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.

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.

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???

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.

And now… for your viewing enjoyment — the highlights of my recent vacation to Albuquerque. I had such a good time and really do think that I will go back at some point in the future. The friends I have there are near and dear to my heart… and I really would love to see the area in the summer time as well.

The Sandia Mountains on the eastern side of the city…

New Years Eve was a fun night of watching — and playing — various poker hands at Jenna’s friends house. I did very well when playing with someone else’s money… and not so well when playing with my own.

After sleeping for a VERY LONG (and well deserved) time on Friday morning. Jenna and I ventured out to the mall… as well as various other locations… to do some shopping. I found a cute sweater — and then Jenna {almost} made me put on this lovely ensemble. Faux fur sweater and black sequins pants. What a stellar look for me. NOT.

Saturday was an adventure… we took the Rail Runner from Albuquerque to Sante Fe! It was really a great and inexpensive way to get between the cities for a quick (and somewhat spur of the moment) day trip. The ride home was a *WEE BIT* crowded. We luckily got seats {and tried to nap} — but for some it was standing room only for about an hour of the trip.

While in Sante Fe, we went to the Loretto Chapel. This staircase is known as the miraculous staircase… if you want to read more about it — check it out here. It was pretty amazing to see.

Saturday night was filled with lots of fun… we went to a bar and hung out with a few of Jenna’s friends. Here is Jenna and Valerie doing Karaoke… something they would NOT have been able to talk me into doing. I did however get up and do the “Cupid Shuffle” with Valerie before this.

On Sunday we drove down Route 66 — just to say that I had been on it during my trip! I also crossed the Rio Grande more times than I could probably count. I thought it would have looked more “river-like”… not so much here in New Mexico.

We ate at The Standard Diner — a restaurant featured on Food Networks “Diner’s, Drive-in’s and Dive’s“. Now that I have my extended cable turned back on, I’m thinking of recording this show to check it out sometime.

After lunch we ventured to the Albuquerque Aquarium. We saw lots and lots of fish… sting rays… sea horses… enough that could really fill up the blog for days. But I will spare you. I promise. I only included highlights.

Here is the awesome shark picture that someday in the near future will be my new Facebook profile picture. Just to scare off the stalkers. Ha!

I took *WAY* too many pictures of the jellyfish. They were SO COOL.

If you are standing at a {mundane looking} tank looking at this fish (as well as others swimming -very quickly- at the top) at the aquarium, be prepared for a rush of water to scare you {nearly} to death. As we stood in front of this tank it happened and made me and Jenna jump — and a little kid standing there screamed. Seriously… there should be a warning on this tank.

I also visited my friend Dani and her family — but didn’t really get any pictures there to show us sitting on the couch… eating dinner… playing with her {oh so adorable} son… and working on how to use the Creative Memories software that I purchase a while back.

Hope you enjoyed my adventure to Albuquerque! And just like the title of today’s blog (and my motto for 2010) says — You’ve gotta live every single day — so that’s what I’m trying to do. I can’t wait to see what other adventures are in store for me this year!

*today’s lyric title is from Nickelback – “Never Gonna Be Alone”

I have arrived in Albuquerque for my final vacation of 2009… and first vacation of 2010!! I’m out here visiting some friends (and happen to be using their work computers right now to write this lovely post!)

It was quite the travel day… Grand Rapids to Chicago was ok, but then Chicago happened. We boarded our flight (all fine and good) and then about 1/2 way to the runway the pilot (or first officer… I wasn’t paying attention too well) came across and said that we were being sent to the “penalty box”. Yes, the plane told him that late that something was wrong and had to be replace. Goodie.

So we make our way back to the gate we had just left and sit there for about 15 minutes before they tell us that we have to de-plane so they can fix the issue. But don’t fear… another plane would be on it’s way. About 30-45 minutes later, we were still waiting and then learned that the 2nd plane had maintenance issues too. Yowsers!

Ultimately, 2 hours later, we re-boarded our initial plan (after being told that it was fixed 100%!) and got on our way to Alburquerque! Only 2 hours later.. we had finally arrived! I’m so excited to be able to spend time with my friends here (and maybe even meet new friends too!)

