We are human.  We cling to routine and familiarity, even when life changes around us all the time.  There is comfort in predictability, and there is peace when the world feels familiar.  Since COVID, that familiaty has been shaken, and we are in need of new traditions to anchor ourselves in peace.

Sure, the Lions will still play on Thanksgiving day, and college football will host games throughout the holiday.  People will gather, food will be eaten, but things have changed.  People age, life moves quickly, and old traditions are left behind.  If they're not replaced, you can loose the spirit of the holiday season. 

We have a few recommendations to create new traditions for your holiday season this year.  We have traveled and found places in which we love, and hope you find a new tradition with a little bit of holiday magic as well.  We are not affiliated with any of these!  We just highly recommend!

Nite Lites at MIS Speedway
https://nitelitesshow.com/

Located at the Michigan International Speedway, this drive through light show is a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season.  You can book a train ride as well if you want to spend a little time in the experiencing Michigan's outdoors while viewing the lights!

​Check website for times and cost!

Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad
​Christmas Holiday Magic
Stroll through the collection of historic buildings at Crossroads Village when they are decorated in the magic of Christmas.  This tradition gives you a glimpse of Christmas in the past.  Grab some candy and hot chocolate before heading over and getting a ticket to the railroad.  The trip will take you on a light show for the county.  It's a wonderful way to find a little Christmas magic!
​

Holly Dickens Festival
https://www.hollydickensfestival.org/​
​Spend the day stepping into the past in Holly, Michigan.  Outdoor markets and eateries line the street, as nostalgic visitors take in the historic nod to Christmas.  Players walk along dressed in period costumes, carolers share their love of music, stories are told, and fires are lit.  It's a walk back in time that has something for everyone. 

Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland
https://www.bronners.com/
​Visit Frankenmuth this holiday season and stop in to Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store.  This store has multiple entrances, and as you wander you'll find different sections of Christmas decor.  Ornaments of every kind, Christmas decorations, and even Santa can be found.  Bronner's is open year round, yet makes the perfect getaway for a new Christmas tradition. 

On the 10th of November,
50 years to remember,
the fate of a ship lost that night.

The legend lives on,
through story and song,
of Whitefish that didn't have light.

The ship on a sea,
while Great it may be,
lost a crew that gave all their might.

Stand at the edge
of Superior's ledge,
to honor the tale full of fight.

A storm and the lake,
does dangerous make,
as the ship sits just out of sight.

So let the bell ring,
​And let Gordon Sing,
about the Edmund Fitzgerald lost that night. 

Michigan has miles and miles of lakeshore.  Surrounded by three Great Lakes that are considered more to be inland seas, she boasts a coastline greater then most on the oceans.  Michigan has beaches and cliffs and forest lined waters.  The most prominent being her National Lakeshore: Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore lies along the northwest portion of the lower peninsula, overlooking Lake Michigan.  The dunes rise high above the water, giving way to incredible views and difficult climbs.  As you spend the day exploring, you will look out and eventually see the two islands just off the coast.  The two cubs, that never made it to shore.

The story is well known in Michigan.  A mother and her cubs left the shores of Wisconsin, escaping a forest fire.  They swam across Lake Michigan, seeking refuge on the other side of the lake.  As the mother reached the shore, she turned back to find that her cubs did not.  They are eternally enshrined in the islands off the coast, while the Mother Bear laid her head to eternally sleep on the shore, waiting forever for their return.

While this tragic story has the sadness of a waiting heart, it also brings so much beauty to waiting.  The seasons come and go, and the steadfast beauty of the dunes remains, with the story of love resounding through each of the seasons.  The colors change, the leaves fall, the mother bear sleeps.  The snow blankets the coast, ice forms, and the story becomes frozen in time for the winter, knowing there is no movement.  Spring comes, and the beauty of the islands and lakeshore come to life, reviving the world and bringing joy, even through the wait.  Summer shares her shores with all those who visit and learn the story for the first time.  They leave in awe of a legend.  There's so much beauty in waiting.

We spend a lot of our life waiting for things.  We wait to grow up, wait for the right job, the right person, the right situation.  We pass through time, waiting on things that evolve through life.  Sometimes, we can become sleepy in our waiting.  We close our eyes and just wish that whatever it was we were waiting for would just get here already.

