Cocoa Beach, Florida spring break 2025

Spring break! Ty and Cole were invited to go on a cruise with another family, and we decided we should go somewhere with Max. That somewhere was Cocoa Beach, Florida!

Our friends the Uptons were already going there with a big group, so we just got another house a half mile away. Many of them have been vacationing together for a long time, and they were all so, so fun. Fun kids, fun adults!

Two days before we were supposed to leave, I got a message from American Airlines that there was upcoming bad weather, and did I want to change my flight for free?

I have learned my lesson from Africa. 

"Let's just leave a day early," I said to Kris.

"There's no possible way I can leave early," he said.

Five minutes later, he returned. 

"Okay, let's do it."

We packed - Max was already packed! - and flew from Detroit to Melbourne, FL with no problems. (The next day was an awful weather day across the U.S. 95 mph winds, tornadoes, an ice storm, severe storms, etc. So glad we got an additional day instead of losing a day!)

We ubered to their house on Orlando Ave, just two blocks from the beach. It was amazing. It had a see-through pool made out of a shipping container, outdoor ping pong, foosball table, air hockey, murals, twinkly lights, a gorgeous outdoor kitchen - so nice. And 24 of our friends!

We immediately swam in the pool, then the ocean. The waves were massive. This beach is gorgeous. Huge, white sand, long, and commonly empty! No crowds. Everyone went to Ron Jon's, then to Coconut's on the Beach (just 0.2 walk from their house), which had music and was right on the water. We watched MSU play in the NCAA Elite Eight game, and the guys brought a TV outside to watch. MSU lost, we were all sad, and we went back to our hotel to sleep (La Quinta) even though our friends totally offered to let us stay in the house too, which was really nice of them. What's three more? 

Day Two 

We headed to the beach! We went from there house and played in the waves. When we got crispy, we went back to their house, swam in the pool, and went three out to Sergio's Tacos for lunch. We all got burritos and each burrito also came with a taco! Great food - even more than we could eat! 

We borrowed a friend's car to go and get groceries, and from the parking lot we watched a SpaceX rocket launch! It was so bright, so cool, and so loud you could feel it in your chest. Absolutely amazing. We checked into our Airbnb, which was 244 Brevard, only 400 steps from the beach! Really nice place. 

We headed back to the beach, then hung out at the house in the outdoor kitchen while it rained, listening to music. Everyone took turns with dinner, and we ate some amazing food.

We walked home and went to bed. Niles (Max's friend) went with us. Matt sent us a text that said, "Get those boys out of bed for the rocket launch." We'd forgotten - and it was in five minutes! We four flew outside and watched the night launch at 9:45 p.m. It was incredible. It was even easier to see than in the day, it had a long red tail, and again you could hear and feel it! We saw it was a launch with people on it, and it just seemed amazing that people have figured this out.

Day Three

Matt, Kris, Niles, and Max left the house at 6:00 a.m. to go fishing about an hour away with a charter. I ran along the beach, worked, and then went to Cocoa Beach Pier with my friends to meet up with more friends. This place had a different vibe than Cocoa Beach by our house. It was really full of people. Nice to see our friends though! Not my beach vibe. Funny that you can go just a little bit away and there's no one. But if you're looking for action, this place had it! 

Max and Kris returned, and we hung out and helped Kate prepare dinner. More friends came over to their house, and we talked around the little fire table in the backyard until we walked home. 

Day Four

Rondi rented three pontoons from Cape Crossing Boat Rentals in Merritt Island for the 33 of us who wanted to go. Matt took Niles and Max fishing again, so they didn't go with us. (They had a little success on the first day, and they had massive success on the next day! Max said every time they cast in they caught a fish.) We saw many dolphins, tons of birds, and one manatee. They rented poles there for $10, and some kids fished. There was a rope swing over the water the kids, Kris and I enjoyed. Kris was the first one in the water, helping the kids get the swing back. Our friends joked that Kris and I didn't even have kids there, and he was the first one in. I told them that Wardins love a rope swing. Kris' family has had one at their pond his whole life! I went off of it and then Kris did a super cool dive. So fun!

