Climbing in Kalamazoo

Ever since our wedding weekend our nephew Asher has been asking to go climbing again. Sadly it took us til this July (almost three years later) to finally get them out again. But given that we got to take my brother's kids out climbing a few times while we were in Nebraska, we really wanted to make it a priority to at least take out my sister's two oldest kids, Charissa and Asher, during our time back in Michigan in July. 

So a couple of weeks ago we made it happen. We first drove to Battle Creek and met the whole crew at the mall so that Tanya could pick up some pictures from a JC Penney. Oddly enough though something had happened to the power in that area, so her efforts for getting those conveniently were thwarted. But it didn't affect our climbing plans at all thankfully. We then loaded Charissa and Asher up in our car and made our way to Kalamazoo.

It took a little bit to get to the gym. We had to first find some lunch, which was more difficult than expected since the power was out in the whole area where we picked them up. Eventually though we found a McDonald's, and the kids were happy. It also took a bit because we had never gone to downtown Kalamazoo on a weekday afternoon before, and Katie and I don't like to pay much for parking. So we had to seek out the cheapest metered parking (a quarter an hour). We eventually found said spots and will now take note of it for future uses.

Charissa and Asher both did awesome climbing. Charissa was especially impressive on top rope given how well she made use of her extra length and good balance. Asher excelled at bouldering, climbing up and over walls 3 times his height. It was very fun to watch!

Asher and Charissa learning to boulder with Katie's help

Asher and Charissa especially liked the cave bouldering area

Charissa working her way up a corner route

Asher atop the slab wall

Asher was the first to brave "topping out" where the goal is to climb up and over the boulder wall without a rope 

Charissa had to prove she could top-out as well

Charissa projecting a harder route. She had to take several breaks, but she stuck with it and eventually made it to the top!

Asher trying out the auto-belay system

After climbing we drove the kids back to Hillsdale with a quick stop again in Battle Creek for Culver's ice cream and to pick up the pictures for Tanya. The mall's power had finally been restored. We stuck around in Hillsdale for dinner and had a small celebration of birthdays. Tanya and Steve had gotten Katie and I some wool socks. And Katie and I had a few birthdays of our nephews that we had missed. So there was gift/card exchanges happening all around. It was a good way to end a fun day. I hope we can do a better job in the coming year of getting the Briixs' out climbing again, or at least get Charissa and Asher out again since they did so well.

Our Friends From Honduras

One of the perks of summer is that we usually get a chance to hangout with our good friends Jake and Rachel. They live in Honduras and work at a school out there, so it is always a special treat when we get to see them. I was a little worried that our time back in Michigan wouldn't overlap with theirs, but things timed out perfectly.

We got to hangout with them twice over the first couple of weeks of July. The first time we met them at one our favorite Grand Rapids sandwich spots, Two Beards, and then made our way out to Tunnel Park in Holland to spend the afternoon at the beach. The second time we met up at a park in Hudsonville to play a little disc golf and get ice cream. It was wonderful!

The four of us atop the dune at Tunnel Park in Holland, MI

I can't say enough good things about these two awesome people. The work they do is super cool. They are easy to talk to and insightful. Our time with them is always too short, but I suppose that means that we always look forward to the next time we get to see them again.

If you are interested in learning more about what they do, you can check out their school's website or facebook page. I have had the privilege of going down to Honduras once to help with a build project for a week at one of their schools, and since then Katie and I have sponsored a couple of kids so that they can attend their school. We're hoping one of these years to make it down there again, even just to visit our friends in their new city where they just started up a new school location in the past year. 

Double Blind Birthday Date

Our love of blind dates (well, technically blind-folded dates) is no secret. So, we were happily surprised to hear that my sister had cleverly planned a double blind date to celebrate both of our birthdays. Yes, both Brandon and I have birthdays in July. July is definitely a superb month for birthdays. 

