Prague, Czech Republic

When I moved to North Carolina in 2002, my friend Jodie introduced me to the one person she knew who lived there, and she in turn introduced me to some lifelong friends. We have been going on trips together since. This time was to the Czech Republic!

Usually long flights don't bother me, but this one was particularly uncomfortable in a small middle seat, and I had a cough I tried to suppress for 7.5 hours. Somewhat unsuccessfully.

I was the first one to arrive in Prague, and I exchanged my money at the airport because you have to pay the city tax to the Airbnb host in cash. The woman at the exchange desk told me what the coins were worth, told me I should keep some to pay for bathrooms, and finished with "I hope you like it here."

Bolt is the Czech version of Uber, and I got one to our Airbnb apartment, about 30 minutes away. As I rode there, I thought "No one in the world knows where I am right now." But a 100% success rate in riding with strangers in other countries!

Our nice Airbnb host met me at the apartment and chatted with me about the area. I immediately left to go for a walk - a beautiful day! - and then my friends arrived! Aimee and Laurie from North Carolina, Alicia from Maryland, and Anna from Germany.

We went to a place called U Flecku, which is Prague's oldest brewery, operating since 1449. It is a touristy place known for liveliness and accordion playing, and it had both! We ate Czech food there (goulash for me) for the first and last time of the trip.

We walked to the Charles Bridge, finished in 1402, and it was gorgeous. So many people out!

Anna had made us reservations at a speakeasy called Anonymous, where we entered by a secret door bookcase, the server wore a mask, and we chose our drinks (or rather THEY CHOSE US) by looking at Rorschach Blots.

These drinks were very dramatically presented, with lights and ice and flourish. We went upstairs afterward, which was called Ideas Are Bullet Proof. We spoke with the woman working there, and she said she was from Prague, she’d lived other places, and she didn’t like it here because people weren’t nice. We asked her for suggestions and she gave us a lot of them and we took them over the whole rest of the trip! Despite not liking it, she had good suggestions!

Day Two

Aimee and I ran along the river and saw so many cool things. The boats along the river had both ice rinks and saunas on them. We went to Dancing House, which is a famous building that looks like people dancing, for coffee. We got our friends and went on the Prague Boats tour, which was a narrated boat trip on the river. From there, we walked to the Jewish quarter and saw the cemetery, and then we went to the Old Town Square. I loved the square! It had a gorgeous church and the astronomical clock that goes off every hour. There were so many people, tourists, locals, everything. So lively!  

There was a long line to see inside Idiom, the ‘Infinite Book Tower’ in the Prague Municipal Library, but if you just go in the other doors and see it from the outside, there is no line! Really cool sculpture.

We wen to the Kafka Humous Café for lunch, and then stopped by to see ‘Hanging Man,’ a life-size  model of Sigmund Freud hanging by one hand from a roof.

We went to the rooftop bar Teresa U Prince, which had a gorgeous view of the city. They had it all set up for Valentine’s Day and so of course we took a lovely picture with their flowers and hearts.

We ate at Pho Vietnam and walked around a different part of the city, by the National Gallery, where there was an ice skating rink set up in the street. I couldn’t help myself and bought a fur hat. They were for sale everywhere and irresistible. As soon as I put it on, it was the first time anyone addressed me in Czech instead of English. I obviously looked the part!

We went to a very fancy place called Forbina, where the drinks were again presented with a story, and when they arrived there was dry ice, a giant bubble, a whole little show and tell.

Day Three

I ran to a park and across a bridge to another art sculpture. Aimee ran to a monument. There are so many artistic things to look at in Prague. Every building has a gargoyle or a face or a man hanging from it – so fun to see.

We went to the river to the farmer’s market, and it was huge! Lots of people there, and not just tourists – lots of locals and families out at the farmer’s market like in every city. Food, art, music.

