Mackinac Island

I come home from work one night to find my family planning a family vacation. Curious and excited, I ask where we are going, everyone looks at me and says, "we?". In addition, when I said that I would much rather go on vacation than work my brother and sister both complained that now they wouldn't both be able to bring a friend. RUDE. Anyway, it worked out that we were all able to bring a friend/boyfriend on our family vacation which turned out to be really fun. Attendees: Mom, Dad, Julia, Jake, Anna, Matt, Stephen, and Morgan. After all the kids with jobs finished work on Friday, we started our journey to Mackinac Island. My Mom, Matt and I in one car and my Dad, Jake, Anna and Morgan in another car (Steven met us up there). My Mom and I enjoyed a nice conversation on the way up while Matt snacked on Pringles (earning the name "Pringle Monster") and slept the whole way. After we checked in at the hotel we all went to dinner at Nonna Lisa's which had stuffed animals lining all the walls. The restaurant reminded me of the scene from Ace Vantura Pet Detective with all the stuffed animals in the room.

All of us: Dad, Anna, Morgan, Me, Matt, Mom, Jake and Stephen

Anticipating the Starline Ferry 

Excited about our front row seats at the wedding!!

Two random peoples' wedding

Mackinac Bridge

Ring bearer/Son

Bride and Groom

Saturday morning we woke up bright an early to make it on the the Starline ship that goes under the Mackinac Bridge before heading to Mackinac Island. The early trip over was definitely worth it, not only because we were able to go under the bridge, but also because as we went under the bridge we witnessed two people promise the rest of their lives to each other! The wedding was so spontaneous and awesome!

Morgan and Anna 

Me and Matt, Mackinac Bridge in the background

"Look at the gun I found!"

Dad and his rock pile

We arrived on the island and walked straight to the bike shop to rent four tandem bikes for the eight of us! We were right on the main road in the city which made it quite difficult to start riding a tandem bike for the first time, but Matt and I did really well (mostly Matt). Our family biked around the island stopping to play in the water, make rock pile, take in the beautiful views and climb arch rock, oh, and to make sure Anna and Morgan didn't get too far behind. Everyone was giddy with excitement from riding the tandem bikes.

Me and my Mom

Arch rock

My favorite view of the day was from the top of arch rock (named after the Archambault Family according to Matt). The lake looked so clear and it was awesome to look through the hole at kayakers and bikers. In the water there was a note that was written in rocks which was viewable when looking through arch rock, I thought that was pretty creative. Arch rock was nearing the end of our eight mile trip around the island, but Matt and I just weren't ready to give up the tandem bikes. We decided to take it for another spin around the island. We stopped at the rock formation "Devil's Kitchen" which was created from water erosion and biked across the center of the island, uphill the whole way, to pass some hiking trails, grave yards and skull cave. Finally we reached the city again, this time exhausted and ready to turn in the bike (did I mention we biked uphill the whole way?). It was so nice to spent quality time together just enjoying nature and each other's company. We met up with my Mom and walked around the shops on Mackinac Island, and of course, we bought some taffy, fudge, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Sassy Anna

We need this at HWAC.

Dad trying to hug us without a shirt.

Awesome side!

The last day we went to the much anticipated water park, Thunder Falls. The park had eight water slides, dip'n'dots, a wave pool, lazy river and a cool play structure. You would think that after three+ years of working at a pool that a water park might not be entertaining anymore, but that is so far from true. Waterparks are one of my favorite places to go, there is always something fun to do! The slides with the tubes were my favorite, but it was also fun to test my courage and slide down the two story tall slide that was basically at a forty-five degree angle. It took a lot of convincing, but my Dad, Anna, Morgan, Jake and Stephen all did it too. After a couple hours we packed up and headed home, making a quick detour around the campus of Saginaw Valley for Jake to check it out. 

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Cookies in the shape of an American flag

My Mom and I with our watermelon!