What Sleeping Bear teaches us is that there is beauty in the waiting.  Even if what we want has not yet made it to us, the world around us still changes and grows and demonstrates it's beauty.  The waiting still gives us seasons to be in awe of, and still gives us opportunities to change over time.  And like Mother Bear, we may wait eternally for one thing, but the wait is always for Love that extends beyond time and our understanding.  And that is a love that is always worth waiting for.

So as you drive along and visit the National Lakeshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes, spend some time reflecting on those things you are waiting for in life.  What islands are you continually staring at, hoping the wait will end.  And how can you turn your head away from that, even just for a moment, to take in the beauty around you that is provided in the waiting.

Live a life full of beautiful waiting.

It's October, and baseball playoff's are in full swing.  While traveling, if you have the chance to get in a baseball game, it's always worth it.  The tickets can be a decent price just to get into the game.  Baseball parks are full of incredible history and worth seeing, even if there isn't a game.  Here are three we love!

Without a doubt, American Field in Milwaukee is our favorite.  With the ability to open and close the roof, you never miss a game.  The Brewers are fun to watch and the fans are invested in this hometown team.  Definitely worth the drive!

Tiger Stadium was an icon in Detroit.  When it was replaced by Comerica Park, it was not recieved favorably by all.  Now a central part of Woodward Ave, Comerica Park has both great baseball and great views.  The city skyscapes rise above the field, with fireworks in the outfield.  There are plenty of places to eat and drink directly outside the stadium, and you can walk the entire way around.  Also, pull up to the fence just outside, and you can catch a few glimpses of the game.

The Great American Ballpark is the last on our list.  Watching the Reds play along the Ohio River is truly the most American way to watch baseball.  You settle into your seat and watch baseball from one direction, while watching the history of the building of America slowly go by in the other.  You feel a sense of longing for simple days and a historic lifestyle.  The Reds take you back to enjoy these times.

Thank you Bob Uecker!!!

So as the leaves fall, and Baseball playoffs take over your television, start planning your next field adventure.  Spring training will be here before you know it!

Scotland is an incredible travel destination.  With beautiful landscapes and wonderful culture, the people and sites make visiting more than worthwhile.  This unique country of the British Isles has something for everyone.  You just have to make the choice to go.

First, get your ticket and fly into Edinburgh.  Look around.  Flights are cheaper in some airports compared to others.  We find flights are much cheaper out of Toronto or Chicago.  Saving money on flights can help provide more funding for later adventure.  Click HERE to get your international travel gear!  (We are Amazon Affliates so we will make a small amount of compensation if you click our link and support us!)

Don't drive when you first get there.  If you're headed to the Highlands you'll want a car at some point.  But a car is not necessary within the local areas.  Hope on the bus to the city center of Edinburgh.  This walkable town will provide you everything you need.  Spend a couple of days, get your steps in, see the castle, and enjoy getting to know the capital of the Scots.

Once you're ready to move on from Edinburgh, hop on the train.  You can stay local and visit towns like Stirling.  We recommend taking the train north to Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.  You can return to Stirling later in your trip if interested.  The Highlands are worth the visit.

Inverness is well worth a day or so to visit.  Take the bus out to Culloden Battlefield.  This trip takes about half the day to explore and experience the history of Scotlands legacy with the British Empire.  Explore Inverness by walking the streets and visiting it's unique business' and churches.  The river Ness runs through town, providing incredible pictures with Inverness Castle in the background.

Here's where renting a car becomes worth it.  Head out to Inverness airport by train and pick up a car to head north or  west into the Highlands.  Each direction provides a vastly different experience.  Head north and experience the coastal culture of Scotland.  The sun shines and the ocean calls.  Head west, and the moodiness of the Highlands envelopes you.  The weather broods and the oceans mulls over the battles both lost and won among the clans of the Highlands.  

Head North:

The coastal landscapes ebb and flow as you drive north.  Preserved castles and ruins dot the landscape, providing plenty of places to spot and visit along the way.  Make your way to the Northernmost point and watch the sunet over the Orkney Islands.  If you have time, take the ferry across to Kirkwell and visit the land of viking hertigage mixed with English and Scottish history.  

