I run, mile after mile as the sun comes up over the horizon, casting graceful reflections over the silent water.  For those few minutes of the day, there is nothing in the world but me and the lake, sand under my feet, waves lapping at the shore just a step ahead of me, birds chirping in the marsh on the other side.  There is nothing in the world but the seashells crunching under my Nike fs, the sand castles elegant and real enough to rival Buckin  There is nothing in the world but the beauty in front of me, the beauty surrounding me.  And when I sit to catch my breath, taking off my shoes and letting my tired feet soak in the cool lake water, I know that this is my Michigan.  Nowhere else in the universe can make me feel more at home.