9 done ... 43 to go...

What: #77 See the Tigers play at Spring Training

When: March 5th
Where: Lakeland, FL
Why: Professional sports are not really my thing. I love college football for the spirit and spectacle, and I love olde timey baseball, but I think I always felt that the sheer enjoyment of the game was lacking in pro sports. As a girl, I collected Topps baseball cards with my brother, we followed the stats of the players and watched games on summer evenings with my dad and my grandpa. The 1984 World Series...I can still name almost every player on that team, and have autographs from three or four of them. Something changed after that - most people blame the baseball strike, so maybe that was it

Then, I started following the Tigers again, attending more and more games, and fell back in love with America's past-time. The players are all familiar to me again, and the atmosphere at the ballpark is always humming with excitement. And this year, I just couldn't wait until Opening Day, so we headed to Lakeland to see Spring Training!

We arrived at breakfast in our hotel that morning to find out that the entire place was filled with Michiganders who had escaped our frigid winter for a few days to enjoy some sunshine and baseball. After a quick bite to eat - and grabbing an orange for the road - we headed to catch batting practice. It was great fun to watch the warm-ups, see the sluggers knock ball after ball out of the park, and to be that close to the action.

Brad Ausmus pitching?!?

Miggy and JD at the batting cage!

 After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to our seats for the game. The whereabouts of these seats had remained a surprise to me...and quite a wonderful surprise - right behind the dugout!

It was so fun to see all the players up close, to watch them goofing off and to hear their banter and strategies. Oh, and to see this pair have a little conversation:

Jack White and Alan Trammell...yes please!!

Our seats were really amazing, and I took advantage of the view of a few of my favorite players at the plate!

The outcome wasn't a win, but the whole day was a blast, and it was a wonderful sneak peek at our team and a great way to get pumped for the new season! Go Tigers!!

8 done ... 44 to go...

What: #87 Adopt an animal

When: March 3rd
Where: World Wildlife Fund website
Why: For awhile, I had this on my list to encourage me to adopt a dog or cat from my local humane society. As my lifestyle continues to make that a bit difficult - out of town too often - I chose to instead set my sights on adopting a symbolic animal. For the past few months, I've found myself gravitating to rhinos, from pictures on Instagram to articles I've read to planning an excursion to see them for myself
in Chitwan National Park. My fascination with them could be that they were the one missing animal from my safari a few years ago; at the time our guide had said he might see one way out at the edge of some trees, but even with my binoculars I wasn't convinced. 

Today was World Wildlife Day, which seemed as good a reason as any to financially support the efforts to help conserve these animals. I'll proudly display my adoption certificate on my refrigerator, along with my other recently earned accolades, like "Perfect Attendance" for Pilates and my participant numbers from my recent 5Ks!

7 done ... 45 to go...

What: #91 Go to the Belle Isle Aquarium

When: March 1st
Where: Detroit
Why: As a very young girl, I have vague memories of going to the Belle Isle Zoo before it closed, and as the years went by, most of the other treasures of that island were similarly shuttered. It was sad; I recall stories my mom told me of her parents taking her out there on summer nights to hear bands playing, all sorts of folks gathered on the grass on this lovely jewel in the Detroit River, just enjoying the beautiful scenery around them. I longed for that to be a reality for me, and have actually started to see this come true!

Over the past decade, I've seen Belle Isle change from a nearly abandoned, littered, overgrown eyesore back to a vibrant destination worlds apart from the downtown area. Events are starting to happen there - I've recently participated in a triathlon on the island, an historical bike tour, and numerous Tour de Troit rides. A few summers ago, I first visited the Conservatory and the repaired fountain, and this weekend, I finally stepped inside the reopened aquarium.

The building has always been an incredible architectural gem by Albert Kahn, and seeing it for the first time inside was breathtaking. The ceiling tiles give you the feeling of being underwater, and the space is just perfect for families to spend their weekend afternoons strolling past the forty or so tanks filled with everything from stingrays to seahorses to jellyfish to frogs to tropical fish to a giant freshwater puffer fish named Otis.

On this visit, I was fortunate enough to meet Jennifer Boardman, one of the people responsible for getting the aquarium renovated, funded, and re-opened to the public. Meeting her was so inspirational, and helped me see the incredible impact individuals are having on this great city!