Welcome to Wixom

Summer is officially here.  It is hot and I had my first vacation!

This was not just any vacation, it was essentially a vacation on my own.  I went to visit a friend from college in Wixom, Michigan.  For those of you that follow this blog you might think, hmmm...she went there once.  Correct, after taking the tip in April with an old college roommie it was decided, I had to go back.  The only solid plans we had for the week were, leave Iowa City on Monay, Twins vs. Tigers game on Tuesday, and a shopping trip to IKEA.  I got soooo much more!

Sunday- Start out to Iowa City to spend the night with an old roommate in order to not have Monday's trip feel like...a 12 hour drive, which is what it is from my home.  We treated ourselves to Olive Garden (Yum!).  We finished the night off with going through her finger nail polish collection to see what to throw and what to keep.  This process is made so much easier with the help of a friend.  Two opinions and you still have ten nails to pint without the hassle of using the non dominate hand to paint with. :)

Monday- Long drive.  No gps was used in the navigation of this trip and...only one wrong turn.  Funny enough it was the same wrong turn we made heading out on the last trip that we got made fun of soooo much by someone.  Now, he made the same wrong turn....HA! 

Tuesday was a really hot, hot, hot day.  I managed to go for a run everyday while on this vacation but thought I would die from heat and lack of hydration.  No worries though after a run and some grocery shopping it was off to Detroit to see my Twins be down, then up, but ultimately, down.  However, people were still very kind to the kid in the Twins shirt. :) Despite the fact that we lost the ice cold beer and delicious hot dog while baking in our seats made for a pretty awesome night.  Speaking of seats, did I mention we had legit seats.  First baseline, third row.  No clue how the kid scored them but they were AMAZING!!!



There was no zoom needed for this shot.




"After the next inning we are going to need to take a baseball picture." "What's a baseball picture?"  "You, me, and the field in the background" "No one will take our picture with you wearing that shirt."...Wrong!





A little pregame warm-up! Once again, no zoom people!




Play Ball!

 Wednesday was when this trip started to get really good.  The main attraction, Twins game, was over.  Now it was time to enjoy "Pure Michigan" as the sign says when you cross the state line, and I did just that.  Another grueling run in the morning followed by an afternoon at the pool, followed by making guinea grinders with a fresh fruit salad for supper while watching some pretty good movies. 
Movie Review #1- 127 hours- *** (three stars) Interesting, gross, and at times very slow paced.  Never want to see it again but glad I saw it once. 
Movie Review #2- No Strings Attached-***** (Yes, five stars!)  It was very funny and very cute.  Would defiantly watch it again, and maybe again after that. 

Thursday- Run/ walk (mainly walk) on a bike path that I found and on a nature trail thing. 

A nice path on the outer edge of Wixom.  "Pure Michigan"

Both made me fall in love with Michigan a bit more.  Following that I became very brave and ventured out to Novi.  I was mainly looking for a hydration belt for my half marathon.  This made me find- Gander Mt. Dicks, and then.....TWELVE OAKS MALL!!!!   **It was at this point when I decided I needed to stay an extra day.  After only dabbling in the mall- seriously one store JCP.  I went back to Wixom to take in the Farmer's Market.  Nothing too spectacular but I did manage to snag a bag of kettle corn popcorn and see this beautiful sight ( a pond area outside the library and community center).

Beautiful view + Amazing weather + Not a care in the world = Perfect

 Note the second time I feel in love with the beauty of Michigan.  This was followed up with a shopping trip to Canton for IKEA.  (no we did not go to South Dakota :)) This is when it was brought to my friends attention that I am indeed a trucker's daughter.  I had been to this mega store once and already could tell you how to get around, pretty much from any corner of this two floor super center.  After sprinting around getting everything on my list (two items) and a friends list (a lot more items ahem!) we closed down IKEA at 9:00 and made it back to rent another movie.
Movie Review #3- Black Swan- **** (only four stars) CRAZY movie.  Good but not sure I would want to see it again. 

Friday I skipped the workout because I knew my second trip to TWELVE OAKS MALL  was going to be a good enough workout.  Sure enough!  I covered that mall from top to  bottom, end to end...a few times.  A few highlights on why this mall is so great, the biggest Forever 21 I have ever seen, not one but two Sunglasses Hut, Coach store, and many many more.  My day was hitting a brick wall when I walked past a Starbucks and managed to snag a Skinny Vanilla Latte (no workout= Skinny Latte...no cool whip)  With a bit more energy I hit up the last few stores and made my final stop.  Which was one to remember!  Fresh Baked, a fresh baked cupcake store with AMAZING cupcakes.  I love small town bakery's but this one had everyone of them beat...even Jaarsma's.  The toughest decision of the day was what to get.  I settled on a Grumpy Cake- Not so grumpy after that! A chocolate cupcake mix filled with buttercream inside, topped with buttercream and then dipped in some kind of melty ooy gooey chocolate.  And a Samoa Cupcake- yes just like the Girl Scout cookie, for him. 

The amazing part is that these babies made it back to the apartment without being devoured!  It's a good thing it's only a 12-15 min. drive.

Do you see the resemblance?

This tasty treat was followed by the last night in Michigan meal.  A few drinks and...Cajun Macaroni and Cheese...oh it was the perfect end to a perfect week. 

Now that is what I call a great vacation.  A few solid plans with a lot of wiggle room.  Some great company and some much needed R&R by myself.  I couldn't have imagined a better way to start off my summer. 

Now this wasn't just a great trip I learned several thing. 
#1 Do not drive in the fast lane if you don't know what the speed limit is so you decide to just do 65.  People will pass you, honk and glare.
#2  A trip across state lines is possible to do without a gps.  Both to and from.
#3 Gas prices have no rhyme or reason.  $4.03 Michigan, $4.19 Illinois, $3.69 Iowa.  Thank you Iowa!
#4 I am able to survive without having a bell schedule.
#5 God's beauty is everywhere, everyday.  To walk around with your head in the clouds looking at all the wonders of the world is ok and should be done more often.  I want to be on fire to light the rest of the world on fire. 

"If you are on fire, people will want to come and watch."- How do people see you?  Do people want to see you?

A huge thanks to my host.  None of this would have been possible without your kind hospitality!  Now back to reality! :)