year of fun

I just cannot fathom how I will effectively communicate what an amazing time I had this weekend in Northern Michigan. Day 264 was a FULL day. I mean when the birds wake you up at 5:30am, you can get a lot done.

After wishing our race friends luck, the rest of us lazily got ready to greet our 5K runner, Allison, at the finish line and our Half Marathon runner, Emily, in the designated “cheering section.” We screamed as Allison finished her race. She was immediately ready for coffee and a snack. At the cheering section for the half marathon, we struck a good rhythm cheering for all the runners as they passed, though we were exceptionally loud (and obnoxious) as Emily came through. At her finish line, I managed to take this picture her husband cheering her on!

After race cheering, we went right into a hike to the beach near the property. It was short, beautiful and the dogs got to run like crazy in the sand. This beach was so quiet and private. We didn’t see anyone else the entire time.

We followed beach time with a lunch stop in Leland at the Cheese Shanty and then pressed on to the largest city in the area, Traverse City, with a downtown so cute it makes you want to drink coffee and play Jenga. Which is exactly what we did at a Brew where coffee was actually $1! From there we had cider at Left Foot Charley’s and explored Traverse City Commons on the grounds of a revolutionary, former state hospital.

From here, we tasted beers at 7 Monks before heading back to the campsite for some R and R before dinner at Art’s, another campfire and s’mores. Unfortunately the evening was cut a little short by intense thunderstorms (don’t worry, most of us slept in the house that night). This gorgeous, action-packed day left me feeling carefree and so happy to get to experience such fun things with such good people.