Rondi suggested we go to lunch at Gators Portside in Port Canaveral, and I'm so glad she did! We sat down outside in the shade - and what do we see across the water? A SpaceX rocket booster, returned from space! It was obviously used, covered in soot, and people were power washing it. Then as we had lunch, a tugboat came, hauling the rocket we had seen in the night launch! Also in a fun coincidence, the tugboat pulling it was named the St Johns! This was amazing and so, so cool to see. I was blown away.

We stopped back at the house to see Max, then left for a bioluminescence kayak tour. I've always wanted to do one. We met our guide, and he told us it was just the three of us. Oof. The conversation was super awkward, and he couldn't tell that I wasn't interested in talking about my favorite hobby or vacation. Kris even less so. We found a place of comb jellies, which are small transparent blobs of jellyfish. The guide forgot glow sticks and told us he had to go back for them. I told him it was okay, and he said he couldn't lose us. We were in 3 foot water, it was still as glass, and we were 2 feet away from him. There was no possible way he would lose us. But okay! I whispered to Kris that I was excited for the tour to end, but then...it got dark.

"If you run the net through the water, you'll see the dinoflagellates light up," the guide said. 

I ran my net through the water, and I was amazed. I plunged my hand in. Anytime you touched, splashed, and flicked the water, you were rewarded with what looked like blue firefly sparks. It didn't matter how many times you did it or where you were in the water. There were millions of blue fireflies there. I cried. How had I never seen this? How magical is this world! Not only are there people in rockets, but there are underwater microscopic fireflies! I loved this experience so, so much. 

We also found some comb jellies, and whenever you touched them, they glowed. This was cool, but not as surprising as the dinoflagellates. 

As we ended the tour, I realized we didn't need a tour at all, and I basically wanted to jump into the water to make it happen. (Later my friend Jessi told me they did this in Thailand, and were in a whirl of sparks.) The tour guide gave what he thought was a big reveal - he was a high school senior! Kris and I were not at all surprised, given the awkwardness. 

Back at home, the girls had gone to the beach and I ran to meet them at Hunkerdown Hideaway until we walked back to our house.

Day Five

Last day. (I should include here that I worked every day, but that's not super interesting.) Everyone but two kids were at the beach, so we took a group picture, and Brandi cleverly photoshopped them in. 

A lot of the kids had boogie boards, and I grabbed one to try with Max. It was incredibly fun! I'd done it in Hawaii 23 years ago...had I not tried since then? I think the waves are usually scary, since they're dragging me around and pummeling me, but with a boogie board I could ride them easily! It was such a blast. Such a rush! Max and I boogie boarded a long time, Kris joined us, we did it on and off all day. We walked on the beach, played bocce, played in the sand, and headed back totally burnt to a crisp. We had been using lotion, but I'd bought some spray. I was talking about how great spray was until we all got burned. Whoops! A little souvenir.

After dinner, we all walked to The Fat Donkey for ice cream. I got Calypso Crunch, which was chocolate with chocolate covered pretzels and a river of peanut butter running through it. I ate it in a cone, trying not to drip on my dress (impossible), and it was perfect. It was the best food I had on vacation.

Day Six

We left the house at 4:00 a.m. to catch our 6:00 a.m. flight. We got stuck on the runway because our steering broke, and even though we sprinted across the airport, we missed our connection. It didn't really bother me this time, though. Usually I'm desperately trying to get somewhere, and here I was already with two members of my family, and the other two weren't home! I just worked in the airport. We made it home sweet home on the next flight.

Thank you friends, and thank you Florida for a magical time!  

Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tourney 2025

 

Indianapolis is a great city, and even better when the B1G TEN tournament is there!

We rented an Airbnb and drove the four hours down with our friends Jess, Peter, Lisa, and Brad.

Our house was on State Street, and we walked to St Joseph Brewery and Public House to eat. It was in a building that used to be a church, and I ate open faced bison meatloaf! I know I've had bison before, but I couldn't remember what it tasted like. I had my tonsils out recently and couldn't eat for three days, so everything I eat now is so GOOD. No exception here!

My shoes rubbed my toes, but it was 75 and sunny, so I walked barefoot to the next place - Natural State Provisions. 

It was right next door to a dog park, full of people! Or maybe the dog park was part of the brewery. Regardless, it was the place to be.

