Porcupine Mountains August 2018

For a Florida girl still adjusting to northern Michigan winters, booking an August camping trip at the end of March was a mental health move more than anything. We were past the fun parts of winter and eager for spring to arrive so I was putting all the fun summer plans I could into my trusty planner. Visiting the Porcupine Mountains (or the Porkies) was an early addition to my ever-evolving Michigan bucket list so I was excited to snag a spot for late August.

Lake of the Clouds is the Disney feeling spot in the Porkies, most drive up and take their picture then leave. At the halfway point of my big mileage day, felt pretty strong for working for this picture.

It just so happened that after booking that weekend I committed to a 21 mile hike to benefit Make-A-Wish and would spent the large part of my summer training for that hike. The weekend I had planned for the Porkies was the last large training hike on our schedule which worked out perfectly. I penciled in a long weekend on my work calendar and started mapping out hikes and spots I wanted to make sure to check out.

Swim spot at the Presque Isle Campground, late August is about as warm at Lake Superior gets!

From Gaylord, the Porkies are a 6 hour drive so I decided to find a spot to camp Thursday after work at a halfway point. We have great state forest campgrounds in Michigan and this one was one of the prettiest I've come across! Forest Lake State Forest Campground is a first come, first serve with most spots lakefront and a mix of tent and RV spots. I don't wake up early often but set a special alarm to catch the sunrise.

Views from my camp chair Thursday night.

Slow breakfast and a meandering drive took up most of the day Friday. Thanks to our extra long summer days, I arrived to the somewhat soggy Porkies with time for camp setup at the Presque Isle Campground on the western end of the park and a hike. (Note for planning: it's another 40 minute drive from the main visitor center to this spot and in central time zone.) I'd chosen the spot based on pictures and oh man, it was a perfect Lake Superior view. Before a picnic dinner and pre-sunset reading, I did a short but very slippery hike along the Presque Isle River (East and West River Trails on this map).

Presque Isle River from a suspension bridge.

View from my camp chair Friday and Saturday nights.

Saturday was my big mileage day. All in all, ended up with 17.5 miles and 98 floors climbed that day (parked at Summit Peak Scenic Area and followed this trail order, Beaver Creek-north on Little Carp River-Correction Line-Big Carp River-North Mirror Lake-South Mirror Lake-Summit Peak Side). The real kicker though was the views. The Porkies are a designated wilderness area and the extent of uninterrupted forest views from the peaks were unlike anything I'd ever seen. I ran into some friends on the trail, we knew we were all up there but hadn't made any plans, gotta love the small world even in the wilderness! After a cold swim in Lake Superior, I met up with them to enjoy a campfire and brews.

Summit Peak Tower, the switchbacks on the trail up to this about got me at the end of a long hike but well worth it.

Sunday was a long travel day with an extra long lunch break in Marquette at the Delft Bistro, very cool vibe and good but slightly pricey food. I took my time getting back with a couple stops along Lake Superior because it was such a gorgeous day and the cold water felt good on my feet. Highly recommend a visit to the Porkies!

Picture perfect Lake Superior day, Au Train area. 

Don't Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good

"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." -Voltaire

Or "just start". Either way the sentiment to just get going no matter if you're fully prepared or ready to go 100% or feel like you're going to succeed has resonated with me the past 8 or so months. Primarily in how I feed myself.

*Before I get into this, let me preface it with the fact that I am single and have the privilege of a steady income, disposable time and live in an area with good soil and plentiful water. *

Okay, back to how I'm feeding myself. This was a long time coming and I'm not sure I can pinpoint one turning point or even one hard reason. It may have been the vegetables and fruits my parents grew in our home garden every summer, the summer before my senior year of college when I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver at the urging of a dear friend, or a move from a very urban area to a more rural town. It may be the benefits that being a locavore has on my community, the local economy and the planet. Either way, I made the decision to take more intentional steps to becoming a locavore.

Merriam-Webster defines a locavore as one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible. If you remove the phrase 'whenever possible' and really think about what it means to only eat food grown locally, holy cow it's insanely overwhelming. Everything from considering what you can and can't get in your area based on geography to the fact that there are times of year when nothing grows to what it might mean for your grocery budget. Since Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I've read a variety of other memoirs and instructional books on how to be a locavore and always left overwhelmed and feeling like I didn't want to jump into the deep end i.e. what I saw as the perfect version of a locavore.