My Fourth of July started off with the annual Huntington Woods parade where I joined the HWAC lifeguards in our float. We did practice saves as we walked through the parade and showed off our bay watch runs. After the parade I went straight to work at the pool to prepare for a busy and hot Fourth of July. Finally I got off of work and went home to help my Mom decorate these cut out cookies and make our watermelon "pumpkin" with 'USA' carved into it. We thought we were so clever. After that Matt and I went to the Clawson fireworks with our friends Glynis and Zack. We went to those fireworks last year and were really impressed, but this year they were kind of lame and about a quarter of the time last years were. The company made all the difference though and we still had a great time with everyone.

California!

After several hours spent at an airport and in a plane Kasey and I finally reached sunny California and met up with Jenna in her cool Jeep! It was so good to see Jenna again and even better news she told us that she decided to come back to University of Detroit Mercy next year! That night after we unpacked out suitcases, we went out to a pizza joint for dinner and then went back to her house and slept because we were pooped!

Music shop in Berkeley

Jenna and I against a Berkeley mural 

"I poop in the ladies room" 

UC Berkeley

All gussied up

Dinner and entertainment at Teatro Zinzanni

The three of us went to downtown Berkeley to walk around and look through shops. Being from Berkley (which was named after Berkeley California but spelt incorrectly) it was fun to see how much the two cities differed. On our way to Berkeley we drove under a mountain which was absolutely crazy! It is so interesting to drive through all the mountains when I am so used to flat land. Driving was never boring because the view is always pretty (especially at night). Jenna always made fun of Kasey and I because we were always so excited about the view. We went to Zebra Tattoo and Body Piercing and Kasey got her conch pierced! After walking around some more and taking pictures at the murals (at Kasey's request of course) we went to lunch at Smart Alex's where I had a delicious avocado and tofu sandwich. We then walked around UC Berkeley which resembled University of Detroit Mercy's campus with the terra-cotta roofs and clock tower. That night, Mr and Mrs Alberts took Me, Jenna and Kasey out to dinner to Teatro Zinzanni on the waterfront in San Fransisco! Teatro Zinzanni is a five course dinner with entertainment between each course. The performances we jaw-dropping, I was literally stunned the entire time. My favorite acts were  Vita Radionova's hola-hoop/dance act, Ling Rui's aerial straps act, Les Petits Freres "floating act"and Ann Bernard's yo-yo act. It was truly a night to remember!

laxin'

Santa Cruz Board walk

Jenna, Tara, Me and Kasey

We all wanted to meet up with our friend Tara who lives in San Jose and also goes to our school so we decided to go to Santa Cruz for a day at the beach! The water was freezing, but the sun warmed us up while we laid on the sand. I was the only one who decided to wear sunscreen and to everyone's surprise the only one who didn't look like a lobster when we returned home. We had lunch on the board walk which was neat, I had never heard of an amusement park on a beach before! We just spent the day chilling in the sun and relaxing. Tara and Jenna tried to teach Me and Kasey how to play some lacrosse, but that didn't turn out too well. 

Jenna's very best friend Alex Weiner went with us to the club in San Fransisco, going to the club with a guy always makes me feel more secure than going with just women. There can be some real creepers on the dance floor sometimes. We drove all the way to San Fran to meet up with Jenna's friend, whose friend was going to get us into the place for free (awesome, right?), well of course she told us to show up around 10:30 (which we did) but didn't show up herself until 11:30. We thought we were going to be the cool group who just strolled up and walked in for free, instead we waited outside for an hour and then walked in for free. Still cool, I won't complain. The dancing was fun as it usually is with pro dancers Kasey and Jenna, and we also enjoyed a live performance from a San Fran group that only had one lyric under the lines of "Beat the pussy up". Brilliant. Overall we had a great night full of even better memories. 

Whale skeleton

Huge fish! 

