Why: For years, I have avoided being a hostess. It's not my thing. I love getting together with friends, going out and attending parties, but planning and hosting a party is something out of my comfort zone. That's why hosting events will often pop up on my yearly lists of new things to do, and now that I have a new home, it seemed the right time to invite a few friends over for a gathering.
For this particular party, I chose two of my oldest and dearest friends - two great women I've known since high school - and decided to host a pumpkin carving party. The party was BYOP (bring your own pumpkin), but I made mix CDs of Halloween tunes, bought amazing purple mason jars to make pumpkin-carving kits, and they brought cider and other craft supplies to make homemade greeting cards.
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| Mine is in the middle... |
Why: Whether it's scientifically accurate or not, I've heard and believed that women get more efficient at running as we get older, so I figured that now was a good time for me to start looking at extending my distance to take advantage of this belief. In late May, I decided to sign up for the Detroit Half Marathon. I had two reasons for doing this; the first reason is that Detroit is the flattest city I know, so it seemed a great course for a long run. The second reason is that the international border crossing into and out of Canada is so unique that it made this an interesting race to run. |
| Coming out of the tunnel from Canada |
Why: As a true Michigander, I take great pride in the amazing places this state contains and the incredible experiences that can be had here. One of those places and experiences that kept popping up on bucket lists for people in Michigan was kayaking to Turnip Rock. It was only a few years ago that I found out this place existed, partly because it seems so out of the way. Then one of my dearest friends - who had this on her blog - had a free Sunday that aligned with my free Sunday and even the weather cooperated (sunny 70s in late September is rare in Michigan!). We met up early that morning in Detroit to make the 3-hour drive to the "tip of the thumb," as we describe it in Michigan. The areas we drove through were very unfamiliar to me, and I couldn't quite get a hold of the vibe of the region, but was glad to arrive to Port Austin - a rather quaint town on the lake shore - to eat lunch at The Stock Pot. Honestly, I did not know what to expect, but it was a delicious meal among very friendly locals out enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon. 
Then, we walked to the Port Austin Kayak shop to get our kayaks to head off on our day's adventure. It was a bit breezy out on Lake Huron, and make the paddling a bit slow at first, but our excitement at seeing Turnip Rock kept us motivated. At first, the shoreline looked nothing like we were expecting; it was all grasses and flat beaches with larger boulders offshore. This didn't seem to be the terrain that matched what we had seen of Turnip Rock. Until, all of a sudden, we paddled around a point and it just sort of appears! It stands alone (something I wasn't expecting) and really is the only feature along that part of the shoreline. I suppose the fact that it is in the water by itself is what makes it so unique, and the plants and trees atop of it definitely add to the look of it.
We crossed the border near the beautiful Bear Lake, which was shockingly far below its usual level. Our favorite stop along the way was in Montpelier at a small pizza joint called Studebaker's Pizza. It was seemingly the only thing open in town, so our expectations were not that high, but let me tell you, if you are ever near Montpelier, Idaho, please stop in because the food and people are great!
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| The contraption |
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| Right before he hit the camera man directly in the face... |
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| Proper form, improper attire |
Why: Three summers ago, I went to Acadia National Park for the first time and loved it. The scenery and feeling there is unlike anyplace else I've been, and I was excited at the chance to go back this summer. One hike I didn't get to do my first time there was the Precipice Trail, known for the sheer cliffs you climb on a system of iron rungs and ladders. On my first visit to Mount Desert Island, I climbed The Beehive with my friends - a very similar trail, but of a bit lower intensity - so I had an idea of what I was getting into this time. And, three years later, I have a lot more climbing under my belt, so I was confident I could get to the top.
The views along the way were amazing, but it was hard to stop to enjoy it, because anytime you had an opening to see the views, it meant you were precariously perched on a slippery rock ledge trying to stay balanced against the cliff face to not plummet down to a granite death bed. And I'm only being slightly dramatic about that.