I finally let go of that feeling around the holidays last year and felt ready to just get started and take small actionable steps, as my favorite blogger would say, towards being a locavore. I decided that being a good, but probably not perfect, locavore was better than continuing to sit in the weird feelings I had towards the food system I was feeding myself from at the time.

I've had several people ask me about this change in how I feed myself so I thought I'd just capture some of my lessons learned and my locavore rules in one place. I think like any lifestyle change, you can't let one person define what that lifestyle means. Different things works for different people at different points during their life. This is what is working for me at this point and in this place. And I'm sure as heck no where near perfect but I'm doing good. And that's just fine with me. 

Emily's Locavore Definition/Rules/Guidelines and Associated Lessons Learned

I set these for myself after reading several books and a ton of blogs about other people's definitions, keeping track of what I eat over the course of a week and researching what was reasonable where I live. The book The Locavore Way helped most with this process. Big note here is that when I travel or am at an event, most of these just go out the window except local restaurants (until I see a Chik-fil-A and then all self control is gone).

Definition of Locavore by Emily: intentionally seeking food that is local in at least one of these two ways - 1. grown in soil near me or 2. my purchase of the food directly supports a person who lives in the same community I do.

1. Fruits and Vegetables - Direct from the farm/farmer or grown within 50 miles
• Easy, freaking peasy in the summer; hard in the winter when you haven't prepared by freezing and canning. I 100% recommend just starting once you decide but also recognize if that happens to be in the middle of winter in northern Michigan, you'll have to not be perfect on this one for a while .
2. Milk/dairy products - From a cow (or other milk producing animal) within the state of Michigan
• Easy because there is a phenomenal dairy (glass bottles and all) less than 20 miles from me that also stocks at our local natural foods store. Pro-tip here, Google how to read the code on milk jugs in the normal store. Our dairy system is still fairly regional and there is part of the code that tells you what state the milk came from. 
• Hard in terms of different kinds of cheeses, butter and sour cream/cream cheese; this is for sure one of my not perfect pieces. It's evolved to more of a regional (i.e. Wisconsin because duh) dairy product being okay. The butter is easy to get also from another Midwest state but not from Michigan and the sour cream/cream cheese is still Daisy from the grocery store when I do buy.
3. Dry goods and condiments - Made in Michigan with Michigan ingredients or purchased from a locally owned store 
• Mostly easy but more expensive for sure. Also way tastier. This purchasing from a local store piece gives me flexibility when I just really am craving olives or crackers that aren't grown/made by anyone in Michigan but that a locally owned specialty store stocks. 
4. Meat - Direct from the farm/farmer or grown within 50 miles
• More expensive and harder than the other food categories because it has basically meant I don't eat sandwiches at home. There are 5+ farms in the area that have great beef, pork and chicken selection but you definitely pay more than what you would in a grocery store. For me, personally, it's worth it for a variety of reasons that I won't get into here.
5.  Beer, Wine and Soda - Made in Michigan (no Michigan ingredient stipulation on this one) or made in the state I'm buying it from
• Easy peasy until I crave a coke (yes a Coca Cola), Mich Ultra or Coors Light, again good not perfect. 
6. Eating out - Locally owned restaurants, i.e. no chains (this rule fully stems from the fact that my family owns a restaurant and I've seen what local support means for my parents and their business partners)
• Easy but I'm no where near perfect here, I have these couple week stretches where all I want is a sausage crossanwich from BK for breakfast and the homemade version won't cut it. 

A final note if you made it this far: Michigan rocks, seriously we have so many great farms with amazing produce and meat and so many great companies that make the rest. Where you live may be very different. It may not be as easy for you to do this as I've found it. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! Start somewhere small, next time you go out for a special occasion choose a local eatery or pick one specific thing you know you can easily shift to purchasing locally. At the end of the day, you'll have done something good for people, the planet and the economy.