The first destination for the blind date was to be revealed via mail, so we headed to my parents house to pick up our mail and see what was in store for us. After sorting through several envelopes we found a gift card to Marie Catrib's for dinner that night. Hurrah! Marie Catrib's is my favorite restaurant in the entire world. And, Brandon, while not giving it "entire world" status appreciates their delicious fare as well (aka they have tacos for him). 

Holding our Marie Catrib's gift card with our eyes closed

We were instructed that we had to be done with dinner at Marie Catrib's by 7:15 pm and would be given instructions via text on what our after dinner entertainment would be. 

We arrived plenty early to Marie Catrib's to avoid the dinner rush and make sure we met our 7:15 pm deadline. While we waited for our food, we played around with the table decorations to make different shapes. 

Brandon built a rocket ship

My parents had taken us to Marie Catrib's the week before to celebrate our birthdays together. I feel pretty spoiled to have gotten to go there twice already in July. There are so many great dishes on the menu that it wasn't hard to find something different from the last time. As always the food was spectacularly delicious. 

Me with my giant "We Got the Beet" sandwich

Brandon with his Ancho Lentil Tacos

Since we were celebrating birthdays and had a gift card we splurged. Brandon also got an order of the seasoned potatoes, which are so amazing and addicting that he has renamed them "crack potatoes". He saved most of the potatoes to nibble on throughout the next couple days, because we also decided to split the homemade chocolate pudding. The chocolate pudding is pure, thick, rich, chocolate-y deliciousness decadently topped with real whipped cream. So good. 

Best chocolate pudding ever

While finishing up our meal we received a text from my sister saying that the next stop on our birthday blind date was a Grand Rapids Football Club game. She also texted us tickets to get into the game. We had been to their game the week before and had a lot of fun, so it was a great surprise to be able to go to another one this week. 

Dinner had gone smoothly and quickly, so we had some time to kill. The weather was cool, so we took a nice, after-dinner walk around the neighborhood. When it was time for the game to start we made our way to Houseman field to see GRFC play Lansing United. 

The game was a lot of fun to watch and pretty dramatic. Both teams got a red card in the 12th minute, so the rest of the game was 10 on 10. GRFC ended up winning 3:1. The third goal was dramatically scored during stoppage time right before the official end of the game. GRFC has an enthusiastic fan base making the game even more exciting to watch. 

GRFC vs. Lansing United

Watching the game and enjoying our birthday blind date. 

And that was the end of our double blind birthday blind date. Many thanks to my sister for planning an awesome evening for us. It was also a much needed distraction for me, since I'd come down with a nasty, week-long, upper respiratory virus. Yes, I try to eat well and exercise and take care of my body. Yes, it's the middle of summer. Yes, I've been incredibly irritated to be sick. This blind date evening was a bright spot in a week of sickness. 

The Decemberists

Frederik Meijer Gardens has a summer concert series each year at their huge, outdoor amphitheater. Our Grand Rapids friend group usually tries to make to least one of the shows together. This year's line up had several great bands to choose from, so some of our friends have made it out to a couple different shows. We decided to go with them to see The Decemberists. And we had a good sized group too, so that made it extra fun.

The show was sold out, so a few of us got to the gardens early to wait in line for a good spot on the lawn. Actually almost all the spots provide good viewing. But, for a large group to sit all together an early arrival is essential. Brandon and I stood in line and met Alexis there. Well, actually, we opened our beach chairs and sat in line. It was sweltering out, but bearable with a sun umbrella and a friend to chat with and pass the time. 

Alex came with us, but left to get a concert approved chair when his was deemed to tall. Volunteers walk around with yardsticks because your chair must be at or below an approved height so it doesn't block the view of others. He also went to pick up some pizzas from Pieology, a new, fast-cooked pizza place in town. 

Brandon, Alexis, and I made it in and held down the fort until the others arrived. We had a group of ten of us total and managed to secure enough lawn space of everyone. Alex arrived with an approved chair and some pizzas. Everyone else also brought snacks to share. Great food, music, and conversation was had. It was a party. 

