hidden michigan treasures...

mike and i just spent 6 glorious day in the leelanau peninsula...located northwest of traverse city, it's considered michigan's wine country. since i just visited napa valley a few months back i can testify that this hidden michigan treasure holds the same delights as california's wine country.

we started our trip with 3 days of camping at the leelanau state park. our campsite had an amazing view of the lake with front row seats of the sunsets. despite the nightly visits from a rather chubby raccoon we had a great time. during the day we toured around the quaint towns of the peninsula. leland, glen arbor, northport...all with their own charms.

so after 3 days of no shower, enduring outhouses, and sleeping on the ground, we ended our trip with a 2 night stay at the vineyard inn in suttons bay. a great find! and suttons bay (only 15 minutes outside of traverse city) is a delightful town with lots of art galleries and amazing restaurants. we spent one day visiting local vineyards to sample their creations. known for their white wines in this area we enjoyed comparing the subtle flavors. by the end of our trip i was trying to convince mike that we should move to the area.

since i appreciate recommendations for planning trips here's a list of our favorites:
* stone house bread co. in leland (they ship their flour in from france)
* historic fishtown in leland
* the vineyard inn
* samuel's and cafe bliss in suttons bay-both restaurants serve food that is locally grown (delicious!!!)
* gabby's in traverse city
* adelaide's coffee shop in suttons bay...the owner, susan was so friendly and gave us great recommendations
* chateau chantal vineyard...great wine and a b & b (great rates!)
* black star farms...a grand estate where they have both wine and cheese
* ciccone vineyard..not our favorite wine but the grounds are beautiful. they host a lot of weddings in their red barn
* driving through old mission peninsula

here are pictures from our trip...hope it inspires you to plan a trip of your own

i'm a bag lady....

in my effort to live a more consicous life i started this past year using canvas tote bags at the grocery stores instead of the plastic ones that i hear take thousands of years to decompose. my favorite bag is from trader joe's (which i desperately wish we had one in grand rapids) i know many people think that something so little won't make a difference in the state of our environment, but it has changed me. there is something really satisfying about not throwing away one more thing. it has shaken me out of the consumer-convenience-wasteful state that our culture breeds. i certainly get funny looks at the stores as i grab for my pile of canvas bags. but maybe it will evoke others to be more aware of their actions and if there are being good stewards of our world.

hi, my name is kelly and i'm a bag lady...and proud of it!!!

home is where...

so in the past month or so mike and i have begun having serious conversations about buying a home. i will only serve at calvin for one more year so we'll need to find new digs after that. it's exciting to dream about having our own little place...but scary when we think of the costs and responsibilities.

we're hoping to stay close to downtown GR (cause that's where all the action is at yo) the neighborhoods have character, culture, and diversity that we feel drawn to...

so any tips/advice/donations that you want to contribute to the powers' dream home project are welcome. but we do appreciate your prayers...for us we don't just want a house but a community to share life with, a place that could be a nurturing home for future children, a home to serve out of. and a state of the art kitchen wouldn't hurt.

how did i get here?

i wonder if people who start blogs thought they would ever become a "blogger"? i wretch at the idea...i'm not a fan of the age of technology but delight in writing a letter or having coffee with a friend.

so how did i get here?

my first response is that this is an attempt to reconnect with family and friends that we have failed to call, write, or visit over the past year or so. mike and i love our jobs but they require much of us. but we're not willing to sacrifice community for our careers. so hopefully this will be one way (and i emphasize one way since we desire more of our relationships with you) to stay connected.

i do love stories...reading them, writing them. a legacy from my grandmother and mom. so may this be a place where mike and i can tell our stories.

so here we go...one reluctant step into the world of blogging.

kp