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What: #84 Ice skate at Campus Martius park in Detroit

Where: Campus Martius Park, Detroit
When: January 16th
Why: As a native to Michigan, I grew up with Detroit as my big city, and have a special place in my heart for it, many fond memories as a child being downtown with my family, events that took place at stadiums and theaters, at restaurants and along parade routes, looking over to Canada and back over to Detroit. It's a place where I've walked among historic buildings, biked past wonderful monuments, and driven to corners where there are amazing things happening. One of those things that has sprung up over the past few years is the ice rink, right in the center of downtown, at a place called Campus Martius park. 

Today, with help from Elizabeth and Sara, I went ice skating at the rink. It was a balmy 40 degree day, and the rink was packed with kids, couples, groups of friends, and a guy I couldn't take my eyes off of...because of his skating skills, of course! It was a lot of fun, altho maybe not a real work-out, but it was great to be downtown, out in the fresh air, seeing the amazing views of the buildings around us, and knowing that good things are happening in Detroit.

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What: #23 Volunteer at Food Gatherers 

Where: Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
When: January 13th
Why: Ever since attending the event called "Grillin'" sponsored by the Food Gatherers organization a few years ago, I have wanted to volunteer for their cause.

My friend, Lindsey, and I have also always wanted to do a volunteer activity together, so these ideas merged into our Friday night plans this weekend. We worked in the kitchen to serve a dinner created with food donations gathered from organizations all over Washtenaw County. It was a difficult night, seeing the variety of people (about 130 unmarried men and women) who are in such need, and yet it was fulfilling to be involved in a small way. I was put on the serving line to collect meal tickets, hand out desserts, and dole out napkins. The work was not easy, emotionally or physically, but it was incredibly rewarding and a great opportunity and I hope to do it again, and really recommend it to others in the area!

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What: #28 Reconnect in real life with a Facebook friend that I haven’t seen in over 3 years 

Where: Denver, CO
When: January 7th
Why: Despite enjoying many of the perks of Facebook (and let's admit, some of the pains, too), one thing I realized is that it makes it too easy to avoid actually having real friendships with a lot of my friends, near and far. 

So, it was not my intention to check this one off yet, but when the opportunity arose to see one of my former college roommates who had just moved to Denver the week I was out there to ski, it was a no-brainer to get together with her! So, Melanie and I made plans to meet up for dinner at a great sushi place in Denver. We had not gotten together since her wedding over 4 years ago, and it was wonderful to catch up, get to know Stefan, her husband, better, and meet her sweet-as-pie daughter Sofia. The friendships I formed in college are with some of the most amazing women I know, and Melanie is no exception! I highly recommend this one to everyone - go out and spend quality time with friends that are important to you...it's a great way to spend an evening!

Update: In 2013, I also made plans to meet up for a quick hug with Megan, the friend who got me started on this whole journey! We were both in Vegas the same weekend and decided just to say "Hi!" in person! Later in 2013, I also met up with my friend Susan; we've kept in touch through Facebook, but hadn't seen each other in probably 15 years. I happened to be swinging through her city for a quick visit, and it was so great to catch up with her face to face! :)

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What: #91 Ski at a new place

Where: Loveland Basin, Colorado

When: January 7th

Why: There are a few ski areas that I tend to frequent again and again, usually the larger resorts where there is more to do and lots of variety. I thought I should try out a smaller ski area, and so rather than ski at Arapahoe Basin - my normal stop on my way back to Denver - I drove through the tunnel to the other side of the continental divide to ski at Loveland. This is a ski place that has always intrigued me because it straddles the freeway, I-70, and the massive Eisenhower-Johnson tunnel that bores through the mountain pass.

So, I've driven by it/under it for years, but never stopped to ski at it. This time, I opted to do so. I was going to be skiing for a short day and typically I like to go where I'm familiar if I'm on my own, but figured this list isn't about doing what is comfortable, so I chose to ski Loveland. It was a great place, and with only a portion of the resort open (snow was falling down thick that day, but had been scarce the past few weeks), it was still a really pleasant place. Very laid back. All the chairlifts are lacking in the high-speed technology, but the scenery up the mountain facing the divide is so breathtaking that you don't notice it takes awhile to reach the top. As indicated, my day was shortened by incredibly heavy snowfall, but it was a great way to start off my list!

Update: Later in 2012, I also added Ski Cooper to my list of new ski resorts during a trip that also included Vail and Beaver Creek. In 2013, I've also now added a few more new ski areas with a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, and taking in a few days of skiing at Alta, Solitude, and Sundance! This was in addition to a great week of spring skiing at Arapahoe Basin, Vail, and Breckenridge!