Mackinac Island: Northern Michigan Trip Part 4
10.02.14
I realized I never finished documenting our trip up North! It is hard to believe that was 4 months ago! I am still pretty nostalgic when I think about the trip and how much fun we had, so I thought today would be a great day to document part 4 of our northern michigan adventure.
10.01.14
Detroit Photography Class
I am still on a try new things kick in life (I hope it never ends) and most recently I took a photo class with a friend in downtown Detroit. It was beautiful weather, helpful instruction, and a chance to practice taking photos around the city. I am finally starting to feel more confident with our fancy camera!
Traverse City: Northern Michigan Trip Part 3
08.06.2014
Traverse City is a gorgeous little town that some of my favorite Michigan friends (you know who you are) call home. There are tons of great food and beer places in the TC, but we only experienced a couple. We started our trip with swimming at our hotel, which felt incredibly refreshing and relaxing after three days of camping. Then we headed to downtown TC to watch the soccer game at 7 monks Taproom, followed by ice cream at Moomers, and a later dinner and drink at North Peak Brewing Company. It was a whirlwind experience of TC, but it was a great way to recharge for the second half of our trip!
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Highlights:
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Sleeping Bear Dunes: Northern Michigan Trip Part 2
07.29.14
Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore is breathtaking and was stop number 2 on our Northern Michigan Tour.
The teal water, hiking, dune climbs, and sweeping views stole our hearts! The camping is first come first serve, and we were worried we wouldn't get a spot! Luckily, Sunday morning was a low traffic day and we got a great place. Right after making breakfast bagels, there was a huge downpour of rain...the type of rain where you have to go sit in the car for an hour and play travel backgammon. We spent two days in Sleeping Bear Dunes and easily could have spent more time there! Next time we would like to bring bikes and friends! |
Sleeping Bear Highlights:
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Lake Michigan is so gorgeous! It looks and feel like a beach town. Who knew that Michigan was this beautiful!
An incredibly beautiful, but strenuous climb from Glen Lake to Lake Michigan!
When can we go back? Tomorrow? Thank you Sleeping Bear for being so amazing!
Leelanau State Park - Northern Michigan Tour Part 1
07.15.14
Welcome to Part 1 of a many-part series/guide through our Northern Michigan Trip. RJ and I left on Saturday, June 28 for Leelanau State Park at the top of Leelanau Peninsula. It was an amazing drive (once we got to the seeing water part) and what a beautiful destination. You could easily stay a of couple days around the peninsula to go to wineries, kayak, hike, etc. There is also a gorgeous lake on Leelanau Peninsula that we didn't have a chance to visit. I just wanted to own a house on that lake!
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Leelanau Highlights:
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The Weekend: Visit from Jessie
06.16.14
My heart is full after a full 4-day weekend with Jessie. I feel so spoiled when friends from Seattle visit Ann Arbor. It is always fun to show people where I sleep, work, eat, and play. The best way to show off my weekend is in pictures but a few of my favorite moments are described below as well.
- Putting target bags on our head, but still getting soaked from a typical Ann Arbor storm
- Going to the Tigers game
- Floating down the river on Saturday
Memorial Day Camping
05.29.14
It was so fun to spend memorial day weekend camping for one night with friends. We all wished we could have stayed two nights! It was also nice to camp so close to home, but still feel like we were far away. We stayed in the same park that I ran a month ago for my half marathon. It is a beautiful area close to Ann Arbor that I hope to return to throughout the summer.
I grew up taking camping trips with my family. We always had so much fun exploring together and laughing around the campfire or playing scrabble and other games late into the evening. I truly love camping for so many reasons!! Here are just 10 reasons why I:
Do you love camping as much as I do?
I am excited to share more about the big camping trip RJ and I have planned for early July, but in the meantime here are some pictures from our camping trip last weekend. We went with Brooke and Josh - great friends to have here in Ann Arbor and to go on adventures with!
I grew up taking camping trips with my family. We always had so much fun exploring together and laughing around the campfire or playing scrabble and other games late into the evening. I truly love camping for so many reasons!! Here are just 10 reasons why I:
- Being in Nature
- Building and "playing" with the fire
- Snuggling in the tent with RJ and Zoe
- Eating food that you cook over the fire (we had amazing burgers on pretzel buns!)
- S'mores (making them and eating them; I always bring Mr. Goodbar and Reese's for the chocolate part)
- No technology
- Exploring
- Watching the stars (we even saw juniper with the telescope!)