Finding the Right Wand

I'm sitting on my couch with a glass of wine watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Twenty years ago, the first book hit the shelves in the U.K.  Sixteen years ago, I saw the first movie with a group of freshman at the high school I would eventually attend (shout out to teacher parents and godparents for pulling me out of school to join). One year ago, I reread the seven books in a two week period after handing in my notice to leave my first real job.

I grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The books came out during the summer, usually while I was at summer camp or beach week. So the first night I was home would be a late one reading the newest book. The last movie came out during college; I won't lie, tears and reminiscing filled that night. There are plenty of better written pieces out there on the multitude of lessons Harry and the magical world have brought us muggles. So this won't be that but it will be an update on my life as I continue to try and find the right wand (i.e. life path).

Spring has been different here in Michigan. One, it lasted longer than two weeks. Two, it brought the field work and travel I was looking forward to all winter. April saw a lot of rain and adventures around the state; I've fallen in love with the town of Petoskey. I finally got a kayak of my own! Just in time for the lakes to unfreeze.  May brought a trip to Atlanta and first visit to the new Braves stadium; an event I'd been planning since January; and a dear friend's wedding. In between, normal life of being in the office and with students, plenty of trivia, and an amazing two days of AmeriCorps camp. A wonderfully busy month that was my favorite of the year so far.

And now it's June, almost July. Apparently it's summertime in northern Michigan but it's rainy and 56 here tonight so I still don't believe it. I got my braces off (funny seeing as how I had them on the first time when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone hit theaters). Grilling out is the preferred social scene at this point. And the novelist of ideas for me, I like what I do from 8-5 and work with really great people. A year ago I knew I wasn't in the right workplace or, for that matter, field and I'm happy to report I'm headed down the road to finding the right wand soon. For those wondering, I'm still not certain what life holds come November but for now thanks for hanging around for the adventure and supporting me from near and far.

Don't Lose Heart

I can't remember now where I was but sometime in the last few weeks under my blog ideas note I wrote the phrase "don't lose heart". I'm sure I was sitting in a meeting with other natural resource professionals discussing how we want to approach a community service project or with teachers working on student-led stewardship projects. It's easy in the current political climate to get into a glass half empty mind set and I'm as guilty as the next person of being gloomy about what the next four years bring for the environment, our public education, and the country as a whole. However, and this is a big however, serving as an AmeriCorps member makes it very easy to snap out of this and view our current situation through the glass half full lens. Every day I'm surrounded by really smart people working very hard to get things done. So don't lose heart because there are really hard working people all over the country (not just in northern Michigan) doing their damnedest to make sure students have equal access to a quality education, that we have clean air to breath and water to drink, and that all people are protected under the law. And don't lose heart because I've got some good Southern transplant stories from the past few weeks.

Working with other AmeriCorps members in my office on compiling invasive species inventories, love getting to use my GIS skills but that it's not such a large part of my day to day anymore!

I made it to my second Great Lake- Lake Michigan! Another AmeriCorps member and I took a day trip over to Petoskey and I'm in love with the city. Great shopping downtown, phenomenal views of the lake, and my first sand in Michigan. It's about a 45 minute drive from Gaylord through pretty ag fields and tiny towns. I'm a fan of wandering through small shops and seeing local art which Petoskey had an abundance of; we also found some great board games and kids toys in several stores. Lunch at Roast and Toast on the recommendation of my roommate was fantastic if you're ever in Petoskey. We found our way to Petoskey State Park and I've never been so happy to have a sandy butt and sand in my shoes. Only slightly disorienting to be around sand dunes but not salty air!

Frozen lake with piles of snow on it and a beach with lots of rocks!

Might become a rock nerd up here.

Snow on sand. What.

 

Our monthly AmeriCorps training was down state (Michigander for the lower half of the Lower Peninsula) and it was great to catch up with everyone. It's always interesting to hear the different projects people are involved with; some of which I would love to be working on and others that totally don't get me stoked but man am I glad they get someone else stoked because it's still important work. We all grabbed a beer at Which Craft Taproom and a small group went for sushi at Maru! Side note: we have a place that serves sushi in Gaylord but holy cow do I miss the abundance of choice in Atlanta in terms of ethnic food.

AmeriCorps training on communications for natural resource professionals.