We walked to the Prague Castle, which has great views, especially of the cathedral. We were too late to get tickets, so we checked out the Golden Lane, the grounds, and the views. On the way back, we were on the street by Charles Bridge again, and I love it. So many shops, people, activity. We celebrated Aimee’s birthday, and we went to Bruxxe for dinner.

Day Four

We took the train to Kutna Hora, which has an ossuary, or bone church. Boy, was it creepy. People had used bones to make a giant chandelier, and pyramids, a family crest, and really some unattractive art. I mean, teeth holes. But am I glad I saw it? Yes I am! This was next to The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, and that was pretty. Prettier than bones, anyway.

(The train was not terribly difficult to figure out. Everyone will answer questions and almost everyone speaks English.)

We went back to Prague and ate at Las Adalitas Mexican restaurant, and then we headed over to the circles on the Vltava River. These circles were so cool. They were used for storage, and then they made them into shops, cafes, and galleries. They are a circle of glass and it turns to let you in and out! These looked awesome, and the sun was shining in, and it was beautiful.

Anna left for her train back to Germany, and the rest of us went to the top of Dancing House to see the gorgeous view of the city at dusk. We got pizza at San Carlo because who wouldn’t want to see what Mexican and pizza are like in Prague?

Day Five

Anna had accidentally left her purse, so we went to the post office to send it back to her. This should be a test in all countries. Find a post office. Take a number. Buy an envelope. Figure out how to do this simple task when everything is different. No problem – done!

We went to see the rotating Kafka head, which was another amazing art installation, because it doesn’t rotate like once or twice, it does it at random and in weird ways for 15 minutes!

We walked up the hill to the Strahov Monastery, and it had two absolutely gorgeous libraries. Like the Sistine Chapel. They also had a collection of books that were made from the wood of the trees they were about – and had the seeds and leaves inside – and a gallery of art. The view from here was great – so high, Petrin Tower, a little dusting of snow.

We went to Black Angels and they told us no photos or videos, so I thought the drink presentation was going to be like the other places but…nothing! No pomp and circumstance. They didn’t get the memo.

My favorite things – how old everything was, walking around the city, the river, the bridge, the road next to the bridge, the square, the churches, the bones, the libraries. Every time I go somewhere I know this is probably the last time I’ll ever be there, so I like to live it up and see as much as possible.

I was kind of dreading my long flight home BUT a woman sitting on the aisle next to me tried to move up, but the flight attendant said no, those seats cost more, but did she want the exit row? She said no, and I said, "I DO!" while leaping over her to sit there. I had the row to myself! It was actually an enjoyable 8.5 hour flight. Plus, my cough was finally gone...and the woman I was going to sit by had a way worse one! 

We went on our first trip together with these (exact) friends in 2011, and we’ve been on so many since. I feel very fortunate to have such adventurous and fun friends! Here’s to years of more trips!

2011

Irving, Texas

I went to Irving, Texas for a work conference. 

I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, which of course was nice. I particularly appreciated their multiple desserts with gold topping and their tiny condiment packages. The Tabasco was the size of my pinky finger!

Outside the hotel, we ate at Hard 8 BBQ, which was a traditional Texas BBQ place with outdoor smokers and giant meat plates, and I liked it. We also visited 3 Nations, which had a good atmosphere, and Barrel and Bones, which was another giant meat plate place.

Other than that, I ran around the hotel grounds and area and saw the drive to and from the airport. It was 20 degrees when I got there and 60 when I left. I did enjoy seeing the sun and my coworkers! 

Muskegon, Michigan for New Year's Eve 2025

I like to spend every New Year's Eve somewhere new. This year we chose Muskegon!

We went in two cars - Gage, his kids and Charlotte's fiancé Will, and Kris, our boys, and me. A solid 11 of us makes a party wherever you go! 

We drove straight from home to Lake Michigan, because I love the lake in the winter, and Will had never been there. We set our GPS to Pere Marquette Park, just 110 miles from home. 

