WHAT UP DOE. I think writer Natasha T. Miller says it best when explaining what the Detroit greeting “What Up Doe” means:
“What Up Doe, Whadupdoe, Waddupdoe: It’s a greeting, a phrase, a word with multiple spellings, yet one meaning — home.”
Miller says “What Up Doe” isn’t just a saying– it’s a Detroit feeling. In her article, she says this is how some of her friends describe the meaning of “What Up Doe”:
“It’s the feeling I imagine Wakandans get when they cross their arms over their chest.
It’s a verbal hug, a recognition of your humanity and hustle.
It is love and home.”
In the Spring of 2015, my husband and I relocated to the greater Detroit area after his military service ended. Travis was active duty Army for 8.5 years and he was medically discharged because of a combat injury.
We now live in metro Detroit in Sterling Heights. It’s a suburb of Detroit located about 8 miles outside of the Detroit city limits.
WE LOVE DETROIT!
I can honestly say since living here, the people I have met in Detroit have been very welcoming. That “Detroit feeling” Miller describes in her article— it’s REAL. The Detroit feeling is very catching and I’ve been hooked ever since!
WHY I CREATED GOOD LIFE DETROIT
I think it’s “the Detroit feeling” that led me to create Good Life Detroit. At first, I started the blog to share photographs of my family’s big move to the city. Next thing I knew, we were attending more Detroit events, exploring the city, and learning more about Detroit’s diverse culture.
We soon started connecting with people who lived in Detroit and the metro area. I had to share our beautiful experiences with someone and the blog was a perfect place to share our journey!
BLOG POST TOPICS
On the blog, you will find I write about a variety of Detroit topics covering community, culture, family, food, interviews, and my favorite things to do in Detroit!
UPDATE August 2020: Since having my 6th baby in August 2020, as you can imagine, mom life is even busier than before! This means I may not be able to cover as many events or share the lifestyle topics I used to write about on the blog.
As my baby grows, and I get a little more free time in my schedule (Ha! Is that even possible?! Lol!), I will start covering more Detroit events and city lifestyle again. Until then, I hope you’ll stick around!
UPDATE January 2021: I’M BACK! Yay! I’m happy to say I am back to blogging 3x a week about my favorite Detroit topics! Thank you for following along and for all of the well wishes on the birth of my baby girl Zaya. 🙂
Here are the latest blog posts to get you started:
- Enjoy a Sunday Night In with The Detroit Sound Virtual Concert
- “You don’t have to look like money to make money.”
- We Aren’t Talking Enough About the Sexual Assault of Womxn in BIPOC Communities
- Honeey Lov Presents Pre-Mother’s Day Pop Up Event Featuring ALL Womxn-Owned Small Businesses
- GIVE Club Hosts Detroit Virtual Fitness Challenge and Fundraiser to Support the Dream Scholarship and Neighbors in Need
- 15 Ways to Celebrate Our Mother Earth Every Day
- “Every day is 4/20 for me!”
- Celebrate ProjectArt Detroit’s 5th Anniversary This Thursday
Thank you for reading the blog. Email me if you have a question, a blog post idea, or you just wanna say hi. 🙂
Love & Peace,
Jennifer xoxo
jennifer@goodlifedetroit.com
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All photographs are courtesy of Jennifer Hamra for Good Life Detroit.
For business inquiries, please contact Jennifer by email: jennifer@goodlifedetroit.com.
Contact Jason Walker Photography for photography requests.