Head East:

Head into the Highlands towards the Isle of Skye.  Watch the clouds roll over you and pull you into the silent songs of Scotland that live in her hills.  Bagpipes and clans make up the land that was fought over for centeries.  Cross over onto the Isle of Skye and step back into the land before time.  The ancient mountains and the tumbling surrounding sea provide endless hours of hiking and discovery.  Search for ruins of towns before the clearing, and dinosaur prints far before our time.  Fairy tales will allow your mind to imagine a world far beyond what we can understand.  

From here you can drive back to Inverness and take the train to return to the city.  If you would rather not drive into major towns, staying north is always best.  However, if you'd like to explore, head southwest to visit Glencoe and a famous bridge along the way.  

We did all of this is two different trips to Scotland.  It would take about a month to roughly see the sites we saw, and we drove to be able to have access to see more.  You can get around by train to some places, but you will not be able to access places like Skye with the train.  

Follow along as we give you plenty of places to stop and see as you make you way across the land of the Scots.

Flint, Michigan is famous.  And it's not always for the greatest of things.  Built on the back of the car industry, the city itself has a storied history with an indusrial feel.  Located in the lower peninsula of Michigan, it lacks the landscapes of the north.  It's not necessarily the number one tourist city in the mitten state.

Yet here, in the seemingly mundane part of Michigan, you'll find one of the most unique and beautiful structures created.  The beautiful Stepping Stones Falls is a build of beauty where you'd least expect it.

Stepping Stones Falls is a manmade dam that hold back the Flint River to create a recreation area with C S Mott lake.  The concreate has been designed in a stepping stone pattern with pillars at various points to direct water into various patterns as it cascades to the river below.

The falls are a wonderful place to walk and take in the beauty.  In a world that is always on the move, talking a walk through the park and sitting at the bast of the falls allows viewers to take in beauty that has been built into the world.  As you take in this moment, the falls begin to shape into a way to look at life.  Life, like the water, is always moving.  What you do with it matters.

Sometimes life can be mundane and industrial.  The day to day grind can become repetivie and draining, and the landscape can begin to look flat with no end in sight.  The water comes, whether we want it to our not.  It's up to us to decide how to divert it into something beautiful.

Take time to build places in your life that create beauty from the nonstop flow of life.  Find ways to change and move moments into new directions, allowing it to cascade and flow into different places.  Above all, find time to stop and enjoy the life that you have built.  Remember the journey it took to build that life step by step, and embrace the beauty that you have created.

You only get to do life this one time.  Build your best life!

We've now made two trips to the capital of Scotland.  Both trips were incredible adventures.  The first trip, we spent 24 hours in Edinburgh, taking in as much as we could as quickly as we could.  We had taken an early flight from Ireland and we were on a train the next morning to Inverness.  Our second trip, we flew directly into the city and spent two days before heading to the Highlands.

The must see attraction in Edinburgh in the castle.  Edinburgh Castle sits as the base of the town.  The original walls and close's make up the central portion of Old Town, with the Castle at the height of it all.  A few notes about visiting the castle:

• Book ahead of time.  You cannot book day of, as you are not likely to get a ticket
• You can use the Scottish Heritage Pass when booking ahead of time.
• If you plan to go prior to 1 PM, you can witness the firing of the cannon at 1.  The cannon set the clocks for merchants on the sea.

The castle will take you a few hours to go through, depending on much you enjoy reading and diving into history.  If you'd like to start at the far end of the Royal Mile and make your way towards the castle in the morning, prior to going, You can stop at a few museums on your way.  The Museum of Edinburgh, The People's Museum and the Writer's Museum are all along the way as you walk up the Royal Mile to the Castle, or walk down the Royal Mile towards the water.  Each of these provides unique perspectives of the history of Edinburgh and the people that have lived there, both common and famous.

If only doing 24 hours, one plan we recommend is to start your day at Calton Hill in the morning, and spend some time taking in the sites of the city.  From there, head to the Castle (booked ahead) and then down the mile to stop at the museums as well as The Real Mary King's Close (a must do!)  (Also, book tickets ahead of time.)  By the time you've taken in these sites, and eaten a few meals, you'll be near the end of the day at Greyfriars Kirk.  Greyfriars Kirk is a great spot to see as the end of the day if you are into the haunting side of Edinburgh.  If you aren't, simply flip the day.  Calton Hill is highly recommended to see at sunset as well!