Dear reader, it was a miserable. The wind was blowing so incredibly hard and it was bone-chillingly cold - 17 degrees. Evelyn and Jude didn't even get out of the car, and I didn't blame them. I had imagined (like so many times in the past), strolling along the water, enjoying a beautiful winter day. Instead, we walked to the water as the wind whipped sand into our eyes and teeth. We looked at the wild waves that looked like they would swallow you up. There was, not surprisingly since this is Michigan and we are outside no matter what, what looked like a father and son there, and I asked them to take a picture of us. I could tell he was reluctant to take off his glove to do it, but he did. 

It was obvious we weren't going to be able to spend any time there, so we quick headed back to our cars. I mean, Will was only in a sweatshirt!

We had already decided we wanted to go to Unruly Brewing Company, because they had a whole Irish day planned. First, we watched The Mona Shore fiddlers, and after they left we were able to get a table for all of us together! You could order food from the cashier anytime, so some people had pizza and burgers. We then watched Irish dancers and then a full Irish band. There were also lots of people wearing kilts. 

Gage commented, "They sound so Michigan!" as in their Michigan accent. When I didn't live here I would also notice this, but of course I don't any more. The woman announcing the dancers said at one point that the girl had "earned her sparkles," and that was delightful. Apparently you work up from plain costumes to fancy ones!

I loved all of it - they even had a live stream from Dublin on the TV, since they were going to celebrate New Year's Eve for them - 7:00 p.m. for us! We didn't stay there for that, though. At about 4:00 p.m., we left to go check into our houses.

Both of our houses were nice and affordable and owned by a man named Evan. Gage's house was closer to downtown and was incredible! It was old and had huge, tall windows and doorways, but he also decorated it in the style of old, including furniture and books, so it was really cool. We went over to his house, and Kris pulled out the microphones he had just given me for our (24th!) anniversary.

Then followed one of my best moments of 2025. We all sang karaoke! Cole and Ty started off, and let me tell you - if you know me, you know that I love singing and theatre and music and everything that goes along with it. The fact that I was spending New Year's Eve with my family that will happily sing just made my night. And my year. They sang a duet (This Love), Max and I sang a duet (Die with a Smile), and then Kris started a duet for us (More than Words), which we used to sing together. This was particularly meaningful since Kris had vocal cord surgery in 2025, and before that he couldn't sing for a long time, and the fact that he once again could is just so wonderful. My heart! Gage sang a song I love to hear him sing (Wondering Why), Max and Ian sang a duet (Hotel California), and then - Gage suggested Charlotte sing. Oh, what will she sing? He suggested At Last by Etta James. I wondered if she even knew that song. Then she started, and I couldn't help crying. She PERFORMED it. She had obviously sung it a million times and she had such a beautiful voice! I hadn't heard her sing a solo before, and I couldn't help but cry. Will took a video of her, and he was all heart eyes at her, and it was just a perfect, beautiful moment brought to you by karaoke. Thanks family!

We played some games including spoons and golf, and then we headed downtown to eat dinner. Gage's house was just a couple of blocks from downtown. We had no trouble getting into a place and finding two tables. We chose Carlisle's Restaurant, which is attached to a hockey rink. It was a happening place, and really good! A woman walked by with two LED balloons. I had only become aware of them earlier that day, because my friend Aimee was making them at her NYE celebration. I asked the woman if I could take a picture of it, and she said, "Here, you can have one!" I was delighted.

We ate there and walked back to the house, then watched a little of the coverage on TV, played some more games, and went downtown for the band and ball drop. It was still really, really cold. Like, I wore snowpants. They blocked off the whole downtown but oddly, it wasn't plowed, so you were standing on stamped-down snow. The band was good and we danced around and had a good time. Then they started talking, and there was a lot of swearing...I thought, were they billed as family-friendly? Then, the speakers just kept talking, introducing people on stage, thanking people, and we were like, "Uh, it's 11:59 p.m., shouldn't they start the countdown?" Happily, the person dropping the ball (literally not figuratively) started lowering the giant, color-changing ball, and we started the countdown. Midnight! We sang the new year in, then watched fireworks! We walked home to Gage's, collected our stuff, and drove to our own Airbnb.