Anyway… wanted to wish you all a happy new year.
May it be a blessed and prosperous year!

Happy 2010!!

Albuquerque photo credit … fireworks photo credit

I have been covering some random topics lately… and today is no different. (Oh, and you *WILL* want to come back tomorrow for a double blog post day. Seriously. It’s going to be HILARIOUS!)

Anyway… so after watching the Biggest Loser on Saturday (and Sunday), I was so inspired by what Matt had done that I looked into doing the IronMan in Kona (there is no way I would survive at the moment.) Why am I so hung up about Kona?

Well, to be honest… I have a dream job — and it belongs to someone else currently. Samantha Brown to be exact. She gets to travel around to fabulous places and see amazing things — then reports on them for her television show. I started watching this show a few years ago and my favorite episode was when she featured Kona, Hawaii. I think if I saw the episode again, it would still be my favorite.

I’ve never been to Hawaii. But I have a dream to go there. And I believe with all my heart that it is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. I don’t know if I could live there — but I can’t say I wouldn’t mind trying though either.

So based on this thought… I started dreaming today of all of the places that I would *LOVE* to go in the next few years. There’s no way that I have the money or the vacation time to do everything in 2010, but I can try to get some of the items off the list… right?

• Disney World
• Kona, Hawaii
• Europe (minimally… The Netherlands, Belguim, Paris)
• Napa Valley
• Seattle
• Alaska
• Australia/New Zealand
• South Africa
• Brazil

Wow… there are my travel dreams written out before me. I wonder if any of my “dreams will come true” in 2010?? Can you guess that I *really* want to go to Disney??? Might just be the plan for the 33rd birthday if I can talk some fabulous people into going with me!

Interested????

At the end of the year, I am going on one final vacation… and I’m SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Let me back up…
In case you haven’t been following the blog very long, I *LOVE* travelling. I love seeing new things, learning new cultures, experiencing life in new ways, re-living the history around me… really as I’ve told many people, because I am now feeling “alive” and want to life life to the fullest within my own skin — I want to see others and how they are doing much the same.

So here’s a recap of where my travels have taken me this year…
~ Houston, Texas (annual business conference, loved seeing my friends again!)
~ Dominican Republic
~ New York City

…and on December 31 ~ I will be off to visit friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico! I am so excited, especially since I haven’t been out in the western United States much in my life (a few trips to Colorado… and a 30th birthday party in Las Vegas). I can’t wait to see my friends, have fun celebrating New Years with them and really just relax while I am away from life in Holland.

So I think that’s a pretty good year for travelling… and maybe next year I’ll make it to Disney World. It’s only been about 20 years since I’ve seen the place. My guess is that it’s changed a little.

Well it’s been 2 weeks since my last update here… but for good reason!

The trip to the Dominican Republic was amazing — here are some photo highlights!

During the week, we worked to build a duplex for 2 families that didn’t have homes. One couple was in their 70′s and had never owned a home before, the other was a family of 6 (i think) whose husband/father works on the other side of the island for 2 weeks at a time.

On Friday we visited a beach and then went shopping in downtown Santo Domingo… the beach was great — look how beautiful — paradise!

We saw this gorgeous rainbow as we were headed back to our hotel

after our day in Santo Domingo on Friday!

Here’s the team and the happy new homeowners!

Ok… so I was a blogging fool for a few days, but then I seemingly quit here the last few days. But it’s not because I haven’t been on plan or been active… it’s because I’ve been TOO ACTIVE! Which is awesome.

Everyday for the past 2 weeks I’ve gotten up at about 5 to 5:30am and been at the gym for at least a half hour to an hour each day. I’m maintaining very well… and hopefully it will be well reflected on Thursday morning. I would love to say that I am half my size on my birthday.

The other thing that I’ve been busy with is preparing for the mission trip. I leave this Saturday for the Dominican Republic where our team will be building a duplex and working with people in Batey Fao (a community just northest of Santo Domingo). I really can’t begin to explain how excited I am to see how everything is going to go… and see how God works in my life.

Keep me and my team in your prayers!