The snow is almost all gone and it feels a little like spring purgatory weather wise. Some days are beautiful and sunny and above freezing so walks and being outside are easy. Other days we drop back below freezing and have a random inch of snow but not enough for skiing. I did wear Chacos the other day and my toes were so happy to breathe! Speaking of Chacos, I had a fairly entertaining conversation about the difference between flip flops and sandals and then really confused the issue when I called flip flops Rainbows. The takeaway for the rest of the table was that Emily is a crazy Southerner. All in all, still doing great up here and enjoying my service and the people I'm meeting but itching for warmer weather!

Hiking in the Pigeon River Country State Forest, gorgeous public land!

 

 

Michigan and Again

It's always fascinated me how quickly I fall into routine. Routine at service, routine at home, and routine with friends. It mostly means I'm genuinely comfortable somewhere so I take it as a good sign but still look for ways to shake up the routine! This past month has flown by (which I'm starting to think is going to be my theme for the year) and was filled with a lot of adventures and a few misadventures.

Lake Huron - one Great Lake checked off!

February at Huron Pines saw a ton of classroom presentations, meeting with teachers and other community partners, and a few great questions from students. I helped the Forest Service in presenting their Kirtland's Warbler Young Artists contest to elementary aged students. Best question was from a second grader "why can't a boy Kirtland's Warbler and a girl robin make a baby?"; she wasn't satisfied with my simple answer of "they're different species" and wanted to know more. I'm working with teachers at a very small K-12 school to make better use of their school forest and have been constantly reminded what a challenge nailing teachers down to something can be when they are being pulled in a million directions. An email response within the day is very exciting for me at this point! We're making progress though and I'm excited to see what the spring and fall bring at the school. Everyone at the office is starting to get antsy for field season and definitely has office fever; come on spring!

 

DNR Chainsaw training- posed picture after a day of cutting!

Treetops Beer Fest

 We had a heat wave (in the 40s consistently) for about two weeks; super bummer because most of the snowbase melted. It did mean though I got to get out and hike finally! The park down the road from me has a few nice trails and there's a nature preserve just outside of town that is absolutely breathtaking. Before the heat wave hit, I went on a full moon snowshoe hike with a group new friends and it was crazy how bright the moon and snow make the night. The AmeriCorps members in my area are getting together to place games once a week; it's so nice to have a ready made group of people to hang out with when you move so far away. We learned Euchre which is a great card game mostly played in the Midwest. Being in a new part of the country is a daily reminder of how varied our beautifully flawed country is!

Check out the Accidentals, hands down the most amazingly talented people I've ever heard.

A few funny Southern girl problems have come up in the past month: when you're car door is frozen shut, don't yank so hard you hit yourself in the head with the door corner; it's officially March and was -5 degrees when I woke up this morning (cue the WTF); and I said "you guys" to some friends and they all were taken a back by how quickly I picked it up (still get funny looks when I say y'all but am also rubbing off on a few friends!).

Pacski, a Polish Fat Tuesday doughnut

First time making a King Cake! Can't buy them in stores here, everyone loved it.

You're Moving Where?

Sometimes, well all the time, life is funny. Funny in the way that a southern, heat loving girl ends up moving to northern Michigan and maybe is falling in love with it. I already use my hand way too much to talk to people about where places are.

Snowshoeing through old growth white pine at Hartwick Pines State Park
(trees almost as big and tall as the redwoods in California!).

It's cold and I own an ice scraper/snow brush but the snow is beautiful and I've figured out the perfect layering for when I cross country ski. I even was super annoyed two weeks ago when we had a warm front (i.e. temperatures in the 30s) because the snow was slushy and gross; never in a million years would I have thought I'd be wishing for temperatures in the teens and the pretty snow to be back.

Fitz (far left) is thriving in the cold!
He keeps me from slipping and sliding on the reg.

I'm up here for at least ten months (well nine now that I've made it through January) serving with AmeriCorps at a non-profit called Huron Pines. Huron Pines' mission is to protect the Great Lakes through conserving the forests, lakes and streams of Northeast Michigan. I'm working with school and community outreach programs to establish more place-based education programming in the region. The staff are all wonderful and the other two AmeriCorps members in my office are great. I'm really excited for what the year holds!

Sled dogs at a nearby ski resort!

