Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

For our Easter weekend we decided it was time to go camping! In talking to a few people camping doesn't really get started until the end of May or June but we weren't really wanting to wait that long. We had an extra day off work and I spent it cleaning up the house while Kevin spent it getting all of our camping stuff out and organized for the weekend. Since it's the first time we've gone since moving it took a little longer and we had to evaluate things we needed. Then we were ready first thing Saturday morning for the drive to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes.

Our first climb of the dunes

 It took about three hours to get there and before setting up camp we wanted to check out the famous sand dunes. They are located right off of Lake Michigan and they seem so randomly situated. Very beautiful though! We started walking up the first dune next to this parking lot and it was so steep! Talk about a good workout!

At the top of the first dune

We kept going after that and then had to gear up for another steep climb. 

Kevin made a run for it and only made it halfway!

Our plan was to make it to Lake Michigan until we finally caught a glimpse of it and realized how far away it was. We settled for a nice view from a distance. 

View from the top

 After our hike we headed to the campsite to get setup for the night. Being so early in the season it wasn't very crowded at all and most of the sites right next to ours were empty so it felt a little more excluded. While out collecting wood we ran into a guy who had camped the night before and was staying until Monday. He told us it was really really cold the last night (low 24!) and that while it wasn't going to be that cold this night it was going to rain. Call us crazy but we were kind of excited. We've always had good weather camping and we've been wanting to try out our tent in the rain to see how it did. Our wish was going to come true!

Kevin getting ready for a fire.

 It wasn't going to rain until after 10pm sometime so we slowly got ready. We picked up stuff as we went along so that by 10pm all we had out were our chairs and us and we were pretty much ready for bed too. Shortly after 10pm we gradually started hearing the wind pick up. About 30 minutes later a big gust of wind blew and we thought...we better get in the tent. No sooner had we put the chairs in the car and spread out the coals of the fire it started to sprinkle. We quickly made our way to the tent and as we zipped up the rain really started coming down.

 Our tent performed fabulously and kept us dry all night (and it rained all night). The only bad part came at about 2am when I had to go to the restroom. I didn't want to head out in the rain but there was no way I was going to make it until morning. There is one particular skill I learned as a cross country runner that came in handy that night....'popping a squat'. I managed to do this in the small vestibule of our tent and not get anything on our tent at all. Still dry and now very comfortable! Had to share because I was pretty proud of myself.

The next day we opted for another hike on another section of the sand dunes. This one made it easier to get down to the water. This is actually Sleeping Bear Bay next to Lake Michigan.

It was just us for a long time! Absolutely beautiful!

A little further on our hike we came across Devil's Hole. There used to be trees until the sand eventually covered them killed them leaving these 'ghost trees'.

We had a fantastic weekend and we're excited to plan our next camping trip. There is so much of Michigan to explore!

 

Vegas!

It has been a few weekends now but I still wanted to share about my trip to Las Vegas with Amy. We'd talked about taking a girls trip to Vegas for years and we finally were able to make it happen. I had never been before and Amy was excited to show me around. Since she lives in Phoenix and it is only a short flight away (and pretty inexpensive) she has been several times over the last few years. I got in sort of late on a Thursday evening so we just hung out in the hotel with drinks and appetizers catching up. A year and half is too long!

In the Mirage Hotel

 The following day was a gorgeous day (especially considering it snowed in Midland a little that day) so we figured that would be our pool day. We chilled by the pool and grabbed lunch and just enjoyed not being at work that day.

View from our hotel

 We ventured out a little later and took a fun dance class. The class came with tickets to see a show but we weren't able to go to it (story to follow).

After a little nap (my body was telling me it was 3 hours later) we were ready to hit the town. We attempted to get into this club where Fergie was making a birthday appearance but the line was taking forever so we gave up and just wandered the strip for a bit. We stopped by an outdoor bar and found a group of guys there for a bachelor party. It turned out they were all from Kansas originally so we had fun talking with them.  Amy made friends with the guy who went to KU and I made friends the others who went to KSU and don't like KU fans. It was great!

We were a little lame and didn't make it too late of an evening. I guess you could say we are getting a little old. I need sleep!