Hanging out at the gardens

Group selfie at the show. Brandon and Robin didn't make it into the photo, so Tabitha photo shopped their faces onto the bodies of the photo-bombing couple behind us all. Brandon was also photo shopped holding a pizza and Oreos per his request since he felt like he spent the entire concert eating junk food. Hah! 

The opener for The Decemberists was Lucy Dacus. We had never heard of her, but her set was fantastic. We enjoyed her performance and made a mental note to look her and more of her music up later. After a small break, The Decemberists took the stage and started their set. They had a good time joking around and interacting with the crowd. Their set included a great mix of old and new songs. 

The Decemberists starting their set

The Decemberists continuing to play as the sun set

Our favorite song was the last one called "The Mariner's Revenge Song". The band acted the song out as they sang, and at one point a giant cloth and cardboard whale was brought out on stage to eat everyone up. As instructed, the crowd yelled out as if they were being eaten by a whale. Hilarity ensued. 

The band-eating whale

Another perk of Frederik Meijer Garden concerts is that they end around 9:30 pm. After going to many shows that end at 11 pm or 12 am or even into the morning hours, Brandon and I enjoyed the luxury of finishing a show at 9:30 pm instead of it starting then. 

We said our farewells with all our friends and found our cars. After realizing the wait to get our car out of the lot would be long and boring, Brandon and I abandoned our car and took a walk around the parking lot until the line died down. The weather had cooled down which made for a lovely evening stroll. It was great way to end a lovely evening. 

29th Birthday Blind Date

I love my birthday and look forward to it every year. How could I not? Brandon always helps make birthdays so special. My 29th birthday was on Friday, and Brandon took me on an awesome blind date to celebrate. 

I started out in the car blindfolded with a homemade birthday card from Brandon

As it turned out, our first stop was The Ledges at Grand Ledge. The Ledges is the only place to climb outdoors in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. I had never been to The Ledges and had been wanting to check it out, so I was very excited that Brandon planned this stop. 

On the edge of the ledge

Of course the climbing at The Ledges isn't on par with that in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. But, despite most of the routes being only 30 feet high or less, there are some good, challenging routes. And, it was nice to be outside, active, and doing something we both love on such a beautiful day in July.  

Ready for the first climb

Taking a rest on a ledge halfway up the route

Almost to the top of the route

My fabulous, adventurous, blind date planning husband preparing for the climb

This route was more difficult than the first couple we did, but Brandon conquered it with impressive skill

I took a nice long rest on the ledge halfway up the route before continuing on

My arms were screaming by the time I reached the top 

The next surprise was a late lunch at El Oasis taco truck in Lansing. Brandon and I enjoyed hot, freshly prepared tacos, and the al pastor were definitely the best. 

Blindfolded with no idea what deliciousness lies behind me

Tacos are perfect post-climbing food

An adventure involving climbing and tacos would have been a sufficient birthday blind date, but Brandon had even more planned for the day. Our next stop was Lansing Brewing Company. Neither of us had been to the brewery, so it was high time to check it out. We sampled a flight and our favorite beer was their classic Amber Cream Ale. 

Drinking the Amber Cream Ale at Lansing Brewing Company 

And, it still wasn't over. The final surprise was a trip to an instrument shop. I also just realized that the place is called Elderly Instruments...I can only hope that wasn't intentional on Brandon's part. Regardless, we went there to look for a ukulele for me, which was super exciting. I tried learning how to play the banjo at the beginning our sabbatical, but I found the fingering to be difficult and didn't get very far. When we visited our friend Becky in California we were exposed to her marvelous ukulele skills, and I found the ukulele strings to be much easier to handle. I have been wanting a ukulele to play around with ever since. 

The instruments may be elderly, but not me. Plus, Brandon will always be more elderly than me. 

There were so many fancy ukuleles to play around with. We didn't buy anything at that moment. We have more researching to do. Hopefully I'll have one in my hands by the end of July. 

