the day I discovered I had a hidden talent

On our Michigan trip last summer, Sam and two of our friends convinced me to go fishing. I had not been fishing in many, many years, and wasn't super excited to do so again. Several reasons for this: one, worms are disgusting. Two, fish are mean. Three, fish scales are painful. Four, while I'm not a vegetarian, I don't find it entertaining to maim animals (including fish, excluding deer) for fun.

Sam is a great fisherman, as is evidenced in this photograph of Sam from when he was a small child. 

Look at Tiny Sam with his Tiny Chucks.

So we headed out to the middle of Lake Leelanau and cast our lines. And although I was not the first to catch a fish, I certainly caught the biggest.

And the most. *

This is actually Sam's fish. He did catch one. Or two. Not six like me.

I'm also humble.

Such a pro I don't even lose the worms, say whaaaat?!

You'll notice that Sam is holding most of these fish. Although I'm great at reeling the fish in, I'm not as interested in touching them once they are in the boat. Therefore, Sam was in charge of unhooking them and tossing them back.

There you have it. My secret talent. If you ever need a fishing buddy, you know who to call!

*No fish were harmed killed in the making of this blog post.

throwback thursday

I mentioned in this post that Sam and I had been on vacation for a while in one of our favorite places on earth. Since I abandoned blogging around that time, I never wrote about our actual vacation!

Wouldn't it be your favorite place on earth, too?


Several members of Sam's family own property in Northwest Michigan, and let me tell you: it is to die for. Everywhere you go is so peaceful, and Lake Michigan is at it's finest. I've only been three times, and I'm in love. Sam has been there almost every summer (every summer?) of his life, and I'm so jealous!

 Eating some gyros at an art festival

These pictures are from the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which is a you-know-what to climb but is totally worth it once you get to the top! Look at that view!

Sam's best friend and his sweet girlfriend came up to hang with us for a few days! It was so wonderful to have another girl around with all of the testosterone (Sam has two brothers). 

Another one of my favorites--sweet shops in Fishtown. This one makes the. best. sandwiches around. 

Lots of beach time. As you'll notice, I'm wearing a sweatshirt in this picture. In August, it's not uncommon for temperatures to drop into the 40s at night!

Back porch sittin'

Here are a few pictures just to spark your interest. If you ever need a different kind of vacation, you should definitely head to the Traverse City area (we travel a bit more north) and check it out!

Can't wait for next year!