Do you remember the Pure Michigan essay contest I entered last fall?

I had forgotten all about the contest since my entry wasn't one of the finalists or winners, I just assumed that was the end of it. Today, I got an email from someone from the contest. Read what she had to say...
    

Hi, Kim,
 
     We loved the essay you entered in our Michigan 
Moments contest. As promised, some of these will 
be used on the Pure Michigan blog, and yours was 
chosen. Could you provide a few more details? |
Are you planning another trip to the UP this 
summer? If not, where are you going? 
Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
 
     Thanks! Holly

Maybe my essay will show up on their blog some day! I emailed 
her and told her of my plans for my vacation this summer-a
roadtrip with my mom...here...you can read what I wrote...

Hi Holly!

How exciting! Thanks for picking me to be on the Pure Michigan blog!!

I do plan to spend a couple of weeks in the UP this summer. My parents moved to the UP when they
retired about 9 years ago, so we spend a lot of time on Brevort Lake and visiting them. Last summer,
my mom and I took a little trip to the west to check out some antique shops and we had so much fun,
that we are planning another trip for this summer! This year’s trip will be a lot longer than just one day.
We are hoping to travel to Marquette, Ishpeming, Eagle Harbor, Ontonagan and Ironwood. I think it will
be fun to revisit the places of my childhood summer vacations!

When I was a child, our summer vacations were spent mostly in Michigan’s upper peninsula, and to this
day, there isn’t another place I’d rather spend my vacations. One summer, we traveled all along Lake
Superior –so this summer’s trip will not only be an antiquing trip with mom, but hopefully a trip down
memory lane!

I’ve been keeping track of all of the antique shops that I’ve visited in Michigan on a large laminated
Michigan map.  I have a lot of shops marked that I still plan to visit-mostly on the west side of the
state-so I’ll  have lots of opportunities for fun adventures in Michigan for the next couple of summers.

Here's how I've been keeping track of all of the antique shops 

I've visited and still want to visit. The cities or towns circled in 

red are places that I've visited, and the others circled in green 

or purple are places I still want to get to someday!