The instrument shop was the official end to the birthday blind date, but we still did some fun evening activities. The Grand Rapids Football Club had a match against Ann Arbor that we went to with Adam, Rachel, Alex, Tabitha, Amanda, and Josh. It was really fun to all hang out, and GRFC ended up winning 3:1. Adam, Rachel, Brandon, and I left a bit early to make it Furniture City Creamery before it closed. It seems silly to me for an ice cream place to only be open til 10 pm in the summer, especially since it's a popular place. Their homemade, eclectic flavors are delicious, so it was worth it to make it there on time. 

Rachel, me, and Adam with our ice cream

That was my 29th birthday! It was a truly spectacular day, and the big 3-0 next near will have to be pretty amazing to top it. 

Nebraska Wrap Up

I think I'm finally caught up on writing about our time Nebraska, I just have a few more pictures to share. I'm sure there are some stories I missed or things I already forgot about. What's not been depicted in our posts is all the everyday stuff...preparing and eating meals, conversation, disciplining, watching American Ninja Warrior all together, attending more baseball games, eating out, playing games, staying up late on long summer nights, doing chores, and well, just living life as family. 

Fitting in some time outside

Cael and I did several more skateboard practice sessions in the evenings when it was cooler. A couple of times he might have just been trying to avoid going to bed. But regardless of his motivations he still was getting really good. I hope he continues to have an interest in the sport and practice. Hopefully I can keep up my practice too since I felt like I was getting some of my old skills back as well. 

Blake pitching to Cael

One of the many more times we got to watch Eli pitch

Oceans of Fun and Worlds of Fun

To wrap up our time in Nebraska we took a family trip down to Kansas City to go to Oceans of Fun (a water park) and Worlds of Fun (an amusement park). We drove down early Monday morning and got there in time to check into our cottage and still make the early bird entry to Oceans of Fun. Our cottage was just on the other side of the Oceans of Fun parking lot. So it was super convenient to hop over to the park.

The view from our cottage. There's a roller coaster in the background. 

We spent most of the first day at the water park side. We tried out every water attraction the park had to offer, from slides, to splash pads, the lazy river, and of course the wave pool. My personal favorite was a newer slide called Predator's Plunge where you stood upright over a trap door, and after a short countdown the trap door opens and you drop into a fast and winding tube of craziness. Sadly they only had one of the three slides like that working so the wait was quite long even despite it being a fairly slow day. Another good one was the Diamond Head slides. They weren't very busy, but if you laid down just right you could get going pretty fast and get pretty high up on the wall on some of the turns. I almost got flipped over a couple times. The boys also spent a lot of time on lily pad obstacles. I think they felt they could put their Ninja Warrior skills to the test. It was fun to watch and try a couple times with them. It was a fun, sun-filled day, and it wasn't even done. The water park closes at dusk, but the amusement park stays open a couple of extra hours. So we made our way over to squeeze in a few roller coaster rides before the night was done.

Our plan for Tuesday was to spend the entire day at the Worlds of Fun side of things, but for better or worse our entry got delayed by rain. I personally think it was a blessing because I felt absolutely wiped out from the day before and welcomed the nap I got after breakfast. The rain looked like it was going to let up after lunch so we went and grabbed food at Taco Bell just down the road before heading into the park. Luckily, even with the delay, we had plenty of time to ride all of the rides multiple times and then some. It helped that the lines were super short. The longest we waited to get on a ride was probably 10 minutes except for one time where we waited to ride the front car of Mamba. The only downside was that because park attendance was slow they usually only had one car running on each ride, which felt like it dragged out even the shortest lines.