"Is there a more dog friendly town?" Peter wondered. Last time we were in Indy every place allowed dogs too.

We headed back to the house, and some of us went to the nearby Kroger to get groceries. It was a little sketchy, as in the other customers seemed to have made some rough life decisions, but not bad.

Right across the street from our house was State Street Pub. After we ate our groceries, we walked over to check it out. It looked closed, but it was open! We sat outside and talked to the people working and hanging out there. They had an old school record player, which was cool. The bartender said his band was playing Saturday night and invited us back then.

Friday

Game day! Jess and I got up and ran around the neighborhood and to a park with a great view of the city skyline. We stopped by the Tin Roof right outside the stadium, and it was everything I love about the tourney. We were sitting outside, it was sunny and warm, the guys next to us were chatty students, the people going by yelled Go Green at us - it was just a wonderful, happy atmosphere!

We had bought tickets online and had good seats to watch our beloved Spartans win! So fun, so exciting. On the way out of the stadium they handed us packets of beef jerky, and it was really good - Old Trapper. And I don't even like beef jerky! 

We'd heard good things about Tom's Watch Bar for sports. It was fine but kind of lacking personality. I really wanted to go up to the top of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument. (I'd seen the nighttime show but never gone to the top.) We rushed over there, hoping to get there before it closed, and we made it! We climbed the 331 steps for a great view and good history. We also took a picture in front of the giant B1G.

We wanted to be outside to enjoy the weather so we went to Pivot Bar & Balcony, which has an open rooftop. There were players' families and fans and everyone wanted to talk sports. Gage, who got in later than the rest of us, met us here! We wanted dinner so we ate at the Slippery Noodle and danced to the band, and then ended the night singing karaoke downtown! (Bring your ID! They wouldn't let Jess in.) We went to these same places last time and there's a reason why - they are GREAT. Fun people, great places! Gage and I sang and we all had a blast.

Saturday

Another game day! The wind was crazy. There were tornadoes and storms in other parts of the country. We stopped for Mexican food at Loco Fresh Mexican. In a close exciting game, MSU lost. We watched part of the next game, then watched the end at Kilroy's. (This time on the way out they handed us chocolate covered almonds. They were actually forcing them upon you!) People were also there celebrating St Patrick's Day, and it was super loud. We also ran into Frankie Fidler there!

We had fond memories of Fountain Square Brewery, so we went there and played darts and watched MSU win their hockey game, but it wasn't where the action was. We found that at the Dugout, which had a band and lots of people! We ended the night across the street from our house at State Street Pub, where we saw an eccentric band and then our bartender's band. Neither of them were our style, but that doesn't mean we didn't have fun watching them and taking in the entire atmosphere! 

Sunday

Since our team wasn't in it any more, we left. As Kris said, "I'm sad we lost, but I'm not sad about getting home 12 hours earlier."

Thanks for another great trip Indy!

Detroit, Chicago & East Lansing

Such a fun whirlwind of a weekend!

Detroit

Gage was in Detroit for a night. His copilot was in his class at the Air Force Academy, and he's also from Michigan. Gage, Charley and I met at their hotel The Book Cadillac, and we walked to The Anchor Bar to watch the Detroit Red Wings play. I ate the little cheeseburger sliders, and they were delicious. 

Gage suggested we find a karaoke bar, so we googled and called around to find one that was open. We also walked there - no coats, even though we all wished we had them - and ended up in such a cool place! It was named Sid Gold's Request Room. It was small, and the hostess asked if we had reservations. Since we were there 20 minutes before the karaoke started, she was able to get us in, and every other table had a reserved sign on it. It was full before it hit 9:00 p.m., and the music was provided by - not a karaoke machine, but a man on a real piano!  Looking online now, I see there are four of them in the U.S., but I hadn't heard of them. The crowd was great, the venue was fantastic, and it was really fun. Gage and Charley sang wonderfully, and the entire experience was great. I had parked at the Financial District Garage (just $10!) so I walked back and made it home by 12 because...

Chicago

I left for Chicago at 8:00 a.m. I love that you can drive to Chicago, and not only can you drive to the city, you can drive DOWNTOWN right into the busiest part! I parked at 875 North Michigan Avenue parking which is in the bottom of the John Hancock building. It wasn't super easy to find since the sign didn't state that, but I found it. ($55 overnight.) 