My roommate is another AmeriCorps member serving with the county conservation district. She likes beer, NPR and adventuring as much as I do so we'll be just fine for the year. We've got a great (and cheap) place right in town and are mostly settled (thank goodness for free furniture!). There's a cross country ski trail right down the road from us and the drive to service is less than ten minutes for both of us. I can go 5 miles in 5 minutes not an hour!

We stood on a frozen lake (Otsego Lake) so are real Michiganders now!

 The town I live in is relatively small town but we have a Walmart, Meijer (grocery, similar to Kroger), and a myriad of other chain businesses. It's the biggest village (aka city/town, Michigan lingo) in the area so people come from the smaller (and I mean small small) villages to shop and the such. Our downtown has a brewery that does a great IPA and good choice of local restaurants that have live music all the time. So basically, I'm adjusting just fine and not too homesick (I do miss my ATL lovies though!).

Hiking through snow isn't easy so cross country skiing is my new weekend (and after work) activity!

I'm going to try and get back in the swing of keeping this blog updated on my adventures (and misadventures) in the Snowbelt so sign up for the email updates!

Have I Gone Mad?

{Life is busy so I seem to be making less time to blog; but I want to blog because I like the record keeping aspect of it and it is helpful in keeping family and friends far away updated. So thanks for sticking around even though I'm not the most consistent.} 

The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?

Alice Kingsley: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

March Madness applied 100% to my life the past few weeks. Lots of travel, family, and friends - just the way I like it. 

I kicked off the month here in Atlanta at one of the better festivals I've attended, The Brunch Festival. Like most good millennials, I've got brunch down to a science and have a few places I frequent for a good mimosa and more importantly good bacon. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to this event and it didn't disappoint. 

Braves Spring Training game: Snuck in some family time before fam jam time!

 The middle of the month brought our Second Annual Fam Jam Reunion (wrap up of the first one here!). Thirteen of us made it down to the happiest place on Earth for a long weekend of thrills, laughs, and a successful trip drinking around the world. We successfully navigated the craziness that is Disney with a large group and left with tired feet and full hearts. It's hard for me to put into words what these trips do for my soul so I'm just going to say that I'm thankful for and blessed by these people every day.

Doing Disney as an adult wasn't half bad.

I was home for a grand total of 48 hours before turning around to head back to the Sunshine State for a wedding weekend. One of my boys needed a wedding date and I'll never say no to dancing with any of them! Auburn makes the world get one degree smaller so of course I knew the groom's sister and all of the friends we met were so welcoming. 

Backyard weddings are always so beautiful.

After the whirlwind of traveling and being social, I knew I would need some me time so had scheduled a stay at the Len Foote Hike Inn. The Hike Inn is a back-country inn that requires you to hike in about 6 miles from Amicalola Falls. Meals are served family style and the sunrise is spectacular. From the Hike Inn you can head on to Springer Mounter (the southern most point of the Appalachian Trail) before heading back to the Falls. I highly recommend this for anyone! The hike is doable and the experience was incredible. 

Nature always wins.

Sunrise from the Hike Inn through the Star Base.

The Holiday Scramble and Guardrail Life

I began writing this post almost a month ago. Finally having taken a breath from the tail end of the holiday season. Then guardrails took over my life. So here we are well into March and I'm back on the horse.

Adulthood tip: you learn a lot about things you never knew you didn't know.

Thanksgiving to now has been a whirlwind of travels, work insanity, and blessed moments.

Cue Thanksgiving and some much needed Florida sun.  A road trip with my nephews down to Bamma and Bampa's kicked off a wonderful few days with the family. I love the time I get to spend with them and it becomes more precious as the years go on.

Airplane with the younger nephew is easy...

...with this grown boy, less so.

December was the usual whirlwind of tacky sweaters and too much food. My family's Christmas this year consisted of camping in FDR State Park and a very simple exchange of gifts (except the basketball hoop for the nephews which was of course wrapped in a tarp). I kicked off 2016 with new and old friends in Atlanta.

Jordie is a professional camper in her old age!

January saw a youth retreat at Camp Mikell in the beautiful north Georgia mountains, a weekend in the Big Apple, and guardrails, just so many guardrails. I became very intimate with the guardrails along I-20 within the metro Atlanta area. Moral of that story is drive safe until GDOT gets them replaced and up to the new standards.