It sometimes took some convincing to get Eli and Cael to try out a ride that initially looked scary. But usually once they tried it once they wanted to immediately ride it again. The wooden roller coaster, Prowler, was the most exhilarating to me. Blake described it well as feeling like you were skiing, just a little bit more violent and fast. Just about every turn came after a little bit of a quick up and down like you were going over a snowy mogul/bump. Patriot and Mamba were also among my favorites because they were pretty fast and smooth. The kids of course really liked two of my least favorite rides: Spinning Dragons and Boomerang. Boomerang was just too violent and shaky. And Spinning Dragons, well, spun too much for my taste. Luckily with that one we could position ourselves in the car such that you wouldn't spin that much if you didn't want to. But of course most of the time Eli and Cael wanted to spin as much as possible. Alas. We did take one little break in the evening to watch an extreme sports show where they had bikers, gymnasts, and trampolinists performing impressive tricks.

A panorama of Spinning Dragons

Cael waiting to get on Boomerang

Eli waiting to get on Spinning Dragons, probably for like the 100th time :)

Still all smiles at the end of the day 

Overall we had a great time. It had been several years since I had been to these two parks, so it was fun to check out again. Ranking wise, I still think Cedar Point in Ohio is better, but I'd go again in a few years. Although next time I think we'd try to bring in our own food because my one complaint was that the food there was incredibly overpriced and not even very good. But you live and learn. It was a great way to wrap up our time together. 

A Sibling Tour

After spending time in Nebraska with Brandon's brother and his family we went to visit my siblings in Minnesota and the U.P. Our time with my sister was short, but we were glad to spend a Thursday evening with her at Roca, the rock climbing gym in Rochester, Minnesota. We've climbed there several times now and have grown to thoroughly appreciate it. 

Friday morning came quickly, especially as we had a nearly 7 hour drive ahead of us to my brother in Houghton, Michigan. And, we had already done a 6.5 hour drive from Nebraska the day before. But, all travels went smoothly. We sure were happy to see my brother on Friday evening and stretch our legs by walking from his apartment to downtown Houghton for dinner. We were also looking forward to spending the whole 4th of July weekend with him, so we wouldn't have to do a long road trip again until we returned to the Lower Peninsula on the 5th. 

On Saturday, we had a great day exploring some of the Keweenaw Peninsula. We started with hiking a trail loop to Bare Bluff on Lake Superior somewhere near Lac La Belle. One side of the loop was super easy, and the other part involved some more adventurous hiking through a steep seasonal stream bed. The views from Bare Bluff were absolutely gorgeous. 

Of course this picture doesn't do the view of the Lake Superior shoreline justice

Me and Tim taking in the views

Brandon on the edge

After the hike we made our way towards Devil's Washtub to cool off with a jump into Lake Superior. On the way, we stopped at a scenic pull off on Brockway Mountain Drive. There we got a great view of Copper Harbor and more of the Keweenaw. 

View of Copper Harbor from Brockway Mountain Drive

Brandon and I had gone to Devil's Washtub last year during our time at Gitche Gumee, and we really wanted Tim to experience it. It's an area where the shoreline that has been carved into a rocky bridge structure that you can jump off, swim underneath through a tunnel, and climb back up the other side to do it again. We only did it two times each because Lake Superior was much colder than last year. Our bodies numbed up pretty quickly in the lake water, but the warmer air temperature heated us up again. 

I was the first to jump into the icy waters

Brandon went next

We must not have looked too cold, because Tim braved the jump and lake water as well. Look at that jumping form! 

After that freezing/refreshing experience we headed back to Houghton and Tim's apartment to make dinner. We did a lot of delicious cooking throughout the weekend, including chicken bagel melts, sweet potato black bean tacos, and southwest turkey burgers. Tim shared his tortilla recipe, and having delicious, hot, homemade tortilla shells took the tacos up another notch. 

We got in quite a few board games we well, such as Acquire, Pandemic, and Risk. Brandon was quite the hotel tycoon and dominated in Acquire. I was scarred by the cutthroat nature of Risk, and despite winning, I don't think I can play again for several years when I've forgotten all the rules again. 