- Sitting around the fire and talking with your family and/or friends
- Getting away at a low cost
Do you love camping as much as I do?
I am excited to share more about the big camping trip RJ and I have planned for early July, but in the meantime here are some pictures from our camping trip last weekend. We went with Brooke and Josh - great friends to have here in Ann Arbor and to go on adventures with!
04.28.14
Half Marathoner
Since 2007, I have wanted to do a half marathon. I have tried training on three other occasions--each time resulting in an injury. With my 30th birthday in July, I was determined to finally do a half marathon. I paid for it right away and decided injury-or-no-injury, I would compete. But, it was not a competition for me--I just wanted to finish! Oddly enough, I selected a trail run as my first half marathon thinking the scenery in Michigan doesn't include major hills. My friend Cliff (shown below) and I both thought the hills would be minor. Oh, how we were wrong! These hills were not for the weak of hips or ankles. It was a very fun and intense experience., but I finished and I felt proud. I am thankful for all the friends and family who have supported me these past few months as I trained and for the chocolate muffin I was able to consume after the race.
The rest of the weekend involved icing and groaning and sleeping. Luckily, my hubs is on a break from school and took good care of me!
The rest of the weekend involved icing and groaning and sleeping. Luckily, my hubs is on a break from school and took good care of me!
03.11.14
Detroit Adventure
During RJ's spring break last week, I took some time off as well and we took advantage of the extra time by exploring Detroit. We visited the Detroit Institute of Arts and Slow's BBQ--2 Detroit musts if you are ever in the area. RJ and I aren't typically drawn to going to art museums, but I am glad we did! It was fun to do something new together and talk about what we liked about the different exhibits. Slow's BBQ was also phenomenal. There were a ton of Michigan microbrews on tap and the flavors in our meal made us want to eat our way through the entire menu.
What adventures have you gone on recently? You should try something new!
What adventures have you gone on recently? You should try something new!
03.04.14
Michigan Lifers
After dinner with friends last night RJ and I reflected on the fact that we have found some quality people who we now consider to be "lifers" (life long friends) in Michigan. When you move to a new place that is thousands of miles away from your family and friends you have to fight against the little voice in your head that is telling you that you won't meet new people. I was determined to meet new people and couldn't have imagined that some of the people we have met would grow into friendships we will cherish and cultivate for life. Below are some of the friends in Michigan whom we love so much! (Sorry Brooke and Josh for stealing a Facebook picture, we clearly need to take some pictures!)
Here are some tips to meeting new friends if you move away or are feeling like you could add some numbers to your current friend crew:
- Be brave. Say hi to someone at the gym, reach out to someone on LinkedIn (worked for me!), and don't be afraid to ask a co-worker to lunch.
- Be open. Make room in your heart for new friends (this is the hardest part). Share with the new person about your life (not just your favorite movie or color) and ask them about their life.
- Be yourself. Don't try to be someone you are not in order to find a friend. When we first moved here I met someone who I just did not relate to and instead of trying to shift who I was to gain a friend, I simply didn't pursue the friendship. It is a lot easier to do this as a grown-up, but still tricky to navigate.
- Be happy. It is easy to get sad about missing your friends from home, but being happy is contagious to potential new friends.
01.23.14
2013 Holidays
RJ and I were blessed to have 2.5 weeks at home. Can't believe we are already nearing the end of January! Missing Seattle and all the people that make it home. Thank you to all our friends and family for filling up our love tanks!
12.17.13
home for the holidays
Ann Arbor may be home to us now, but Seattle is our true home. I can't wait to go home for the holidays and soak it all in--the laughs, hugs, familiar sites, seafood, and the endless love I feel from those that know us best. Here are some pics from last year's trip home!
12.3.13
durham, north carolina
Thanksgiving weekend was filled with great food, relaxing, and a lot of fun with our dear friends Kevin and Jaime.
The Prices and Byrds 2013
11.26.13
road trip
Tomorrow we leave for North Carolina! I can't wait to see our dear friends, celebrate Thanksgiving, and explore a new city. I am also looking forward to the road trip with RJ. This will be our 5th longer road trip together! Other places we have driven include: Arizona -- Seattle; Seattle -- California; Seattle -- Ann Arbor; Ann Arbor -- Boston. What are your road trip essentials? Below are some of ours:
And just for fun, here are two pictures from previous road trips!