In my Bio, you may see that I call myself a travel enthusiast but why? What makes me so special? Aren’t most people “travel enthusiast”? I like to think that most everyone enjoys getting out of their house and experiencing new things; well, maybe I hope that is the case. What makes me “different” is I was almost forced into my love for travel. When I was younger I was one of those kids that had a hard time staying at anyone else’s house. I always got so nervous. I would stay awake at night thinking of everything and anything that could go wrong. And to make things even worse I would refuse to watch any “scary” movies and when I say scary I mean anything that was not over the top happy-go-lucky. As a pathetic example: Dennis the Menace, I was even scared of Dennis the freakin Menace! I never really got over that fear, just became accustomed to it and forced myself to do it. As I got into high school I had a few friend’s houses that I could stay with no problem. Was it because their house was safer than others? No, it was probably the mass amount of little liquid courage I consumed; 😉 sorry, mom!
What made me turn the corner and not be afraid? Oh you know when my now husband, then boyfriend got stationed in Germany, in which we decided to get married and live together. Love makes you face some of your biggest fears and oh boy did it make me face mine. I went from being the girl who couldn’t stay ten miles away from home to the girl that would jump on a ten-hour flight, alone, to then essential live alone in a foreign country for two and a half years. All at the prime age of eighteen of course.
I remember the first night Shaine was in the field and I was all alone in our tiny two bedrooms off-base apartment. I had two great neighbors; One was Russian and only spoke Russian, the other was Polish and as you can guess only spoke Polish. It was that night I realized I had a choice. I could choose to hide in my apartment and be the best wife I could be OR I could choose to embrace my new surroundings and jump in feet first. I choose the latter. I would go on to visit 12 countries (Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Poland, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain) in two and half years. Many of those trips were without Shaine and with a few girlfriends. Basically the set of a Liam Neeson movie where one of us gets taken, thankfully we weren’t stupid and much wiser than we looked. Those experiences I had and memories I made at such a young age is truly what made me fall in love with travel. I fell in love with learning, with different cultures and languages. Which brings me to my point, I am a true travel enthusiast with a resume to prove it.
Today, however, I don’t want to talk about all of my lavish international travels, I want to talk about finding beauty in your own backyard, in your own city and state. Being a born and raised Michigan girl I thought I was biased in thinking Michigan is one of the most beautiful states. Guess what? I wasn’t, it truly is. This summer I had the privilege of playing tour guide for my best friend Jen, her two kids, Matty and Hailey. Jen and I meet in Germany, when I looked her up on Myspace, yes that’s right, good ole Myspace, because I was moving to Germany and knew I needed a girlfriend or two. Which means we have been friends for over ten years now. This summer while her husband, Will, was deployed she brought the kids up to visit. Shaine and I had a blast showing her around our beautiful city of Grand Rapids and our state of Michigan. It’s funny how when you take a second to stop and look around you realize just how beautiful your day to day surroundings are. Jen and the kids liked it so much they are already planning another trip back to Michigan next summer but this time Will will be joining them. And if you ask Shaine that is the highlight because that poor man has had to deal with Jen and my shenanigans enough
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Our visit with Jen and the kids to Mackinaw Island this past summer.
T R A V E L — Can be just around the corner.
One of the most annoying things about Michigan is you can truly see all four season in one day. It can start off beautiful, turn to rain, then snow and be back to warm and beautiful all before dinner. True Michiganders have learned to just roll with the punches and take advantage of the random extremely warm days. One of the last weekends in September we were blessed with a beautiful 70-degree weekend and I for one was ready to take full advantage.
Friday Afternoon: I went on Facebook to the ‘events’ tab and looked for any free community events going on. I found a bunch of outdoor craft shows. If you know me you know I love me some craft shows. I never really buy anything I just take pictures of things that I want to re-create. (And when I say we, I truly mean Shaine).
Friday evening: I did an escape room a few months back in California while on a business trip. It was so much fun I had been dying to do another one. I called my brother and his girlfriend, Carly, who you will hear me refer to as my sister-in-law, and asked them to go out for dinner, drinks and then the escape room. It is really hard for me to admit this, but we did not escape. It was a real shot to the ego but still fun. If you have one in your city I highly encourage you to go. Here is a website to help you locate your nearest escape room: Worldwide escape rooms or to help you find one in the states: United States escape rooms It is something so different but such a good time.