Our hotel the Knickerbocker was just a block away. I checked in, threw my stuff in the room, and immediately walked to the lake! I had driven on Lake Shore Drive along the water, and I was just dying to get there. It was about four blocks away, and then...Lake Michigan! The sun was shining, the water was so blue, and there were tons of people walking and running along the lake. I walked along it a long way to where it moves from cement to beach, and then walked on the sand. The skyline, the water - all of it was so beautiful. Sheer joy.

I met up with my friends in the hotel for our yearly reunion! I went to WMU with these girls. They all majored in engineering, and I was their lone English major friend. Some of them are my former roommates. (We lived in a house of seven girls at one point and my bedroom, literally, was a hallway. I liked it because I had a door on each side of my room and the rent was cheap.) They all have gone on to have great careers with impressive titles!

Erica - manager power supply portfolio, Hoosier Energy

Jen - Senior business process specialist, Hayworth

Joy - Director labor relations manufacturing, GM

Jodie - Owner, Little Caesars, formerly Vice president of global operations, Rockwell

Aletha - Senior director of inventory planning, Sweetwater

Sarah - Quality manager Chicago stamping plant, Ford

I mean come on! What powerhouses. We get together once a year so there's a lot to catch up on!

We headed out and stopped at Streeter's Tavern. It wasn't a place we could also eat, so we went to Pippin's Tavern. We split a lot of foods like giant pretzels and potpies. Then, out on Michigan Avenue, where there are tons of stores and people. 

We had a reservation at 6:00 p.m., where Sarah joined us at a fancy corner table on the second floor. People here were dressed to kill, and it was so fun to see them. 

We stopped off at Hopsmith after that to collect Sarah's boyfriend, and they set off to Sarah's apartment for a nightcap...but I walked back because...

East Lansing

I had to leave for East Lansing at 5:00 a.m., and not only was there a time zone change, I lost two hours because we also changed the clocks!

 The drive was so incredibly easy with zero traffic. I met Kris at Art's Pub in East Lansing, which has become one of our favorite spots to eat in EL. They have breakfast all day, all the food is great, and the service is fantastic. It was packed in there, but we had no trouble getting in and out to see the Spartan beat the Wolverines, then hoist the Big Ten Championship banner. What an exciting game! It was senior day, and there was tons of confetti and happiness in the air.

Nashville, Tennessee - These boots are made for walking (short distances)

I've now been to Nashville several times, and every time is a little bit different. Kris had a meeting here and I went along to work during the day and go out at night! I also wanted to see my friend Molly, but unfortunately she was sick. 

We stayed at the Hilton Nashville Downtown, which is right in the middle of everything! This was Kris' DMI/NDB/UDIA Board of Directors meeting, where he helps make decisions about farming at the national level.

Here are the fun things I saw and did:

Ran to Wasioto Park, went to the Pedestrian Bridge (always a favorite), ran along the Cumberland River, went to the Nashville Public Square, the Courthouse, and the Tennessee State Capitol.

This was a super fun run/walk, and I also took myself out to lunch at Biscuit Love, since it seemed very southern. 

At night, we went to Puckett's Restaurant with our Michigan group, and we enjoyed some great food. Then we went out on Broadway, and there is almost no way to go wrong. People, music, and rooftops! There weren't a ton of people out because it was a Tuesday night, but there are ALWAYS some people out! 

The next day, I ran again, this time along the river, then to Painter's Alley, then I explored the beautiful library. The playset in there is a copy of the skyline! 

I ate a burrito at the farmers market, then went to the Tennessee State Museum for the first time. Very well done, and free! Definitely recommend. Hair jewelry was really in fashion!

We met up with our friends and went to different places on Broadway. Lots of food, rooftop (it was so warm!), dancing, and people!

Side note - When a group of us came here for Rondi's birthday, Rondi and I bought matching white boots. I wore them and they killed my toenails. They took months to heal. But last night I gave these boots another chance, and they were great!

It was a nice mix of nice outdoor weather, working, and fun dairy farmers and the people working with us. Thanks Nashville!