If you want to spend two days in Edinburgh, immediately split the difference between Greyfriars Kirk and Calton Hill, plan to end each of your nights there.  (If you go in August, the Royal Military Tattoo is work seeing.  We did Calton Hill at sunset and then walked to the Tattoo.)  For your second day in city, take some time to stroll the Prince's Street Gardens and visit the Scott Memorial.  You can move one of the museums into the second day, or visit the National Museum of Scotland.  Head over to Dean's Village and hike along the river to take in some beautiful scenery and sites within the city limits.  Interested in the darker history?  Head over to the Edinburgh Dungeon's and become part of the interactive retelling of the stories that haunt Edinburgh.

There's never enough time to truly see everything in a city.  Edinburgh's diversity truly has something for everyone, and each time you go can be a truly different experience.  Spend some time focusing on the things you love to do the most, and Edinburgh will provide you your adventure. 

We travel, which is a lot busier than a vacation.  Traveling, for us, is to see and experience as much of a place we visit as we can.  We strive to immerse ourselves into the history, culture, and landscapes.

The catch is, you're working within a limited time frame.  Every day only has so many minutes and hours within it, and every travel experience only has so many days.  Every time you start an adventure, it will have an end date.  

So we make the most of it.  We keep moving through the day.  We stop to see as much as we can.  We enjoy lunches in parks and drinks in local places.  We find ways to experience everything that there is to offer, while still contiuning to keep moving forward.

You are traveling through this life.  You are give so many minutes, hours and days.  You have the opportunity to make the most of every exeperience.  Why do we not treat every day as though we are on a travel adventure?

Could you imagine?  Think about what that would look like.  Where would you go?  What would you do? Who would speak too?  If every day you get up and you make the decision to just keep moving forward, what would you see?  What adventures lie just within your reach, even if you don't feel like you're traveling through life on an adventure?

Make the most of every single moment and just keep moving forward.  Find your adventures, and make sure that you are using every minute and every hour to create your own life adventure.  Every step you take, even on the hard days, are always worth taking

Taking a trip to Scotland starts with a trip to the capital.  Edinburgh sits on the edge of a bay off the North Sea.  It's a storybook town filled with layers of history around every corner.  From Castle's to Wizards, Edinburgh has something for everyone to love.

Take a tour of Edinburgh Castle.  Home to Mary, Queen of Scots, the castle sits on an extinct volcano with a history of turmoil.  As Scotland strived to identify itself, battles ensued between the clans and the English.  The castle provides a look at the English's role in the development of Scotland and it's history within the world.  It's also home to the Royal Military Tattoo, an amazing night of gathering and celebrating.

Take a walk down the Royal Mile and immerse yourself in the history and culture that is Edinburgh.  Discover the ancient streets of the city.  A "close" is an alleyway, and there are several fascinating ones that are worth visiting.  Make sure to stop and see The Real Mary King's Close, and take a trip under the city into the time of the plague.  Find your way into the Writer's Close and immerse yourself into the writing history of the city.  Then stroll over to Dean's Village and find rustic beauty in the city setting.

Take a stroll across the city to discover a world of writer's.  Victoria's street allows you to experience the world of J.K Rowling.  Stop into stores along the way and imagine yourself in the wizarding world.  Find your way over to Grayfriar's Kirk and meet Bobby, the ever watchful watchdog.  Here you'll also meet chargers along the way.  One last stop to the Scott Monument, and you're walking in the footsteps of those who make magic with words.

Then at sunset, take a walk up to Calton Hill.  The national monument sits above the city and provides fabulous views to the landscape around.  Grab a drink at the local bar, while sitting and watching the sun set over the castle.  

Edinburgh is a hauntingly beautiful city.  We return year after year because you will always discover something new along the way.  The city is a mixture of history, culture, and nature, providing you the best experience.  As you plan your trip to Scotland, make sure you've found your way to the capital of the Scots!