Wayne's World set at SNL Exhibit, I died.

Highlights of February included lots of hikes (holla at mild winters, boo climate change), a visit with my sister and her family, and crashing a wedding. So far 2016 is off to a great and fast start!

A Sunday afternoon meditation at the Georgia Aquarium was crashed by these two!

An Ode to Yolanda

I'm not a car person per say. I can't tell you a whole lot about engines other than how they basically work. I will ogle over a Corvette but that's about it. I'm just not into cars. 

I was however in love with my first car, Yolanda, or as in love as you can be with an inanimate object.  I came home from a camp session the summer before my sophomore year to a pretty baby blue car.  She was a simple girl - no power locks, roll down windows, and no cruise control.  She had an upgraded sound system (thanks Mom and Dad!) and was easy to park. So essentially exactly what an almost 16 year old girl needed. 

Some of her favorite roads were U.S. 27 between home and Lincoln, U.S. 98 between the Southwood Publix and Saint George Island, I 10 between home and camp, and the back Georgia roads between Tally and Auburn.  She even enjoyed the ride between Auburn and Baton Rogue when the occasion was right.  As of late, she was becoming a fan of I 85 between Atlanta and Auburn. 

She always gently {and sometimes loudly} reminded me to wear my seatbelt.  Her favorite accessories were a warm fuzzy and leather name tag hanging from the rear view mirror, the Auburn alumna and Episcopal shield stickers on her back window, and the ever present car blanket in her trunk. 

She took us to too many volleyball tournaments, Happenings, and away football games to count. She got me safely to births, graduations, weddings, and funerals. In short, she was the best. 

A few weeks ago, a nice but at the same time very mean man hit her with his car. She protected me beautifully but was pretty beat up herself.  The insurance people called the result of the damage a total loss. I said my goodbyes and bawled to the poor kid at the wrecking yard. 

Almost 9 years, a whole lot of amazing road trips, and that one time we ran out of gas in front of the gas station made for a hard goodbye.  I'm excited for the grown up adventure of owning a car {well part owning it until I pay the bank off} but the new car is going to have a whole lot to live up to in the coming years. Here's to you Yolanda, the best dang car a girl could ever have. 

DISCLAIMER : I'm physically a-okay. The accident was the other driver's fault. 

Silly September

I went into the month of September thinking let me sleep when September ends, not so much wake me up when September ends.  Four straight weekends of football madness with the small things called work and laundry mixed in the other five days.  Prepping for four weekends of travelling and/or having people in town meant having enough frozen breakfasts ready to go and making sure I scheduled laundry time during the week.  I think I'm still in a daze from it but the best kind of daze [and not because of how well my team did in the first four weeks of the season].

Weekend One aka Labor Day

Mercifully, Auburn opened up the season with the Chick-fil-a Kickoff in the Georgia Dome which meant I got to sleep in my own bed this weekend.  The weekend kicked off with a trip to the Aquarium with two of my best friends.  I managed to go a long time without going but am obsessed now; definitely worth a trip if you haven't been!

Penguins!

Saturday was spent as it should be with corn hole, new and old friends, and Auburn giving us one too many heart attacks.  Games at the Dome are always fun but there's something off about not being on a college campus.  I much prefer grass lawns or at least walking by a library and thinking "thank goodness I'm not in there anymore" to a downtown parking lot.

A country apart but no issue picking back up!

The Labor Day holiday came at a perfect time as it gave me time to spend the day with my sister for her birthday.  She and her family just recently moved to a town about an hour from me so I try to take advantage of the proximity.  

Weekend Two aka Jumbotron Weekend

This weekend brought Auburn's home opener and unveiling of our new jumbotron.  The season ticket girls (two Atlanta friends and myself) headed over Friday night since the next day would be an early morning.  11 o'clock kickoff means mimosas should start by 8 so we threw together a make shift tailgate at a friend's before heading into the game.  Let me just say that walking in 15 to 30 minutes prior to kickoff and having a specific seat is the best thing since sliced bread.  I wouldn't trade my memories from student section for anything but once you start paying taxes and health insurance, a real seat is required on Saturdays.   