For our last day in Vegas we had big plans. First thing was brunch which we had at this amazing place inside of Caesar's Palace. Then it was over to this outdoor bar which is a favorite of Amy's and our friend Dustin. The place was great! The bartenders were really interactive with all of the customers and it made for a great atmosphere. They made fun of people and joked around with them....a blast!

It was another nice day so we headed back to our hotel to catch a few more rays. Our plan after that was to take a quick nap and then be up to watch the KU vs Ohio St basketball game. That is when things sort of went wrong. Amy slipped in the bathroom and cut her eye on the tub. At first we didn't think it looked that bad (it was bleeding but you know how head wounds are). We put ice on it but after our nap (which led us to miss the game...I was okay but Amy was pretty upset about it) it was really starting to swell. It was going to need stitches. Urgent Care was closed so we took a cab to the E.R. That was at about 10pm and as you can imagine a Las Vegas E.R. is not short on activity. We were there until about 5am! The cut wasn't too deep but because of the swelling (and now it was getting really purple too) they needed to put 5 stitches in and took a head scan to make sure she was okay. Poor Amy!

After getting back to the hotel I had just enough time to shower and pack before heading to the airport. There was no show or dancing for us our last night! We laugh about the entire thing now since she is okay and  her eye is healing. At least we'll have a great Vegas story for the rest of our lives and I can technically say I was up all night!

Even though it wasn't the trip we had in mind it was still great spending time with Amy. Our next get together likely won't be in Vegas though :)

St. Patrick's Day Weekend

St. Patrick's Day weekend was a beautiful weekend here in Michigan. It has been unusually warm for this time of year which is what a lot of people have been experiencing. We decided to take advantage it and pulled out our bikes to head out for a bike ride. There is this trail we discovered earlier in the week on a run called the Pere Marquette Rail Trail. We only have to ride about 1.5 miles to get to it so we thought it would be good to check it out.

The trail is flat and paved and you can take it some 30 miles if you like. It is motorized free and the only time you have to worry about cars is when you occasionally come upon a cross road. The traffic isn't bad though and we're excited to see how beautiful it is later in the spring and the fall.

 It was St. Patrick's Day so we did make a stop at the Midland Brewing Company for a beer. Conveniently located just off the trail.

We went a little further on the trail before heading back and realizing how sore we were going to be the next day. It was tempting to stay in that night but we made ourselves go out to do something. Bennigan's had a tent set up outside their restaurant and music playing so after eating dinner we thought we'd check it out. We  were about to go in but then thought it looked like a high school dance with everyone just standing around and no dancing so we went home instead. A pretty tame St. Patrick's Day but that's okay!

We hopped back on our bikes the next morning (even though I protested quite a bit) and rode to a place for brunch. Then it was back to the Rail Trail to check out a few buildings we'd ridden past the day before. There was a historical building talking Herbert H. Dow's electrolytic production of Bromine in the area. It was closed for the winter but we'll have to go back once it opens in April.

Chicago to Michigan

The next day of our trip was another very busy one. After checking out of our hotel we met up with Brian and Moria for brunch at a place not far from where we were staying. Moria and I were able to sneak away from the boys for a little bit and do a little shopping before walking over to the John Hancock tower.

We didn't have to walk to far to the tower and there were lots of cool buildings along the way. I liked that there was this short old church next to all these newer skyscrapers.

 At first we were going to head up to the observatory for a view of the city. Right before buying our $15 tickets Moria remembered a little tidbit she'd heard from someone else in her lab. If you opt to go to the Sky Lounge you can get to go a few stories higher, sit next to a window, and wander around to other windows at your leisure for pictures for only the cost of a drink. We wouldn't normally spend that much on a single drink but it felt like a good deal considering the price of the tickets!

 

View from the Sky Lounge

 This picture is from the women's bathroom in the Sky Lounge. 

The guy's made fun of us for it but I think they were just jealous that there were no windows in the men's restroom.

Finally it was time to hit the road and head back to Midland. Luckily Brian and Moria were coming with us so the trip was much more enjoyable. We stopped in Kalamazoo, MI to try some beer at Bell's brewery and eat dinner. We ordered a couple of flights so we could taste a variety. The flights came on these trays in the shape of Michigan and the UP (upper peninsula). Since Brian is the only one who has never lived in Michigan we wouldn't let him be in the picture.