The next morning, Gage and I planned to do a polar plunge into Lake Michigan. We did it first at Bald Head Island in 2008, and let me tell you it's easier to do it in NC than MI. This time, we were about five miles from the lake, and the logistics of getting there and getting back seemed cold and daunting. Gage suggested we just plunge into Motz Park, and I loved that idea. Turns out that was also frozen, so we ended up rolling in snow in our bathing suits, then jumping in my parents' hot tub. 

A great end to a great year! 

Panama City Beach, Florida - Tracy's 50 state marathon!

My sister Tracy is an amazing person. She was completing her goal of running a marathon in each state, and we wanted to be there to celebrate! She planned to make it happen in Panama City Beach, Florida. She got a big Airbnb, invited a bunch of family and friends, and we were off!

Kris, my dad, and I flew from Detroit to Panama City Beach airport, which was really small. We took an uber to the house and immediately walked to the beach. It was raining, but that didn't detract from the absolute beauty of the white sand and blue-green water. I touched it, and it was pretty warm.

More people flew in, including Tracy and my mom, and we walked to Ford's Garage to eat lunch. It's a chain, but I love Ford's Garage for their nice little touches like having a gas pump as the doorknob, and having tires as sinks. What can I say? I'm from Michigan.

We went to the grocery store and I was unable to resist buying a Panama City Beach sweatshirt. It's so touristy, but I loved it so much.

Back at the house, Tracy gave everyone their shirts she had specially made! They said 'Tracy's Marathon Era Farewell Tour', and then on the back '50th State', with a map of the United States colored except for Florida. I gave everyone stickers of Tracy's face that said 'Tracy's 50th State' so we could wear them with every outfit. The Airbnb had a hot tub, so we warmed up in that and then headed out for dinner.

We chose McGuire's Irish Pub, and it was delightful. It's one of those places that has dollar bills all over it, and they had live music which I loved! Also, the food was great. I had shepard's pie and could only eat half of it. Tracy had a giant, giant pretzel. We made both of them into three meals. (This is also a chain. Chains very popular here.) Erin had us all sign a dollar and slapped one of Tracy's stickers on it before adding it to the wall. Let me know if you see it.

Day Two

Race day! Tracy and Louann got ready for the race. We were all together now - Gage, Tracy, mom, dad, Louann, Kelly, Laura, Erin, Lydia, Kris, Erin, Lisa, and me. We headed to the start line. Tracy and Louann running the marathon, Gage, Kris, and I running the 5k.

Let me note here: since we had landed, it had been raining. It never stopped raining. Fun fact - it continued to rain the entire time we were in Florida. This was unfamiliar to me, because I've never been somewhere where it never stops raining. In Michigan it doesn't ever rain an entire day. If it is a rainy day, it rains on and off, but there are definitely breaks. Here it rained the entire time, even through the night! It was so different! 

We laughed as we looked at the forecast. 52 and rain. "Rain likely to continue for the next several hours." This didn't seem to bother Tracy and Louann. They danced to the start line and...they were off! IT WAS HAPPENING!

An hour later, Kris, Gage, and I ran the 5k. I had decided to run as fast as I could, and it was really fun. Kris said that he figured he could run three miles as fast as he could if Tracy was running 23 more(?!) I came in second in my age group with a decent time, so that was nice. 

The race had gumbo and drinks in Margaritaville afterward, so we gathered there. The timing was perfect, because we were able to see Tracy and Louann at the halfway point! They looked soaked and determined. Definitely in the zone.

