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Category Archives: travel

Millenium Park, Marilyn Monroe and the Willis {Sears} Tower…

Written on September 8, 2011

Being a tourist in Chicago is a lot of fun. There is so much to do… especially when you are touring the city with a friend that knows what buildings are where and how to find things. Not to mention which bus to take.

{And this is where I tell you that this is a picture-laden post… so bear with me.}

The day before BloggyBootCamp Chicago, I visited Millenium Park with Napwarden and her kiddo’s.

Took the mandatory picture of self in the Bean.

Little Man posing at the Bean

Then we moved on to check out the water area in the park… maybe so that the kiddos could get their feet wet.

The wall spits water out!

And Miss Peach might have gotten more than just her feet wet.

Crossed over the Chicago River, to be greeted by...

Marilyn... right in front of the Chicago Tribune building.

Then on Sunday, Amy, Jackie & I went to the Willis {Sears} Tower (which was on my 101 things to do in 1001 days list!)…

It’s really tall.

Jackie, Amy & I braving a picture {literally} over the city.

It's a long way down...

I just love Chicago.

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101 Goals in 1001 Days, travel

From Greece to Egypt…

Written on August 4, 2011

I went on a little road trip a few weeks ago. I loooooove road trips (which is why this is linked up with “Things I Love Thursday” too.) 1432 miles, 23.5 hours in the car and 6 states later in a matter of 4 days. It was a whirlwind of a weekend that was fun, exciting and a great opportunity to knock another thing off my 101 in 1001 list!

It was a great time to clear my head, really think about life… what I want to do and how I want to do it. Although I can honestly say I’m just as confused about all that as when I left.

Or maybe it was the confusion about where I was?

I mean, after all… I started out in Louisville (pronounced Lou-i-ville, not Lou-e-ville, for those that aren’t familiar) and got to meet up with Dianna and Angie for a crazy-lady-filled-dinner. And trust me when I say we weren’t the crazy ladies.

Here’s the quick {long story short} version of what happened:
We sat. We chatted. We pondered the menu. Dianna ordered Hummus. Angie arrived. We ordered our food. Random Lady walks in & comes up to our table. Random lady asks if there is fish on the hummus. (Um, really?!) Random Lady just stands by table. Julie, Angie & Dianna are uncomfortable. Random lady falls over. Dianna & Angie come to the rescue. Random lady is awake but will not speak. Ambulance & Fire trucks are called. Emergence personnel arrive. Random lady now speaks in full sentences as if nothing happened. Julie lost her appetite after the whole ordeal.

Yeah.

So then I said goodbye to Dianna in the parking lot of Krispy Kreme (oh my goodness, so yum)… and continued my travels southward to Nashville for a visit with Leigh (and then further to Memphis to see Liz on Sunday).

Or maybe I should say Greece… and Egypt? See for yourself in the little slideshow I created to highlight my trip!!

And while I was gone… my 18-month-old nephew taught my brother how to bowl.

Have you done anything fun this summer?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I’m participating with the Diaper Diaries Things I love Thursday.

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101 Goals in 1001 Days, travel

Things I learned {before and after #bloggybootcamp}…

Written on August 30, 2010

There are many things I learned while at Bloggy Boot Camp last weekend. I shared 10 of them already… but really there are so many more things. So here are a few more highlights to add to my journey…

Do not drink on an empty stomach.
{Ok, I knew this before… but that was a STRONG drink or two I had one night.)

On a similar note…

Eating chocolate cake at The Cheesecake Factory at midnight will not make you feel good about yourself.

And now moving into the tourism arena…

Riding over the Golden Gate Bridge was just as cool as I imagined it to be.

Driving to Muir Woods on curvy-winding roads was not so pleasant.

Related…

I saw Lombard Street from Coit Tower. And my stomach thanked me for it.

In travel news…

Delta Airlines is not at all like Northwest used to be.

I’ll say it. I miss Northwest. I loved flying Northwest. Rarely did I have any problems – very few delays, rescheduling or cancellations. So on Friday morning when I was driving to the airport on the way to San Francisco, I was surprised to learn that my flight had been delayed for an hour (um, weather is perfect here…) and then found that I was re-booked through Detroit and would be arriving slightly later than expected. Not a huge issue… outside of the fact that I was re-booked into a middle seat and the gate agent wouldn’t give me the time of day.

The only positive thing I learned out of that experience was that Delta is really on top of their social marketing. Just tweet @delta_assist and they will help you if possible. Very big positive there.

In other related airport experiences…

How *not* to make small talk in an airport.

Scene…
Me sitting in San Francisco airport, 40 minutes before plane to leave. Finishing dinner. Holding jacket (to use as pillow on plane.)

Guy {wearing hoodie and jeans}: Are you cold?
Me: No, not really.
Guy: Oh, it’s freezing in here. {It really wasn’t} I just got this hoodie from Target for $9.
Me: Wow, cool. I’m ok right now, but I’ll probably be chilly on the plane.
Guy: So you’re not using your jacket right now?
Me: No.
Guy: Maybe I could use your jacket for a while then.
Me: I think I’ll hold onto it for now.
{I really hope he was joking… but either way – that’s kind of weird to say to a complete stranger.}

So there’s some things that I’ve learned. Maybe I was just meant to learn some more life lessons through all of this.

Now I’m wondering if there’s anything more I should be learning while I travel???

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Conferences, travel

Celebrating Michigan: My favorite places…

Written on May 24, 2010

I love Michigan (in the summer). I love to drive and explore the state. I love my hometown and all that it has to offer. So I’m joining Big Binder today as part of her “Celebrating Michigan” week and showcasing some things that I love about living and traveling here.

On a side note: I connected with Big Binder (and SO many other great bloggers) this weekend at Gleek Retreat. There will be a future post {very soon} that I will be sharing some of what I learned and how in the first 5 minutes of the first session, I knew my life would be very different in the {hopefully} near future.

Michigan typically celebrates itself once a year… but this year they decided to cancel the party {along with so many other things} due to no money in the budget. Oh well… we’ll just take over for them. This is seriously going to sound like an ad for the state. But it’s not… because if you come here to visit — I’m just saying you better tell me so I can meet you!

What’s great about living in Holland? Each year we have the Tulip Festival where many people come from around the country to see the tulips, DeZwaan Windmill and many other sights — such as our beautiful lighthouse.

But then there’s one of my favorite places to travel to… a place I think *EVERYONE* should have the chance to go to at least once in their life. A little island between the Upper and Lower Pennisula – Mackinaw Island. Not only is it really quaint and cute… but they produce some of the best fudge known to man.

And myself being addicted to chocolate… this isn’t good.

There’s a really long story about Fort Mackinaw and it’s importance in United States history… but honestly I can’t remember much of it. It’s still a gorgeous place to go to.

And the other cool as heck thing to see – and drive across (but not on a windy day) – the Mackinac Bridge.

So there’s my little recap of my Michigan highlights.

While things aren’t super hot for us here economy wise… we do have a lot to offer.
Just not jobs right now.

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