A few pro-tips:
- Call ahead to make your reservation, these tend to fill up fast
- While you are on the phone with them, ask them about their policy of adding people to your game. I have played once when it was just people I knew and one time with strangers. Either one is a great option, just know if you play with strangers you will run into many different personalities that may not play the same way you do. Which could cause some tension, not like I am speaking from experience or anything 😉
- Don’t think too hard, don’t be afraid to use your clues and most of all have a blast.
Saturday: Two of our friends were taking their daughter to a wild-life park and I had mentioned how I had never been before. Shaine said it was a really cool place even for adults, so we decided to tag along. I am so glad we did. It was awesome, definitely smaller than a zoo but that meant less crowded and a much close up look at all of the animals. And to my surprise, we only live 15 minutes away. Truly a backyard treasure. Check out their website here: Boulder Ridge.
And last but not least: Sunday. Sunday are normally reserved for Football. Thankfully my Detroit Lions played the 1 pm game, which meant I still had a few hours of daylight. Instead of going too far from home I figured why not just jump on my bike and go for a nice country ride. And that is what we (my little sidekick included) did. It was perfect. Exercise, sunshine and the feeling of accomplishment.
I set out to make that weekend a one to remember and that I did. All while never driving more than 30 minutes away from home.
Now moving on to two weekends ago Shaine and I took a few of our friends up to a cabin right on the Muskegon River. It was the perfect time of year. The leaves were changing colors, the temperatures were warm during the day and chilly temperature at night. And as an added plus there was no wi-fi and barely any cell service. It was the perfect way to unplug, reflect, get a little rowdy and play as if we were kids again.
The porch swing was the place to be all weekend.
The boys putting a motor on a paddleboat. Why they wouldn’t just paddle is a mystery to me, but hey they made it work.
There were so many animals on the property. The zebras were by far the most popular.
Eight adults playing on a teeter-totter, a merry-go-round and swings was surely a sight to see.
While the boys played we… drank! (And yes there are four women here, one may or may not be dressed as a unicorn)
And like any fall weekend in the midwest, it is never complete without a bonfire.
And last but not least, this weekend. With the holidays fast approaching it’s a great time to get out and explore the community. There are so many little craft and markets popping up every weekend. This weekend I checked out one at Fredrick Meijer Garden Center. It was free to the community and featured everything from homemade soaps and jewelry to name brand toys for the little ones in your life. While I didn’t do any Christmas shopping I was able to find a unique birthday gift for a friend of mine’s two littles that just celebrated birthdays. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take any pictures inside but I was able to get a picture of my next stop….
KIRKLANDS! Am I the only person who has never heard of this beautiful store? This is truly a little piece of heaven on earth and now that they are featuring Christmas items makes them THAT MUCH BETTER. A teeny-tiny part of me is glad it took me until now to find Kirkland’s because I would be broke otherwise. I beautiful house, but broke. The amount of self-control I had while walking through the store deserves a medal, trophy hell probably even a plaque. Something because, damn was it hard. But it did exactly what it needed too. It helped get me into the Christmas spirit. I never really go to these stores to buy anything, I use it more as a muse you could say. I love walking in with an open mind and walking out with a ton of new DIY craft projects to try. And the best part? This wonderful hour, mehhh maybe closer to two hours, was spent just aimless wandering, looking at all the pretty things, AND it cost me nothing. Nothing at all.
The whole point of this post was to show you that you don’t have to travel to far away lands that seem like you have to spend a lot of money. All you have to do is be willing to open your eyes, look at upcoming local events, and not be afraid to try something new. Facebook is a great starting point. As annoying as it can be from time to time the events section is gold. There are so many different events out there that I would never have heard about if it wasn’t for Facebook. Or try the app, MeetUp. MeetUp is an app that brings people together through a common interest. They have running groups, crafting groups, even book clubs. And last but most important part — put your phone in your pocket and just go walk around. Appreciate the ever-changing colors of the seasons, the laughter coming from a table away or the silence while sitting in nature just appreciating life.
Whatever you do, just get out and explore. 🌎🌍🌏
💜 Amanda
That was very well said! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank YOU for reading