We headed back or got clothes or bought a swimsuit or went in the hot tub and watched MSU play basketball or ran along with Tracy (lots of people, lots of activity!) and Louann texted that she was going to walk.

We all gathered at the finish line to wait for Tracy, as we followed the app that told us what mile she was hitting. Did I mention it was raining really hard? 

Lisa had told the announcer about Tracy's feat. As she neared the finish line, we all cheered. She literally danced joyfully over the finish line and - GOAL ACHIEVED!!  

A note here about Tracy. Not only is it the absolute athletic feat of running marathons in all 50 states, but there's the rental cars, finding where to go, the Airbnbs, the working a full and part time job, the logistics of timing, the fact she's doing it all with the genetic visual impairment Stargardt, and really it's just so incredibly impressive in so many ways. I ran three marathons with her, (plus one alone and one ultra) and I've seen up close how difficult it all is - but so, SO amazing. I am so proud of her!!! There aren't enough exclamation points.

Tracy finished in high spirits, joking, laughing, happy. She jumped in front of the finish line. (Yes, she could still jump after all of that!) She said she wanted to walk back, because she couldn't be any wetter anyway. 

We went in the hot tub, and she said, "I just feel so good right now," and I was again amazed, because I don't think I've said that after any marathon.

We watched games, hung out at the house, and looked at the driving rain. We narrowed down our dinner choices to three places and chose the Salty Goat. As soon as we arrived in the uber, we called the second car and said not to come, it was very lively, lots of people were watching the Georgia football game, and they had a live band, but there was nowhere to sit except outside (in the rain!) 

We met up at The Craft Bar, which was perfect for our group. We went around and said what we loved most about Tracy, and we laughed and also cried. We gave a toast to Louann for being the only one of us even willing to try to run a marathon that day, and we enjoyed our time celebrating Tracy's accomplishment together. (I had the bread pudding, and it was incredible.)

Some people headed home, and some of us headed to the Tiki Bar to play pool. We then went to the Whiskey Saloon to play darts, and we had a great time there. Darts were really fun. We then were entertained by watching Gage challenge a young guy who brought his own pool cue(!) to play, and Gage beat him twice. The band was good, we danced, we were amazed you can still smoke indoors, and we caroled at the front door of the Airbnb for good Christmas measure.

Day Three

Did I mention it was raining? It literally rained again, the entire day. We walked to the beach with umbrellas, walked to the grocery store, and hung out until we headed to the airport. Some people were delayed another day, we had to hop on an earlier flight to make our connection, but we all made it home eventually. Tracy, Lisa, and my mom stayed another night. Tracy sent some follow up pictures: 1. Tracy and Lisa wearing the same Panama City Beach sweatshirt from the grocery store. 2. A clear sky and a bright, shining sun! 

Tracy's husband John couldn't come because of the timing of his cancer treatment, but he was able to start work again this week. Tracy headed home to her happy husband, new home, and having another amazing accomplishment in her back pocket. 

Detroit at Thanksgiving

We have really come to love Detroit. It feels kind of familiar now, but on this trip we saw new places!

Thursday

The Lions are on a streak - they've been playing every Thanksgiving since 1945! So I was super excited when we got tickets to go. I quickly ran a Turkey Trot with friends in St Johns, and we were out the door by 9:15 a.m. We parked in a lot and walked around the stadium.

I absolutely loved the atmosphere. People were so excited. There was a buzz in the air. The crowd was really festive - lots of turkey hats, and amazing custom Lions gear. The women went for sparkly, and the men were wearing jerseys and jackets that were one of a kind. There was a beautiful tree people posed in front of for pictures. It was a fun walk.

We found our way to our seats. Cole wanted to walk again to get vouchers, and I went with him. Now, it was too crowded. A totally different feel! There were bottlenecks and tons of people. It was better to get there early, for sure.

