About Jennifer

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!

Travis and I love taking our family to Downtown Detroit and other fun events and locations in the metro area! (Photo location: Capital Park by Jason Walker Photography)
Photo of me at Eastern Market
My daughter Michala at Eastern Market in Detroit.
My nephew Landon at Supino’s Pizzeria in Detroit.
My daughter Zhen at the Lincoln Streat Art Park in 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!

My oldest Elijah getting ready to ride a MOGO bike in Downtown Detroit.

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 son 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!

“Rebirth of Detroit”
A photograph I took of a woman at the Celebrate India event at the DIA.
Eastern Market
Eastern Market is one of our favorite places to visit in Detroit. (Photo by Jennifer Hamra for Good Life Detroit)
Arab American Celebration Southwest Detroit
Arab American Celebration in Southwest Detroit
Photo of me with Tracy, a new friend I met at a headwrap workshop in Detroit.
Detroit 75 Kitchen Chef Mike
One of my favorite places to eat: Detroit 75 Kitchen. Photo I took of owner Chef Mike.
soul roll detroit
Soul Roll Detroit 2017 at Eastern Market (Photo by Jennifer Hamra for Good Life Detroit)

BLOG POST TOPICS

On the blog, you will find I write about a variety of topics covering culture, family life, motherhood, and (sometimes) recipes. I also like to feature blog posts about our favorite things to do in Detroit with family and friends.

UPDATE: 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!

Here are the latest blog posts to get you started:

Dilla's Delights
Photo of me at Dilla’s Delights in Detroit.

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

Follow me on Instagram here and Twitter here!

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.