If you follow CFB at all, you know this was a ratchet game for the Tigers as we struggled against what should of been an easy team.  We pulled out a win in overtime but no one was quite sure if celebration or sighs of relief were more appropriate.  As always though, a win is a win and being back in Jordan-Hare is all we really wanted out of the weekend. 

Season Ticket Squad!

Weekend Three aka the One I Wait for All Year

Don't let anyone ever convince you that LSU fans are mean or that Baton Rogue is a gross place.  They know how to tailgate and hate Alabama just as much as I do so are good people in my book.  One of my best friend's from Auburn has family in Baton Rogue that we have gone and stayed with for every Auburn game played in Death Valley.  It's always a good time but this time meant seeing a beautiful baby and friends that live too far for regular visits.  

LSU and Auburn Thetas

The 8 of us live in 6 different cities!

We didn't pretend that we were 19 years old and had a relaxing Friday night catching up after some of us encountered crazy traffic jams and long work days.  Saturday morning was another early morning for me but I'll take early mornings because of football and gumbo over early mornings because of work any time.  The game was less than spectacular from Auburn's point of view and the hottest I've ever been on a fall Saturday.  Saturday evening brought another chill night of catching up and games.  Saying goodbye to the group wasn't too hard Sunday morning because I was seeing the majority the following weekend.

Weekend Four aka the One Where I Pretend I'm Back in School

So I didn't pretend to be 19 during weekend three but weekend four was full on throw back.  Most of my college family was in town and we made the most of it.  Lots of shenanigans, reminiscing, and creating of new memories filled the 48 hours.  It was another rough game for Auburn but I made it through the 2012 season so still deem this weekend a success.  We wrapped up our weekend with a Sunday food tour of Big Blue Bagel at 9 am and Pannie George's at 11 am.  It's funny how you can stretch your stomach when necessary.  The see you later's were hard this time because I don't get IRL time with a lot of the people until March.  As always, snapchats and phone calls will make it easier.

We're worse than herding cats.

So I made it through September in one piece and another year older.  It was a month filled with good people, bad football, and lots of naps on lunch breaks.  I live for the fall, not because of pumpkins or Halloween movies, but because football season is about more than wins : it's about people coming together and having a dang good time.  {That's not to say I'm not secretly still hoping every other team will take a dive bomb and Auburn will end up number 1}.      

The infamous "burnt orange" scarf.

The Summer without the Gulf

The last official weekend of summer is upon us.  For some it means one last beach trip or lake weekend, for me it means the beginning of the most magical time of the year.  College football.  Fear not though, this is not the post in which I gush about college football and all the wonderful aspects of it.  I'll save that for another day.  

However, as this Labor Day weekend approaches, it occurred to me that this summer was the first in my 23 years on this Earth my toes will not have touched the Gulf of Mexico.  Living in Atlanta is conducive to many outdoor adventures but the beach, specifically the glorious Gulf, is less attainable than I'd like. My short trips home this summer didn't allow time for a day trip down to St. George Island and the trip down to 30A is a long haul from here for a weekend.  

My soul yearns for water, so this has by no means be a water-less summer, just Gulf-less.  I am a creature of habit and don't like change but, as this pretend adulting business is full of change, I adapted and found other ways to satisfy my need for time on and around water.

Overlook at East Palisades!

The summer kicked off with a Memorial Day hike at the East Palisades Trail in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.  We followed the portion of the trail that hugs the river and takes you to a tall outlook point.  All manners of rafts and people were taking advantage of the river that day.

The next weekend was spent on the Atlantic, big and beautiful in its own right but nowhere near what the Gulf is for me.  Swimming in the Atlantic is always a tad more fun than the Gulf just because of the wave size. Really there's nothing to disparage about the Atlantic because it's still salty water and ocean breeze.

View from Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville

A mid-June trip up to Nashville let me spend time on the Cumberland River listening to country music and wishing we'd rented a pontoon to listen from.  I'm a fan of cities built on rivers, even though the rivers aren't always such fans.  Just seems to make it less industrial and steely and take you back to what life should be.

Only way to do Fourth of July!

