I'm combining the last few months into one super long post so I can catch up to were I am now.
-Florida
In July I flew home to visit Mom and Dad. I decided I needed a little vacation before starting my Pediatric staff relief. I got my teeth cleaned, went to the beach, went to the movies, went to the farmers market, went to dog obedience class and ate at all of my favorite places. I had a great time and was sad to leave.
-Goodbye Michael
In early August I had to say goodbye to Michael before he left Michigan/Ohio for law school at BYU. We had a nice last weekend together eating at the French Laundry and hanging out.
-Surf Trip
Michael went on a surf trip to Nicaragua right before starting law school. He decided he needed a little vacation before hitting the books. He met up with Sean, Jason Gruber, Robby Tuttle, and Mark Vorwaller for an epic week of surfing. I was so jealous I couldn't go.
-Traverse City
For Labor day weekend Anna and I drove up north to Traverse City. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was up there. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see the gorgeous side of Michigan before leaving. (It's not all abandoned crack houses like Flint would lead you to believe) We went to the beach (people in Michigan call the shore of lakes, the "beach"), did some shopping, and ate at some fun places. Monday we went out on a catamaran for couple hours and soaked up some sun on the clear blue water.
The captain even let me drive for a little while.
The "beach" was really pretty, but it still doesn't beat the ocean.
My birthday happened to fall on graduation week. Lucky for me, my wonderful Mom was able to fly in early enough that we could spend my birthday together. We drove down to Ann Arbor, after I got off work, to do some shopping and eat at my favorite deli Zingerman's. Then we drove the rest of the way to Cleveland to spend some time with Chris and Shaefer. The boys were so sweet, they had a birthday cake and candles waiting for me when we got there.
-Amish and County Fair
We decided to take the boys to Millersburg to see some of the Amish country. We started out at Heini's Cheese Chalet. Where they make the most delicious cheese. You can sample over 70 different kinds of cheese... Mmm... After that we took a tour of Yoder's working amish farm. We even went on a horse and buggy ride.
After hanging out in Amish country we went to a local County Fair. This was my first time at a County Fair and I LOVED it. There are animals everywhere! And you can pet pretty much all of them (except the chickens). I was going crazy over the mini horses and bunnies.
Mom loved talking to this kid who had won tons of prizes for his chickens.
Then we enjoyed some of the delicious fair food. Our favorite was the fresh fried potato chips. Best served with some vinegar sprayed on right after being fried. Mmm...
-Graduating
Refer to previous post!
-Detroit
After graduation we had one day to do some fun Michigan activities before Dad had to fly back home and Mom and I hit the road. So what could possibly be more Michigany then doing the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. They had two different videos to watch, one about the history of the Ford company and the other about the whole process of creating a vehicle from conception to production. It really was amazing.
Dad's car in high school. He was pretty cool...
Then we got to see Ford F150's (2013) being made right on the assembly line! It was so neat.
And of course I took Mom and Dad to Slow's BBQ in Detroit. So good!
-Driving
So then it was finally time to hit the road! Mom and I decided to take our time and only drive about 8-10 hours a day.
-St. Louis
Our first stop was in St.Louis to see Annalise!!! I was so excited to see her. The last time we were together was for one day during Spring Break. It had been WAY too long.
Right before I left on my trip I found out my good friend Jessica Hutchinson (from freshmen year at BYUH) had just recently moved to St. Louis! So she came to meet us as the famous Ted Drewes frozen custard to catch up. I was so happy I was able to see her on my drive!
Annalise knows the ladies who own this delicious shop Pie Oh My! We tried the pecan pie, lemon meringue, and the coconut cream pie. They were all amazing!
Then we stopped by Penzey's Spice shop. This place is incredible! It has high quality spices from all over the world! I think I'm most excited to use my Indonesian cinnamon.
We also stopped by an olive oil and balsamic shop. I got raspberry balsamic with hazelnut oil. Mmm!
Later in the day we went to the Missouri botanical gardens. It was beautiful! The Japanese garden was my favorite.
Don't those gourds look so cool hanging from up there?
-Kansas
We stopped in Kansas first to meet Cheryl (my Mom's best friend) for lunch. We went to this quaint little tea room for lunch. The food was delicious!
Then we drove the rest of the way to Manhattan to stay the night with my in-laws. The first thing we did when we got to Manhattan was go to Yoga with Leslie and Mischa (Michael's sister). It was the most welcomed part of the drive. We were so stiff from the long hours in the car, and Yoga was exactly what we needed to stretch out. I love visiting my in-laws and wish we could have stayed longer.-Denver
In Denver we stopped at Amy and Robby Tuttle's house for the night. As it happened, Amy and Robby were out of the country and Nancy and Karl were babysitting. We had a blast hanging out with the Grubers for the night.
-Provo
Finally after another 8 hours of driving we arrived on Friday in Provo. I'm so glad to finally be with my hubby again. Living by yourself is the WORST. It's lonely. So happy to be together. Phew! I'm finally caught up.
