I just wrapped up an extended weekend trip back home in southeast Michigan.
I always love having an excuse to visit Michigan, and considering the last excuse was a funeral, my cousin’s baby shower was a much-welcome reason to visit my hometown.
My sister Kelly (and her pup Duchess) picked me up at the Detroit airport at about 7 a.m. last Thursday.
Because I’d gone straight from a fire assignment to the airport for my midnight flight (and I absolutely cannot sleep on planes), I immediately got to her apartment in Ypsilanti and took a four-hour nap.
Then she drove me out to our dad’s house in Clinton so we could say hi and I could pick up my old Ford Focus to borrow for the long weekend.
She left, and then I spent a bit longer with my dad before I hopped into the car and drove out to Tecumseh to meet up with my mom.
She greeted me with a big loaf of schiacciata bread, which was incredible.
The two of us took advantage of the beautiful weather and went kayaking on the River Raisin for a few hours.
I love how much water exists back home (vs., yunno, having to drive 90 minutes to find a body of water here in Arizona) and it’s nice that Tecumseh Paddling Company offers kayak rentals, and is only a few minutes from my mom’s apartment.
My mom loves this little 2.5-mile loop, but it involves two portages so she always gets excited when I visit home since she needs help with carrying her kayak for those.
Because it was a weekday, we had almost the entire river to ourselves, which was nice.
Afterward, we went to Pita Delight in downtown Tecumseh for dinner.
Then I made my way back to my sister’s place. The trip was kind of poor timing in that she already had Friday and Saturday plans in Grand Rapids, but it worked out in that I was able to dogsit for her while she was gone.
And who doesn’t want to dogsit this face?!
I spent my evening reading my Kindle on my sister’s balcony, which is seriously one of my favorite things to do. Everything is so green, and you can hear the crickets and birds, and because her complex is so old, it’s filled with these massive mature maple trees that shade her balcony and rustle in the wind.
I was up the next day to head out to Adrian to meet up with my high school best friend Kim, to see her new house out in Adrian.
She gave me a tour of her new home and introduced me to her ducks and chickens!
Afterward we drove into Tecumseh to get Basil Boys for lunch.
Kim’s oldest daughter Hayley, who is now SIXTEEN YEARS OLD (time does not make sense) has a boyfriend, and her driver’s license, and a car… and a new part time job at Basil Boys. So, she decided to join us. I don’t think I’ve bad a long conversation with Hayley in years, so it was so cool to hear all about her life, and what future careers she’s considering, and her friends.
Once Hayley started her shift, Kim and I went to pick up her youngest daughter, Regan, from day care, and then took her to get ice cream at Twin Pines.
Then I spent a bit of time back at Kim’s house with her husband and one of his friends, and then headed back to my sister’s house for the evening.
Saturday I woke up and headed into downtown Ann Arbor to meet up with my college friend Jackie for the day.
Ann Arbor is a city near and dear to my heart. I spent my college summers working both downtown on Main Street (RIP Mongolian Grill!) and at the Briarwood Mall.
I (obviously) haven’t spent a ton of time in Ann Arbor over the past few years since I moved across the country, but I always find myself absolutely shocked every time I return at how completely different the city is each time I come back to visit.
I drove in from Ann Arbor-Saline Road to Main Street, and after I passed Michigan Stadium I genuinely thought I was lost for a second because I was surrounded by new high rises, and everything was so different than it was the last time I was in town.
Time really is a bitch.
The two of us met for lunch at First Bite.
Jackie was the editor of my college newspaper at Central, and (because she’s not a sellout like me) she recently took a new job working for the Ann Arbor News. She gave me a tour of her new office, which was cool to see.
Then the two of us wandered around for a bit checking out shops and stores. I stopped at Literati to buy a baby book for the baby shower, and we explored a few other places, including the Crazy Wisdom bookstore and the Himalayan Bazaar.
Finally, the two of us settled in at Conor O’Neill’s to wait out a thunderstorm while grabbing a drink and watching some pre-season Lions football.
After a few hours, Jackie and I parted ways, and I went back to my sister’s place to meet up with my mom so we could head out to Troy to see my brother David.
We picked him up at his apartment, then the three of us made the short drive to Clawson and to Grand River Brewery for a few drinks.
After drinks, we hopped across the street to Noori Pocha, one of David’s favorite restaurants, for dinner.
I had corn cheese and silken tofu soup, which were both absolutely phenomenal.
Then we called it a night. My mom and I dropped David off at his apartment, then went back to Ypsilanti.
Finally, Sunday was my last full day in Michigan — and the whole reason I flew back home. My cousin Lexy’s baby shower!
My sister and I drove out to Plymouth for the party, which was held at the Phoenix Mill event center.
My sister’s friend Kayla met us there, and I was able to catch up with my cousin for a bit, as well as her mom (my Aunt Kim) and my step-cousins from Indiana.
I barely took any photos, but I did at least get a picture with the mom-to-be.
Afterward, my sister and I drove back to Ypsilanti. We stopped at Corner Brewery for a bit, and then I dropped her off at her car so she could escort me back to my dad’s place to drop off the Focus.
I stopped by Hometown Pizza on the way to his house to pick up breadsticks and a cheese pizza.
That was it! We said goodbye to my dad, headed back to Ypsilanti, and then went to sleep so I could catch my 7 a.m. flight back to Phoenix the next day.
The whole extended weekend went by way too fast, as they always do.