Why: A few years ago, a few friends of mine got together to enjoy a long fall weekend and it was a great time just talking and eating, playing board games, bike riding, sitting in the hammock, and generally enjoying some quality female bonding time. That started me thinking of this idea. Then, I read a great fun book that put the destination in my head: The Outer Banks. Back in March - when the weather in Michigan makes you want to get kidnapped just to end up somewhere else - I started talking with my college friend Susie about getting a group of women together to make this a possibility, so with her help, we pulled it off!
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| For a non-morning person, the sunrises were totally worth it! |
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| Took a Hummer across the beach to see the Corolla Wild Horses |
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| View of the Whalehead Club from the Currituck Lighthouse |
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| Boogie boarding with Susie! |
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| Sunset kayaking! |
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| Seven of us, still having fun on Friday morning!! |
Why: For many years, I've run a maximum of a 5K and not a step beyond it. At 3.1 miles, my body knew it was done and it shut off accordingly. For a few years, I did sprint triathlons and did the run after a swim and a bike race, but still, at 3.1 miles, my legs and lungs proceeded to call it quits. This has been fine, until I got it in my head to run the Detroit Half-Marathon in October. It was a decision made entirely without proof that I could run that far, and so I've spent the past few weeks on a training program to push myself to go beyond a 5K distance.
Luckily, an opportunity came up for me to try a 10K in a city that I know is flat enough to not add any additional pressure to increasing my distance. Plus, I had friends that were running the 5K at the same event, so it would be a fun way to see them and to support my university at the Big Ten 10K in Chicago. 
Around 6am on the morning of the run, the temperatures were already in the high 70's with high humidity, so there were concerns about how that would impact my run. I wasn't trying to get a personal best, just to reach as many of my 10 goals for my 10K as possible. Those goals were: |
| Feeling pretty good for my first try! |
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| Practicing my graceful exit... |
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| Our "before" picture at the start |
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| The "after" picture at the finish line |
Why: I blame country music for this one. So many of my favorite songs have lyrics pertaining to shootin' whiskey, pourin' whiskey, sippin' on whiskey...and I started to feel left out of that part of my redneck side. I did once attend a bourbon tasting, but that was really just a tasting...I could barely swallow it. I figured I needed to toughen up and get ready to really enjoy the right kind of whiskey. Luckily, my friend in Chicago knew of a place halfway between us that seemed the perfect place to learn about good whiskey, so we - two of my college roomies, two kiddos (including my videographer), and one awesome husband - met up at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks.
To begin, we ordered a flight...five quarter-ounce glasses of whiskey to sample what they offered. The first one was rough; the initial burn caught me off guard.
Why: For a few years, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has hosted yoga in its rehearsal space at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, combining two of my favorite ways to spend time in one of my favorite places to spend time. The Sunday morning that I attended, I was hurrying to the location and blew out my flip-flop, arriving with one barefoot, and in great need of relaxing and decompressing. Luckily, I was meeting my friend (who just happened to have a spare pair of shoes...thank you!!), and we settled into the space for the next hour of relaxation. The lighting set a very cool mood, and when the musicians entered the room - a string quartet - and began to play, I could not stop smiling with sheer joy at how it all made me feel. My mind was loving the music, my body was loving the yoga, and my soul was loving the presence of one of my dear friends. The yoga instructor was good, which really made the experience that much better. Despite some amazing places I've done yoga - like on a paddleboard in San Diego and in the mountains of Puerto Rico - this was one of my favorite experiences.
Why: Late last December, as I was looking for new things to add to this year's list, a fortuitous article was published, catching the eye of a few of my friends that know I'm always on the lookout for local adventures. This adventure was dubbed "Fowling"...a combination of football and bowling, pronounced "foe-ling" and taking up residence in a warehouse in Hamtramck, a 15-minute drive from my place in Detroit. Honestly, I wasn't sure this was going to be my scene, but I was willing to give it a try; at most I'd be out $10 and a half-gallon of gas.  |
| The open courts for $10 unlimited play! |