Michiganers only!

It was fun tasting different kinds of beer and then trying to do blind taste tests to identify which one was which. Not always easy between two very similar types! It was sort of late when we arrived back at our house but it was fun showing people around our place. I haven't put any pictures up yet because the place looks rather incomplete. For instance, we need a new dining table (ours is much too small for the space) but it isn't a necessity so we are putting off buying one until we find one we LOVE or actually buy a place and we know what space we have to fill.

The following day we took Brian and Moria to Dow Gardens to show them the butterfly exhibit. My memory card was full so I didn't get many pictures there but I think the exhibit will be better in April when they get more butterflies in. It was finally time to head down to Ann Arbor where we would be delivering Brian and Moria to Moria's grandparents. Luckily we had some time for Moria to show us around Ann Arbor first.

Dowtown Ann Arbor is really cute and I think Moria enjoyed showing us her old stomping ground.

She told us about these fairy doors that can be found in many of the businesses in the downtown area. We found one and it was fantastic. People often go around trying to find all of the fairy doors as a quest. This one was fancy and had an actual house with furniture and everything!

We walked around the University of Michigan campus and Moria took us to a shop and bought me this fantastic puzzle ring. It is something her Mom, sister, and other family members have shared and I felt privileged to get to have a ring as well. I forgot to get pictures of our rings so I don't have a photo. I haven't tackled the puzzle yet because I'm afraid I won't be able to put it back together. I figured I'd enjoy it for a little bit first!

Once we'd eaten dinner at one of Moria's favorite restaurants, Seva, we had to drop those two off. We did get to meet the grandparents which was really fun. It was also fun looking at young pictures of Moria and her family. It's fun getting a glimpse of your friends as kids! The whole weekend was fantastic and we were very sad to say goodbye. I failed at getting a group shot which I am so mad about. (I forgot with Sarah and Jonathan too...I really need to work on that!)

Checking out Chicago

This past weekend Kevin in I were in for a very fun adventure. We left work a little early on Friday and made the drive to Chicago. Moria had been there since Wednesday for a conference and Brian was flying in the same day we drove there. It was only about a 5 hour drive for us and we really didn't hit any delays until we hit the tolls going into the city. We checked into our hotel and then headed over to meet up with Brian. Our friend Ethan from Stanford (who is now in Baltimore for his Post Doc) was also there for the conference. We grabbed a bite at the Billy Goat Grill & Tavern which is where all of the writers from the Chicago Tribune supposedly go to eat.

Yay for good friends!

It ended up being quite the late night for us. Kevin, Brian, and I found a great place for drinks close to both of our hotels that was reasonably priced and we had such a great time catching up that we lost track of time. Since none of us had to be anywhere for the conference it was a little easier to do. After a late start to the next day we were finally ready to check out the city on an absolutely beautiful day.

Chicago River

You may have notice that we haven't seen Moria yet. She had actually taken a bus up to Madison for a Post Doc interview and wouldn't be joining us until later on that day. We just enjoyed wandering around the city and taking it all in. I am now sort of in love with Chicago.

We had to go check out Millennium Park while we were there.

 Kevin and I had seen plenty of pictures of The Cloud aka The Bean and we were excited to see it for ourselves. It was pretty amazing in person!

I laugh every time I see this one.

Once we'd had our fill of the park we wandered over to Lake Michigan. We spent some time taking in the gorgeous afternoon and relaxing with great company.

After our walking tour of part of the city we headed back to the hotel to meet up with Moria. We only had a little bit with her before we had to split up again. She had a dinner with the rest of her lab that evening and since she'd been gone from the conference for a bit she couldn't really skip it. While she was with her group, Brian, Kevin, and I went out for some Chicago style pizza.  

The pizza was amazing but I made the mistake of eating almost two entire slices. I was pretty stuffed for the rest of the night! 

 Once we'd finished dinner we met up with Moria, Ale, and Ethan to do more catching up. It felt strange to be meeting up with all these friends from California who are spread out among three states in a city that none of us are living in. Strange but wonderful!

Brian, Moria, and Ale

Ethan, Cara, and Kevin

 Most of us were fairly exhausted so we didn't make too late of a night. We still had stuff to see the next day and a 5 hour drive back to Michigan.

Friends!