The game started. I love the start of a game, since there's so much pomp and circumstance and everyone is so excited about the possibilities of the game. Gospel singer and Detroit native CeCe Winans sang the national anthem, and no wonder she's famous. The game started, and the Lions played well.

We were looking forward to seeing Jack White play at halftime, and I thought everyone would stand...and they didn't. Then Eminem popped out of the stage and everyone JUMPED to their feet in excitement and stayed standing the rest of the time, including through Seven Nation Army, which is weirdly a sports anthem played at every game we attend, ever. It was so incredibly exciting! A little concert with a surprise guest right in the middle of a game on a holiday with my family all together?! YES! 

The Lions did not win, but our spirits were not damped, because due to our long history of being fans, we don't expect them to win. We rushed to a restaurant for dinner because...we had another game to watch! MSU was playing basketball against UNC. And MSU killed them! This also seemed unusual, because I have watched MSU lose a lot to them.

There was still a lot of day left, so after we checked into our hotel (Hilton Garden) Kris and I walked down to see the Christmas tree. Beautiful holiday.

Friday

I got up and ran along the riverfront, which is always pretty. I saw a cool park with artistic animal structures.

We walked to Woodward and shopped, then went to a few parts of the city I hadn’t seen – Corktown and Midtown. We walked around Nike, Alo, Third Man Records, Carhartt, Shinola, Timberland, etc. There were lots of people out and it was festive. We got coffee at The Roasting Plant and checked out the Christmas indoor booths at Campus Maritus.

We went to Corktown Taphouse, because they offered a lot of games! They’re the kind of place where you get a bracelet and every charge just goes on your bracelet so you could spend so much money if you don’t pay attention. Bowling was full, so we did darts, which were real darts with projector games. Really fun!

We checked into our new hotel (The Athenium) and went to the gym. Then we walked to The Brakeman, which was awesome because it had shuffleboard, foosball, and ping pong! We played them all (and ate good food) – mostly shuffleboard. They had a lot of TVs and we watched the Pistons narrowly lose.

Saturday

I ran to William G. Milliken park, which was so pretty – it even has a lighthouse! So fun to go to a new part of Detroit. I also ran on the Dequindre Cut, which is a greenway through the city.

I had floated the idea of going ice skating to the boys, and they all were up for it. We got our rental skates and headed out onto the ice. Kris got a coffee and watched us from the side. It was magical. The Christmas music playing, the beautiful tree, our boys here, gliding around the ice, laughing, people happy, meeting smile after smile…you get the point! I love, loved this.

We got ready and headed to meet our friends at Harry’s Detroit Bar and Grill. We ate there before the game and talked to all of them, and then walked to Ford Field for the MSU game!

The crowd was completely different than it was for the Lions game, which was interesting being in the same spot for a different game.

Once again, a festive atmosphere, and then…a really good game! Michigan State won! None of us expected it, and it was a delightful ending to our sports weekend.

We walked back to our hotel and it was really snowing. It was the kind of floaty, pretty snow that people write songs about. People like Eminem.  

Arlington and Fort Worth, Texas

Kris and I had a meeting in Arlington, Texas. We've been to lots of places in Texas, but we haven't been here!

This was for our annual national milk meeting. The official name of it is the NDB/NMPF/UDIA Joint Annual Meeting, which I have to copy and paste even though Kris and I calculated that we have been going to this meeting since 2012. We've gone to it as the Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperators, the Young Farmer Chair Couple, Kris as a board member for MMPA, UDIM, UDIA treasurer, and at this meeting he was elected as vice chair of the United Dairy Industry Association, the national board of farmers that makes decisions on how the national dairy checkoff promotion money is used. There were 750 people at this meeting, made up of dairy farmers and industry supporters.

Our meeting was at Loews Hotel, which is a cool area surrounded by three sports stadiums. We ate out the first night with United Dairy Industry of Michigan people, and the second night at Piccolo Mondo with our Michigan Milk Producers Association crew. The meeting also has a dairy bar, and I overate in general. But enjoyed it!

