Introducing Stacie!
:: Down with Detroit ::
I grew up in a small farming community in the thumb area, with less than one hundred in my graduating class. It is a far cry from my current residence of Warren, the third largest city in Michigan. I am constantly in awe of the diversity and culture I am surrounded by because that was not something I grew up with.
My husband Bill and I love being in such close proximity to a variety of activities and events for our daughters. We have a family membership to the Warren Community Center which has an amazing pool for the kids, gym, and library. Our family can usually be found at the Detroit Zoo once a week, even through the winter! We usually head downtown once or twice a month to go to Belle Isle and the Outdoor Adventure Center. It is great having such kid-friendly, affordable options so close to home.
Before we had children we attended a lot of sporting events as well, and hope to get back to that once the girls are a little older.
:: My Life ::
The summer after graduating high school I met Bill online. We exchanged emails daily and after a few months I made the long nine hour drive up to the western Upper Peninsula to meet him. Was it the smartest decision I have ever made? Probably not, but it turned out to be the best. I spent two years at Oakland University before transferring to Northern Michigan University in Marquette to live with Bill. I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from NMU in 2009. Before graduating I had already decided on a new path, so I stayed in Marquette and took more classes before being accepted to the Sinai-Grace Hospital School of Radiologic Technology. Talk about culture shock. After living in Marquette, on the shore of Lake Superior, for almost four years, we packed everything up and moved to Livonia. We went from a laid back, artsy college town to a fast paced, diverse city.
In January 2011 Bill proposed to me along the Riverwalk in downtown Detroit. We were married in August 2012 in Munising, MI. The plan was for the ceremony to be at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, but a torrential downpour pushed us under a gazebo at the city park. It was small, family only. Bill’s aunt became ordained to perform our ceremony. It was us, and it was perfect.
After graduating from Sinai-Grace in 2012, I accepted a position at the hospital and have worked myself up to a Lead Technologist position. I feel like my job allows me to see a side of Detroit that a lot of people will never experience. Working in Northwest Detroit has opened my eyes to things I never imagined. Anyone who works in healthcare knows that we often see people at their lowest points. Working in Radiology, many times we are the first to confirm injuries, and to what extent they have damaged the body. We see fractures daily, caused by falls, motor vehicle accidents and gun shot wounds. I’ve seen Detroiter’s at their weakest, most vulnerable moments. I hear their agonizing cries down the hallway when the doctor breaks the news that our best efforts were not good enough – we could not bring their loved one back. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t take its toll. Unfortunately you actually become a little callous to it all, yet day in and day out we give it our all every time.
:: Babies and Beyond ::
After getting married we had an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii. I knew before we came home that I was pregnant. Our beautiful Brianna arrived in June of 2013, on my grandfather’s birthday. She was every first parents dream. She slept through the night at 8 weeks old, was never fussy with teething, and loves her fruits and veggies. Just a month shy of Brianna turning 2.5, we completed our family by welcoming Brooklyn in November 2015. She barely waited for the doctor to arrive before making her entrance, and she has made her presence known every moment since then. She is basically the opposite of her big sister in most aspects, but I cannot imagine life any other way at this point. I feel so blessed to be their mommy.
Perhaps my favorite thing ever about Detroit is that both of my daughters were born in Mid-town, and I could not be more thankful for that.
As our daughters grow, we are trying our best to give them experiences that we didn’t have. We have family in the Upper Peninsula and Chicago, so we try to visit as often as possible. We try to get outside and enjoy nature whenever we can. When we are stuck inside (LONG Michigan winters…) we do a lot of crafts, read a lot of books and love to watch Disney movies.