We went to Tim's church on Sunday morning and then relaxed and took naps before doing more activity. This time we headed to Lower, Middle, and Upper Hungarian Falls. The hike to and between the sections of the falls was easy and shaded. We made it more interesting by slowly making our way down a very steep ravine to the base of the large, lower falls. Brandon and Tim stood under the powerful fall for a good, cooling soaking. Climbing up the ravine was much easier than going down, and we continued on to the middle falls. 

The ravine was a steep descent

View of the falls on the way down

The falls in their full glory with Brandon for perspective

Me and Brandon posing for a picture at the falls

Tim, our excellent U.P. tour guide

The three adventurers 

More perspective shots with me up on the cliffside and Tim at the base of the falls

Tim braving the rushing water

Brandon had to go in too

Brandon found a cove to go all the way under and behind the falls

The base of the middle falls was much easier to access. There was also a nice pool of water that formed under the falls that would be fun to jump into if it was deeper. I stood under the middle falls to get just as soaked as Brandon and Tim. 

The middle falls

Me cooling off in the middle falls

The upper falls were the smallest and more like a naturally formed dam than a waterfall. We didn't even bother to take a picture of them. But, now we can say we've seen all three sections. 

When it finally got dark around 10:30 pm we were able to see the fireworks display in Lake Linden. I have never seen so many cars in the U.P. at once. It seemed like the entire Keweenaw Peninsula had turned out for the fireworks show. The show had a lot of neat fireworks, but the spacing was strange. Sometimes multiple fireworks would go off at once and other times we waited for what seemed like a couple minutes for the next firework. There were a lot of false endings which made the finale rather anti-climactic. The whole thing was rather amusing. 

Happy Birthday, America! (almost...not quite the 4th yet)

On the 4th of July the three of us played some soccer together in the morning. It was fun to get out and kick the ball around on the Michigan Tech fields. Unfortunately, Brandon and I also managed to get multiple, incredibly itchy mosquito and fly bites while playing soccer. Apparently that field was more filled with pests than the wooded areas we had hiked in. A week later, we still have some of the bites. 

We then partook in the small town 4th of July festivities of South Range, just south of Houghton. Keweenaw Brewing Company's brewing facility is located in South Range, and to add to the celebration they were giving free brewery tours and beer between 12 and 2 pm. Yes, all was FREE. They passed out free cans at the entrance, and then gave out free cans fresh from the canning line that the lid hadn't even been pressed onto yet. It was awesome. Between the three of us we tried at least six different beers. 

Keweenaw Brewing Company (KBC) facility 

Cans ready to be filled with beer

The cans entering the filling station

Workers on the canning line who offered us beer fresh from the line stating that Brandon must be over 21 in order to have such an impressive beard 

Putting plastic rings around the cans to form six packs

The can straight from the line didn't have its top attached yet

Brandon tempted by the switchboard of brewing controls

Enjoying our beer among the mash tons

A collection of stickers from various breweries at KBC 

The cold storage room which felt great as the day heated up

Enjoying our brews with hundreds of empty cans behind us waiting to be filled

Cheers! 

After the tour and free beer we checked out the South Range 4th of July Parade. It was definitely a small town parade where the local marching band played, obscene amounts of candy was still allowed to be thrown at children, and some of the floats circled around twice. Amusing times for sure. 

We had seen fireworks the night before and Tim had to get up early for work the next day, so we skipped out on fireworks the night of the 4th. But, we felt we had done the day justice with the parade and KBC. 

Tuesday morning Tim left for work in Escanaba, and eventually we packed up and headed for Grand Rapids. There were a couple construction projects turning two lanes into one lane roads, but other than that the 8.5 hour drive went well. At one of the construction stops we felt fortunate to at least be able to enjoy some great views of Lake Michigan from the car while we waited. We were happy to reach the Mackinac Bridge and know that over half of the drive was over. And, we were oh so happy to reach Grand Rapids, which we kind of consider our home despite not having a real home currently. 

The Mighty Mac

We're looking forward to spending some time with our friends the Horos' who have kindly taken us in for about two weeks. And, at some point this month we'll have to finish our sibling tour and get out to see Brandon's sister and her family.