Our meeting was really interesting. Here are some quotes I wrote down:

• If you want to get the job done, ask the busiest person you know and they'll get it done.
• When you're producing the most nutritious product in the world, it's something to be proud of.
• You don't want to pull them back, you want to draw them back. Go out and live your life, and there's an opportunity for you to come back if you want it.
• The most important crop you raise is your kids.
• If the government gets out the way, we can feed the world.
• Each farmer feeds 166 people worldwide.
• Instead of spreading ourselves like very poorly buttered bread...
• Consumers are drunk on protein right now, and I am happy to serve them until they get cut off.
• Cows are the most studied animal on the planet, and we have millions of records on their production and health traits.

A trait farmers have is that when I talk to them, they proudly show me pictures of their children and grandchildren. That's just the kind of guys farmers are.

After the meeting Kris and I had a few hours before we left, so we ubered to Fort Worth to the Stockyards.

We arrived just in time for the longhorn parade! That's just what it sounds like - they parade the longhorns down the street, while people on horses ride behind them.

Other activities in town:

• I got to sit on a real longhorn, which was totally worth it seeing as how I've gotten this far in life and have never ridden cattle before.
• We went to Billy Bob's, a huge place with lots of people line dancing and bull riding - very cool and Texan
• Weird stores with taxidermied animals like a raccoon playing the accordion and dead cow rugs
• Good-smelling boot and western clothing stores
• Second Rodeo, a nice outdoor place with music

It was a great stop! I was not dressed in the right costume for this activity. I definitely should have worn a cute western outfit with boots, and there were many opportunities to buy an outfit at one of the many stores, but I resisted.

Texas was fun - again! Yee haw!

Maryland

Alicia invited us to run the Bay Bridge Run in Annapolis, Maryland. It’s a big race – 18,000 people over a four-mile suspension bridge.

This was my fifth time visiting Alicia’s house, and we do new activities every time!

Alicia picked me up from the airport and had a cold Diet Mountain Dew in the cup holder for me. She also did this last time she picked me up from the airport, and I can hardly tell you how delighted I was and am. Please, other people in my life take notes that it takes very little to earn my undying love. My love language is apparently ‘Brings you pop after you got up at 1:45 a.m. to make it to the airport and also gave you their points to get there.'

Alicia, husband Bobby, son Billy and I went to the Tug of War in Eastport. (They call it The Tug, and promote that it starts at the crack of noon!) Our high school has a tug of war during their pep assemblies and I always comment on how wholesome I find the whole thing. This was next-level wholesomeness! The towns of Eastport and Annapolis challenge each other to a tug of war, and then they have a whole evening’s worth of them. Like the Eastport fire department vs. the Annapolis fire department. The Eastport real estate agents vs. the Annapolis real estate agents. Just good, brute strength fun.

There were a ton of people there, food trucks, a marching band, art for sale, interesting people watching, and basically everything that makes up a good festival PLUS a tug of war. I liked the atmosphere.

It began with our national anthem, and when it got to the line, ‘Oh say does that star spangled’ – the crowd that was not previously singing really yelled the “OH” loud and hard.

I asked Alicia and Bobby why, and they told me it was for the Orioles. I’d not heard that before.

As soon as we got there I reached in my jacket pocket for money and learned that my driver’s license and credit card, which I knew I had put in there, had fallen out because I had failed to zip the pocket.

“That’s because you just told that story about Cole’s phone falling out of his zippered pocket,” Alicia said. It was true. I had just told that story. I locked my credit card online.

I put it out of my mind, hoping that they were actually back in my room, even though I secretly knew they were not. After we were done at the festival, (who won? Lots of men wearing gloves), I searched my room and saw they were indeed…not there. I emailed the fire department, searched ‘how to fly without your license’ and hoped for the best.

