15 Reasons to visit Midland, Michigan #FindYourElement

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15 Reasons to Visit Midland Michigan
15 Reasons to Visit Midland Michigan

There are many reasons to visit Midland, Michigan the least of which is to treat yourself to a four-star luxury stay at The H Hotel.  In the process, you will treat yourself to exceptional meals, tasty cocktails and a relaxing weekend. But that is just the beginning, as you can take your pick of all the fun, exciting, delicious, fascinating and entertaining reasons to see Midland, Michigan. From Balloon Festivals to Food Festival and Cruise & Car shows, take in a ball game, a quiet walk in the forest or browse the many quaint shops on Main Street, you will love a weekend in Midland, Michigan – I guarantee it.

Midland is a small company town home to one of the largest companies in the world – The Dow Chemical Company. Dow was founded in Midland in 1897 by Herbert H. Dow. The benefits are evident as you drive around and see the many parks, a baseball field and buildings that have the name Dow associated with it.

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Did the KonMari Method Work after 4 years?

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KonMari Method of folding Jeans & T-Shirts #KONMARI @DownshiftingPRO
Did KonMari Method Work @DownshiftingPRO 1

I have been on a tear. I have been feverishly cleaning, tossing, organizing and donating at a ferocious pace. This usually happens when school begins and we have to transport one child or another to university. We send them off with care packages, groceries and clean clothes. There is a method to my madness and the name of it is the KonMari Method. Four years ago, I read Mari Kondo’s life-changing book and decided to experiment. Did the KonMari Method Work?

If you are wondering what I am talking about, it’s a book written by Japenese Professional Organizer and Professor of Joy, Mari Kondo. Her 2015 book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” is a best-seller which has been developed into a Netflix’s show. Both are wildly successful and have spawn 100s of videos on YouTube, 1000s of blog posts and too many Pinterest pins to count.

Downshifting means to voluntarily simplify your life. So the purpose of the blog has always been to inform my readers and as I transitioned into travel blogging, I realized that I did want to keep simplifying my life so that I could travel more.

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FC Barcelona Camp Nou Visiting the ICONIC home of Spain’s Champion’s Cup Winner – #CampNouExperience #TBEX

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FC Barcelona Camp Nou @DownshiftingPRO

FC Barcelona Camp Nou

If you are a soccer (football) fan, does it get any better than a visit to FC Barcelona Camp Nou? A few years back I spent the day in one of the most iconic soccer stadiums in the world.  If you are a futbol/football/soccer fan you know all about legendary FC Barcelona.  Home of Messi and his Golden Boots and two time Golden Ball awards for the best player in the World Cup. This football club is legendary and has won… a lot. I have to admit a visit to Camp Nou was great but the highlight for me was seeing the UEFA Champions League Cup.

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Life with Lita–making memories one moment at a time

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Watching my mother walking silently around the cottage, making her way from the family room to the kitchen, bedroom to the bathroom trying to re-familiarize herself with her surroundings.  She walks to the wraparound deck to check on the flowers.  It is one of her favourite parts of this cottage.  It has five large flower boxes filled with cheery annuals that will be happy and bright only for one season.  Only for this summer, then they are gone.  I wonder what my mom will remember from the cottage this time next year. Every action focuses on making memories. I shudder thinking maybe not a lot and then I take a sip of wine.  Wine is very medicinal and I enjoy it at the beach. It chases some of those ‘what if’ or ‘what will happen next’ thoughts away.

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Step-by-step Guide To Jamón Ibérico in Spain

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Mercado San Miguel in Madrid Spain Credit DownshiftingPRO 1

What you need to know about Jamon Iberico

You walk into a bar. As you order your drink, you notice that propped on the counter to your right is a hoof.  That hoof is attached to a rather large piece of ham.  You watch as the bartender carefully shaves thin slices of ruby-red meat and places them side-by-side on a plate.  You order your round of drinks and ask for a plate of Jamón Ibérico and Pan con Tomate.  You’re in heaven now, and the place you’ve landed in is the Iberian Peninsula. This is your guide to Jamon Iberico or jamon serrano. This is Spanish ham and it is the best!

If you know anything about food from Spain, you know that they are obsessed with one thing: dry-cured ham.  There is no bar, no restaurant, or no self-respecting home that does not have a shoulder (paleta) or ham (Jamón) to offer guests.  In North America, we often think of cured ham as Proscuitto but in Spain, it is called Jamón Iberico and it is spectacular. 

As with a fine wine or a delectable cheese, in order to cure the perfect morsel, you need time.  Plenty of time. Cured meat and ham are not unique to Spain, you will find some versions of cured ham throughout Europe. Italian cuisine has the glorious prosciutto, France its jambon de Bayonne and Portugal has presunto ibérico.

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10 Great Hotels in the Adirondacks, Finger Lakes & Upper New York State

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When looking for a place to stay on a road trip, you have many options to choose from whether it is a quaint lodge on a quiet lake, a national hotel chain or a luxurious hotel in a small town. Each has its appeal whether you are travelling alone, for business or as a family. There is a large selection of great inns, lodges and hotels in the Adirondacks and upper New York State. Look no further than a place by the lake such as the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid or be charmed by a Historic Hotel of America in Glens Falls.

Great Intergenerational Activities – Cirque du Soleil – CORTEO Review #Corteo

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Corteo Cirque du Soleil
Corteo Costumes Dominique Lemieux 2018 Cirque du Soleil Photo 13
Photo Credit: Corteo Cirque du Soleil 2018

They are literally swinging from the rafters… on chandeliers to be exact. There are women on poles suspended in the air (not nailed down to the floor), men jumping on beds, couples spinning in the air and little people performing Romeo & Juliette.  There were also balloons, really, really big balloons.  This is the circus after all.  This is Corteo.

Corteo is one of five arena shows put on by Cirque du Soleil.  Along with their six Big Top Tent shows and eight permanent resident shows in Las Vegas and Mexico.  You will be able to see a Cirque show somewhere in the world and be entertained by artists representing 50 nationalities and speaking 25 different languages.

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