September 2017: Labor day weekend, our anniversary, and my adventures to Saugatuck and Seattle

This September was a super busy month filled with lots of quality time with friends and family as well as a fantastic professional adventure for me. 

We kicked off the month with a Labor Day weekend that included dinner and s'mores at our friends' house, the Charltons. Alan and I also celebrated our 16th anniversary a month early by buying a new king-size mattress (finally), having dinner at Harry & Izzy's (delicious), and finishing the night with a viewing of the first episode of Game of Thrones (great night but could have done without Game of Thrones). And then we finished out the long weekend with a Girl Scout service project to help victims of the hurricanes, some down time on our porch, a quick visit to Peggy's house while Aunt Jean was in town, and a last trip to the Knights of Columbus pool before the weekend was over! 











The following weekend, a few of my close friends from my time at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development miraculously found the time in our busy schedules to steal away for an unforgettable weekend in Saugatuck, Michigan. It was one of those weekends where the weather was perfect, the company was even better, and everything we planned seemed to happen organically and with ease. 

We climbed Mt. Baldy, an enormous sand dune and then walked along the beach once in the afternoon and once in the morning. Both times, the views and the weather were absolutely spectacular. And the conversation was easy, fun, and soul-nourishing. 

Climbing the steps of Mt. Baldy

View from the top


Down the dune to Oval Beach

The beautiful Lake Michigan

Heading back down to Saugatuck

Can you spot the deer?

Beginning our morning walk

Jackie and Amy on the rocks

Enjoying the view

A beautiful sailboat heading out to Lake Michigan

We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the dunes for a buggy ride where we learned about the difference between live and dead dunes, the effects of deforestation due to the rebuilding after the Chicago fire (which led to a buried town called Singapore), and the fact that a cottonwood tree is like an iceberg in that most of the tree is buried below the ocean of sand dunes. We also learned that they weren't kidding when they said that this would be a thrill ride, our driver liked corny jokes, and Amy was scared to death to ride fast on the dunes. 


On the Dune Buggy ride

Love this crew! 

Tip of a cottonwood tree

And last, but certainly not least, we finished off the day by boating on the Kalamazoo river for a little over an hour. We went boating in a beautiful retro boat that was teeny tiny and teal! It was perfect for our crew, and we had a great time on the water. We even finished off our last evening in Michigan by going to a local bar recommended to us by the retro boat owners. The music was eclectic as was the crowd, and we loved it.  






The following weekend I headed out of town again for one of the best professional experiences of my life--Leadership Exchange Seattle. The Indy Chamber does a site visit to a different city every year where community leaders from Indy have a chance to compare notes with community and business leaders in other cities, and this year Seattle was chosen. Not only did I love going back to Seattle after many years of a hiatus, but I also loved the years of networking that I squeezed into just a couple of days. 

The Museum of Flight opening reception (complete with a flight simulator experience), meetings at the famous and gorgeous Edgewater hotel, dine-arounds at amazing restaurants with fascinating people, a tour of the Boeing facility and the Underground tour of Seattle, and a closing reception at the Museum of Pop Culture made for an unforgettable experience where i learned a tremendous amount about myself, my community, and ouf course the people of Seattle as well. 


Museum of Flight

Edgewater Hotel

Underground Tour Guide

Undergrund Tour

Seattle Public Library


Interview with President of Sub Pop Records and community activist


Live music: Manchester Orchestra in town

Angie Carr Klitzsch and I!

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