Gold Branch along the Hooch

Mid summer saw many water bodies.  A trip home for Father's Day meant time on the Wacissa.  A quick trip to Lake Martin.  A family reunion on the West Coast meant lots of waterfalls and time in the Pacific.  Other weekends full of hikes at various trails along the Hooch.

Towards the end of July, I spent a weekend with my nephews who live west of Atlanta. We took advantage of the wonderful hospitality of old friends who live on Lake Carroll.  The Saturday was spent jumping off the dock, learning how to paddle board and paddle boat, and catching up.

My younger nephew is an expert paddle boat captain!

This last weekend of August I spent a glorious 24 hours at Lake Hartwell with a good friend.  Saturday we were on the boat and visiting friends.  I attempted skiing for the first time in years and definitely felt it Monday morning.  Sunday morning was a rainy day but the perfect rain for sitting under the covered dock with coffee and a book.

Summer 2015 may have been Gulf-less for me but I have learned and fully accepted that all water, not just the Gulf, has the same sacred effect of calming and restoring mind, body, and spirit.  So I suppose all there really is to say is "Go jump in a lake" or river or pool or ocean or sprinkler!

One Giant Trip : Part 3

I recently returned from a ten day and much needed vacation to California with Mom and Dad.  It was filled with giant views, a giant city, and my giant family.  I'll be chronicling the trip in three parts over the next few weeks.  

Day 8 : Cousins Galore

A drawn out breakfast with lots of coffee and chatting was a wonderful slow down from all the touristing.  Facebook allows us to keep up with the general goings on but you can't beat the face to face. Passing around the little ones is never a bad thing either.

Lady killer in the making!

I took a hike with my uncle, cousin, cousin's wife, and their little one.  By hike I mean a stroll along the rocky beaches that line the Pacific.  There was a great trail in place that was smooth enough for the walking stroller.  The great part about family reunions is the different combinations of people you spend time with throughout.  Catching up with a cousin who is in an older generation and just returned from living abroad was a treat.

Lunch was once again a drawn out meal {pretty normal for this side of my family} and no one was really in any hurry to be anywhere.  Until the kiddos were ready to move on, the adults (and pretend adults) were content.  The afternoon was filled with Skip Bo, a new game for me, and puzzles.  Puzzles are such a wonderful thing to gather around because they require just enough concentration that small talk falls by the wayside.  I am of the opinion that some of the best conversations come out of the craziest puzzles.

Gotta love a place cool enough for summer bonfires.

Dinner was followed by s'mores, wine, and fun on the hammock and beach volleyball court.    

Day 9 : Seals and Matching Shirts

The second full reunion day everyone headed in different directions are breakfast.  Some headed into town to the aquarium, others to the pool, and others down to Pebble Beach.  I spent the morning attempting to swim in the Pacific.  Let me tell you - it's cold.  I specifically packed a one piece bathing suit and was still frigid.  My cousin and I couldn't convince any of the under 6 age group to try past their tippy toes but some of the over 50 had already taken the plunge.

Mr. Seal! (He's the black bump in the middle of the photo.)

After lunch, three of us headed to kayak Monterey Bay.  We rented kayaks from Adventures by the Sea and had a beautiful ride.  The giant kelp forests were crazy cool but we wanted to get past them because paddling in them was tough.  Apparently, they don't like that.  The wonderfully nice owner of Adventures by the Sea came out and told us it was much easier to paddle on the shore side of the kelp forest.  I'm very glad he told us because when we were headed back we ended up within about 15 feet of seals.  One very happy Florida girl!

7 of the 14 Granny V grandkids.

Slurpees {because National 7/11 Day, duh} and we made it back just in time for family photos.  Thanks to two very efficient cousins with beautiful photography skills, we got all the necessary combinations of family done pretty quickly.  Four generations were represented at this reunion!  The evening was wrapped up with the younger generation finishing off the beer and wine.  

Day 10 : The Last Hurrah

Breakfast was followed by the first round of goodbyes as many people started their treks back home or on the way to the next stop of vacation.  Gathering and packing into my cousin's car (the one who lives in the Bay Area) before three of us headed back to the City.  We wound up a mountain to a fantastic bar for a beer before dropping one cousin off at the airport.  A quick sushi dinner before I headed to the airport rounded out a fantastic trip out to the west coast.  I know I'll be back soon!