Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Never again.

Christina and Ryan, plus Christina's parents and her cousin, were going to the cottage (Alden/Bellaire, MI) for Labor Day Weekend. Brandon's parents were going to be there, too, and they encouraged us to come. We thought "Oh, hey, why not?" I will tell you why not.

TRAFFIC ON LABOR DAY IS A MESS. Other than that, it was a blast. We love spending time with the family, and even though everyone acted like it had been awhile since we'd all been together, it was about the same amount of time as every other "gap" in seeing everyone. It was pretty cool to meet Christina's family - we'd always heard tons about them, but only met the cousin (Eddie) who recently moved to WI from Germany. We had met him the last time we visited Ryan and Christina in WI, but it was nice to get to hang out with everyone.

The weather was horrid. It poured and was windy and kept on raining and kept on raining. We did get the chance to go out on the boat, which is always a treat for people who are not from MI. Torch Lake is by far one of the most gorgeous places ever. The water is beautiful and clear, and the houses on the lake are magnificent. It's rumored that people such as Madonna, Kid Rock and Eminem have houses on the Lake, and it would not surprise me with the places that are there. 

We did get to go into town, and I got some Christmas shopping done! Gifts for two of the cousins and Christina were taken care of (which was a feat, considering Christina was with us) so Brandon and I are one step closer to my end of October holiday shopping deadline.

Now I'm off to what is supposed to be a 4-day work week...except I work on Saturday...and Sunday...

Coleslaw...on a hot dog...?

Groupon is the greatest thing EVER. It makes it so that a) Brandon and I can explore Chicago restaurants at a discount and b) that I can have dinner plans without having to think ahead. One day last week was a pretty long day at work and the last thing I wanted to do was go make dinner. Brandon and I had free cupcakes to pick up, so I told him to grab the Groupon that I had purchased earlier in the week and meet me for dinner and desert.

* For those of you not familiar with Groupon: it's a daily e-coupon for businesses in your area (so Chicago) based on your zip code. Find it, use it, love it. I LIVE for it (except on days like today when its White Sox discount tickets.)

The Groupon we had used was for America's Dog. They specialize in "city dogs," so you order the city dog you want and it comes with fries and drink. I had an Atlanta Dog because I was feeling daring. It was a great choice! Chili, coleslaw, ketchup and mustard - it was GLORIOUS. We highly recommend and we will absolutely be returning there to try more hot dogs!

Never again.

0
| Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Christina and Ryan, plus Christina's parents and her cousin, were going to the cottage (Alden/Bellaire, MI) for Labor Day Weekend. Brandon's parents were going to be there, too, and they encouraged us to come. We thought "Oh, hey, why not?" I will tell you why not.

TRAFFIC ON LABOR DAY IS A MESS. Other than that, it was a blast. We love spending time with the family, and even though everyone acted like it had been awhile since we'd all been together, it was about the same amount of time as every other "gap" in seeing everyone. It was pretty cool to meet Christina's family - we'd always heard tons about them, but only met the cousin (Eddie) who recently moved to WI from Germany. We had met him the last time we visited Ryan and Christina in WI, but it was nice to get to hang out with everyone.

The weather was horrid. It poured and was windy and kept on raining and kept on raining. We did get the chance to go out on the boat, which is always a treat for people who are not from MI. Torch Lake is by far one of the most gorgeous places ever. The water is beautiful and clear, and the houses on the lake are magnificent. It's rumored that people such as Madonna, Kid Rock and Eminem have houses on the Lake, and it would not surprise me with the places that are there. 

We did get to go into town, and I got some Christmas shopping done! Gifts for two of the cousins and Christina were taken care of (which was a feat, considering Christina was with us) so Brandon and I are one step closer to my end of October holiday shopping deadline.

Now I'm off to what is supposed to be a 4-day work week...except I work on Saturday...and Sunday...

Coleslaw...on a hot dog...?

0
|
Groupon is the greatest thing EVER. It makes it so that a) Brandon and I can explore Chicago restaurants at a discount and b) that I can have dinner plans without having to think ahead. One day last week was a pretty long day at work and the last thing I wanted to do was go make dinner. Brandon and I had free cupcakes to pick up, so I told him to grab the Groupon that I had purchased earlier in the week and meet me for dinner and desert.

* For those of you not familiar with Groupon: it's a daily e-coupon for businesses in your area (so Chicago) based on your zip code. Find it, use it, love it. I LIVE for it (except on days like today when its White Sox discount tickets.)

The Groupon we had used was for America's Dog. They specialize in "city dogs," so you order the city dog you want and it comes with fries and drink. I had an Atlanta Dog because I was feeling daring. It was a great choice! Chili, coleslaw, ketchup and mustard - it was GLORIOUS. We highly recommend and we will absolutely be returning there to try more hot dogs!
 

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