Laurie arrived from North Carolina! We three went downtown to eat at The Goat. They had great burritos. As we were sitting there, I got a phone call from a 413 number. It was Monica at Bread and Butter, and she told me she had my driver’s license and credit card, and I could pick them up at her restaurant anytime. Oh, people are so nice. Thanks Monica!

We next went to the Annapolis Market House, where we ran into Alicia’s friends, and then upstairs to Middleton Tavern, where a guy plays piano and everyone sings along. We were going to call it a night when we got a text that the race for the next day was cancelled. They cancel it if it’s going to rain, and it was predicted to rain.

We had all trained so hard for this race and were basically in our athletic primes, so this was a big disappointment. Just kidding. We had not trained at all but were disappointed because it was going to be fun. We quickly recovered by realizing now we did NOT have to call it a night, so we listened to more songs there, and then ended the night at the Annapolis Yacht Club. The boats and the moon were so pretty, and Alicia and Laurie are always a lot of fun.

Day Two

Alicia drove me to Bread and Butter Kitchen to pick up my ID and credit card. So easy, so happy.

Alicia had the great idea of going on a golf cart tour of the U.S. Naval Academy! First, we decided that we would put on our race shirts and bibs and go running. Then it started to rain really hard, and we decided that they would drop me off, I’d run in the rain, and they would drive back because they are smarter than I am. Alicia lives right by water and it is always a beautiful run on the beach! I saw lots of people in the same race shirt and we all cheered each other on. Who needs an organized race?!

We got ready, parked downtown, and met up with our tour guide June. It was just her and the three of us in the golf cart. The tour was super interesting, and she was a great guide! I cried a few times when she told about people who had died while serving. (My brother Gage graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and I’m very proud of him.) The grounds and buildings and facilities were beautiful, and I loved seeing the little midshipmen all over. After the golf cart ride, we walked into the building Billy swims in, the crypt, and the chapel. Totally recommend.

We ate lunch at McGarvey’s, which has a tree growing in the middle of it which is somehow very charming.

We walked into the city and there was a festival going on – some sort of fall tasting festival. I said to Alicia that they just had a festival yesterday. She said there is a festival every day. What a blast!

Alicia walked us around to a few shops that she likes, and they were cute and interesting and had different items than I usually see.

We went to the Yacht Club and looked at the boats and that water. Alicia, who is not from Annapolis, really appreciates the beauty of where she lives. It makes it even more special.

We had dinner at Adam’s on 4th and talked about football with the people there. Ravens won and Lions won! Let’s see if we can work it into the national anthem.

Day three

Alicia and I went for a walk on her beach. We saw a bald eagle. I see eagles at home but am always excited by them. A few minutes later we saw a fox, and I never see foxes! It trotted right up the stairs of a person’s home, and I thought – did I just take a picture of a dog? But Alicia reassured me it really was a fox. Maybe they have a fox as a pet.

We said our goodbyes to Bobby, Billy, and then Laurie, and Alicia drove me to the airport. After I went through TSA, I realized that I only had my backpack. I did not have my roller bag. I turned around and saw my roller bag coming through the conveyor belt.

“Oh!” I said to the people there. “That’s my bag.”

“That teal one?” the woman said. “We just figured you forgot it and put it up on there. I mean I guess it could be a bomb, but we hoped not.”

“Thank you!” I said, wishing she hadn’t said ‘bomb’ so loudly while in line with TSA people who had not been paid for 41 days. I certainly did appreciate her doing it, thinking about how they could have sent it back into some office that would require me doing an entire song and dance to get it back. I was happy that people were so nice.

Also, I wondered – what am I doing? Why am I tossing my possessions about, like scattering flower petals into the wind?

I’m a free spirit, I decided. Those social norms aren’t holding me back. I’ll make it through without ID, credit cards, or a suitcase of clothes. But happily, thanks to nice people, I didn’t have to find out if that was true.

It was another great trip to Annapolis, and I’m sure it’s not my last!