What a week!
I got back from a quick four-day trip to Michigan that I booked last-minute and kind of spontaneously for an unexpected family thing.
It was kind of nice in a way. During my last trip home to Michigan, I booked it faarrr in advance, and let everyone know about my travel plans, which means I spent way too long trying to cram in visits with friends I haven’t seen in forever.
Booking so last-minute this time around meant I had a lot of unstructured free time, and a lot of time to spend with family, which was something I didn’t realize I needed until I had it.
I flew into Detroit Tuesday night, where my mom picked me up from the airport before the two of us went to dinner at Coney Island (Leo’s), grabbed some groceries at Meijer and then went to my sister Kelly’s apartment in Ypsilanti where I got to see my sister’s dog Duchess!
I took her to the dog park, and then spent the night reading on my sister’s balcony until she got home from work, and then we both went to sleep.
The next morning, I went for a quick run at a park near her apartment complex. I got back into running during COVID, and I became pretty familiar with all of the trails located close to my sister’s apartment, so it was pretty cool to run in those parks again for the first time in a few years.
I also totally forgot that I live at 7,000 feet now… so I accidentally shattered every single PR I’ve ever set while running, which was actually really cool.
After my run, my brother David came over to pick both me and my sister up. The three of us went to grab brunch at Zola Bistro in Ann Arbor, where my brother’s friend Matt met up with us.
After brunch, David, Kelly and I drove a little north of Lansing to visit my aunt and uncle for the day, which was really nice, because I hadn’t seen them in years!
We left after several hours, and the three of us met our mom at Slurping Turtle in Ann Arbor for ramen.
After dinner, my mom dropped me off at my dad’s house in Clinton, the village I grew up in, for the night.
I woke up Thursday morning and drove back to my sister’s apartment. I took Dutch for a walk along Ford Lake, and then the two of us decided to head into Detroit and buy last-minute box office tickets for the Tigers game that afternoon.
I was hoping to see Miguel Cabrera play one last time, but I had to settle for watching Shohei Ohtani pitch against Detroit, which wasn’t the worst trade-off.
It was also a gorgeous day to sit outside with some Oberon and accidentally get a little bit sunburned.
After the game, Kelly and I went to grab cocktails. I had a paloma-style drink at Lumen, and then a cucumber and pepper cocktail on the rooftop at Monarch Club, which gave us a really pretty view of Detroit.
After cocktails, we met up with David and our cousin Lexy for dinner at Harbor House.
After dinner, we drove back to Ypsilanti and then I drove back to my dad’s house in Clinton for another night with him.
I woke up early Friday with plans to go kayaking in Tecumseh with my mom, but the rain delayed those plans for a few hours. However, we did make them happen! I met my mom at the Tecumseh Paddling Company at noon to kayak the River Raisin loop, which is something I did a few times during COVID summer.
We did the loop in about an hour, which is a little faster than we did it the last time I was in Tecumseh.
I do a lot of paddle boarding in Arizona because we have a few lakes and reservoirs, but I totally forgot what it’s like to paddle in moving water since it’s been a while!
At one point, my kayak hit a branch a few inches below the water surface that I didn’t see since the water was kind of murky. I went spinning into the river bank, and several spiders fell out of the branches and into my kayak. I came very close to flipping my kayak, which my mom found hilarious.
After our river trip, my mom and I went for a walk around the Tecumseh trail system for a few miles, and then I went back to my dad’s house to shower, pack up and get on the road.
I drove out to Ann Arbor where I met my friend Daighna, who I used to work with at Mongolian Grill, for dinner at TAQ.
Then, I drove over to Mothfire Brewing Co. to meet up with a few friends.
I got to hang out with my college roommate Kendall, who’s wedding I went to last time I visited Michigan, and I got to meet her new girlfriend Raychal!
I also got to hang out with my college newspaper friend Brian, along with his wife Heather.
Afterward, I went back to my sister’s apartment in Ypsilanti for the night.
Saturday was my last full day in Michigan, and I didn’t have too many plans. I went for a run, then my sister and I went over to Maíz in downtown Ypsi to meet our Aunt Terri for lunch.
After lunch, my sister and I drove out to my dad’s house so I could drop off the car I’d been borrowing and say goodbye to my dad.
My sister dropped me off at her apartment while she left for work, and then my mom came over to visit with me and Dutch. We took Dutch to the dog park for a bit, then grabbed dinner at the food truck parked at my sister’s complex before my mom said goodbye and left.
I spent the rest of the night reading on my sister’s balcony until she got home from work, then we both went to sleep.
And, that was it! I was up at 5 a.m. the next morning for my flight back to Phoenix, where Ryan picked me up and shuttled me back up to Flagstaff.
It was such a good four days, despite the humidity. I just wish it could have been longer! Living away from family is hard, and I was definitely well overdue for a visit back home to Michigan.