San Fransisco aquarium

Green roof

Trolly 

Knife photo bomb 

I was once told to go to the California Academy of Science because it was incredible, so I of course added it to The List. Here I am, about three years later, and I have finally been able to cross "go to San Francisco Aquarium" off my list. Fortunately, I was told to go there with good intentions because I felt like a kid in a candy store. We walked around the museum and saw all the stuffed animals (including giraffes, my favorite!) and walk through the rainforest of the world which was climate controlled in a huge glass dome. The California Academy of Sciences were centered around eco-friendly and healthy living, promoting recycling and efficient living through the living roof and the carbon cafe. The best part about the entire museum was the aquarium!! I could have just stayed and watched the fish all day long, I loved looking at the jelly fish which are way cool and there was a station where you could touch sea urchins and star fish. Surprisingly, star fish are kind of fuzzy (they feel kind of like wet moss). We were also able to watch the last planetarium show, which was really neat and informative. Being in the big dome and watching the screen was nauseating, but the awesome graphics of the world and the knowledge was definitely worth the headache. I could have stayed there all day, but Jenna, Kasey and Tara were about ready to go shopping in the city. We went shopping at Urban Outfitters and Forever 21, per Kasey's request, and I actually found a cute skirt and romper. Then we walked around the city going to the shops on the street and watching the trolly.

Mango frozen yogurt and raspberries 

Pomegranate frozen yogurt with mango jellies

We spent a couple of our days just laying out and playing with the Alberts' dog Rio. After we became acquainted, I really enjoyed playing fetch with Rio. One of our (my) favorite things to do in California was to go to frozen yogurt shops. We went to a couple different ones in Jenna's neighborhood and I was definitely inspired to maybe one day open my own frozen yogurt shop when I'm older. A new addition to The List! Our last day in California, Mrs. Alberts took me, Jenna and Kasey to the Blue Man Group. The show was unlike anything I had ever seen. I really enjoyed it, especially since I had no idea what the Blue Man Group was about before going.

An out of order escalator, also known as stairs.

Visiting Jenna in California was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it. It was all fun and games, that is until Jenna dropped Kasey and I at the airport. Our flight home was cancelled because of the tornados in the midwest and a large hail storm that damaged a bunch of planes, so we scrambled to find another plane ride home. We waited for several hours to see if there were two seats available on a plane in the direction of home. The whole time we were told that Kasey and I were first priority and that another person was also waiting for a seat on that plane too. We were told that two seats were available, but at the same time I struck up a conversation with a soldier. I suddenly felt worried that maybe he was the person who was waiting to go on the plane behind Kasey and I, and asked him if he was waiting to get a seat. He said he was and I immediately turned to Kasey and said that we were staying in the airport of the night or getting another plane because this soldier needed deserved the seat. She readily agreed, we are just two young adults, we didn't have anything pressing to return to at home. Without hesitations, it felt like the right thing to do at the moment, looking back I am really proud of my decision. The man was super appreciative toward us and told us that he was going home to his family who had gotten hit by the tornados. No matter how awful our day turned out, Kasey and I were humbled that we would eventually be going home to our home and family all there. After being bused between San Hose airport, San Francisco airport, and Oakland airport, we finally found a flight home... at 5am the next morning. Kasey and I debated where we should stay for the night: the terminal or a hotel. I was all for chillin the the terminal to avoid paying to sleep in a bed, but when Kasey's mom offered to pay because she felt so bad for us, I had no problem going along. We basically just slept and ate dinner at the restaurant right next door, and I enjoyed a long walk along the boardwalk. We looked so gross that at the restaurant we were seated in the back corner away from all the windows. I woke up throughout the night every 15 minutes because I was so worried we would miss our flight. Luckily, we got there bright and early and made it home by the afternoon! Our troubles weren't over yet though! Kasey's bag was lost and we had to travel to all the baggage claim areas throughout the airport to find it. Even though the end of our trip was bumpy, Kasey and I still managed to have a great time and that's what really matters! I can't wait until Jenna, Kasey and I are reunited at school once again!