Let the Holiday Season begin

Hello, friends!  I hope that you are all well and enjoyed a relaxing and happy Thanksgiving holiday.  This is the time of the year focused on slowing down and taking the time to really think about all of the things for which we are thankful, to enjoy spending time with those we love, and to focus on the things that are really important in our lives, but too many times we get caught up in all of the hoopla and commercialism of the holiday seasons.  I've been guilty of that in the past, but I made a conscious decision several years ago to change that.  All of the stress of obligations and finding the "perfect" gift  just got to be too much...and took away from the joy I got from the season.  By shifting my thinking and focus, I have found the joy of the season again.  

Last year while dealing with all of the issues brought on by the pandemic, I most of my Saturdays traveling to partake in Holiday Light celebrations all over the mid-Michigan area.  Vanessa joined us for many of our trips and many times we would get out for some exploration, hikes, and geocaching along with visiting the holiday light displays and our trips always involved a stop for some Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.  It was a great way to enjoy the season.  While some were much better than others, I really enjoyed the whole experience and looked forward to doing it again this year.

The Holiday season always kicks off in Lansing the Friday before Thanksgiving with the Silver Bells in the City celebration and State Christmas Tree lighting.  I was excited that they decided to add a Downton Spirit week component to the celebration with themed fun downtown all week long.  The girls and I were happy to head downtown for the Downtown Dogs night and several other nights to walk around the downtown area and enjoy the excitement and anticipation of what was to come.  

My favorite night may have been Thursday because we got to see them setting up for all of the Friday evening festivities.  The city was abuzz with activity and the anticipation of what was to come.  

I knew that there would be some pretty big crowds for Silver Bells Electric Light Parade, but I decided to take the girls downtown to experience some of the excitement.  We stood on the Capitol Grounds back from the large crowds and watched the parade go by.  There were lots of distractions, plenty of people saying hello to the girls, and lots of fun.  

While we stayed for most of the parade, I decided it would be best to leave before the tree lighting to avoid walking back to the car with the crowds.  It had been a nice night and a great way to get Ruby some new experiences.  It was a great way to start our holiday season.

After spending the week doing all of our walks downtown, we were ready to get out in the woods for a nice walk and some geocaching.   We spent a cooler Saturday at McNamara Landing appreciating the late Fall woods.  While there were still a few leaves hanging on, most of the leaves are now off the trees.  While I miss the leaves, there is still a beauty in the woods this time of year.

Sunday morning started out rainy, but the girls weren't going to let me get away with not giving them an adventure so I decided to head to the Sycamore Trail for a quick walk.  Due to the drizzly weather, we were the only ones on the trail.  I hadn't planned on being out for long, but the peace and quiet was so nice and we were all happy to be outside.  It ended up being a really great day for a walk and we enjoyed some geocaching along the way.  

After our walk, I treated the girls to some pup cups from Biggby.  They were pretty excited about the special treat.  It had been a good Sunday and the girls settled in nicely for the rest of the afternoon.

I kicked off Thanksgiving week working, but was pretty happy that I only had to work one day before taking some vacation days.  While we would be staying home for my vacation, I had planned some fun  for us for the rest of the week.  

Tuesday was a beautiful day and we headed out for a nice hike at Legg Park.  The sky was blue and the sun was shining, something we won't see a lot of in the coming months, so we have to take advantage of every chance we can to get out and enjoy the days like this.  

Once again we had a nice hike and did a little geocaching along the way.  While I end up in the woods tangled up by two girls more than I'd like to admit, I still really enjoy these geocaching adventures with the them and Ruby is surprisingly patient waiting while I search for a cache.  Peaches on the other hand...well, she isn't nearly as patient.

It was a great way to spend our day and we headed home happy to have spent another gorgeous Fall day in the woods.

Wednesday I had several errands to run before getting out for some fun with the girls.  The first thing on my list- help transport a feisty old Bantam Rooster to his foster family.  He was pretty feisty when I met him at the shelter, but he was a good little passenger for the drive.  

After dropping him off with his foster, I headed back into Lansing to finish my errands, including picking up my Christmas tree, before loading the girls into the car for an adventure.  We were taking a road trip!

Our first stop was the West Bloomfield Nature Preserve.  It was a nice park with some really nice trails to explore.  The weather was amazing and there were lots of people out exploring the park that day.  Peaches and Ruby were especially crazy and the plethora of squirrels and the nice buck that crossed our path didn't help!  We spent a couple of hours walking the trails there and enjoying the warm weather.

Our second stop of the day was the Carpenter Lake Nature preserve near Southfield.  This is a smaller park with a short trail system, but it was an enjoyable walk and definitely somewhere I'd stop again if I were in the area.  

The day ended with a trip to the Wayne County Lightfest in Westland, our first holiday light show of the season.  We got there early enough to be one of the first cars in the park for the 4 mile drive through light display.  It was a nice display and I enjoyed the nice drive.  I was most thankful that there hadn't been a long wait and we were able to get through the display and head home before it got too late.  It had been a great day exploring some new areas.

Thanksgiving day arrived, and we met Vanessa mid-morning to pick up our daily geocache.  We are quickly approaching my goal of caching for 365 straight days and decided to get out to pick up a little more difficult to find cache for Thanksgiving.  

The rest of my Thanksgiving day was spent quietly at home.  I made a bacon-wrapped turkey breast for dinner and was pretty proud of how well it turned out.

Ruby stayed close by while I prepped for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Her loyalty was rewarded.  While I had been busy with meal prep and cleaning, it was a nice day at home which ended with a good meal.

After a quiet Thanksgiving day, we were excited to get out for a day of fun on Friday.  We had another road trip planned for the day and met with Vanessa early Friday to head East toward the Detroit area for a little hiking, geocaching, and holiday fun.

We started our hike at Willow Metro park and continued on the I-275 Metro Trail.   We hiked a little over 6 1/2 miles and picked up several geocaches along the way.  While it was cold and gray, we stayed pretty comfortable on our hike.    

Our next stop was a visit to downtown Detroit and Campus Martius to enjoy some of the holiday lights and festive downtown area.  We took a short walk around downtown and took in some of the sights.  The temps had fallen and the wind chill was brutal, so we didn't stay a long time, but we enjoyed our trip.  It was time to stop and pick up our traditional salted caramel hot chocolate and to head to our final stop of the day.

Our final holiday stop of the day was downtown Rochester.  They advertise 1.5 million lights adorning their downtown area and I've always wanted to see it in person.  I was not disappointed!

We ended our night with one final stop at a home near Okemos that puts on quite the light display.  When I visited this house last year, the dead end road was lined with cars and there were people everywhere.  This year we made it early enough in the season to avoid the crowds and were actually the only people there when we made the stop.  This stop did not disappoint and I ended the day full of joy and holiday spirit.

Saturday arrived and after our busy Friday, I had plans for a quiet day at home.  The weather forecast showed some Winter weather heading our way and I was happy to just stay at home and avoid the mess.  We got out early in the day to pick up my daily geocache, but I was home and back in my pjs in time for the big event of the day-the Michigan vs Ohio State football game.

While the snow fell outside, the girls and I were snuggled up and comfy inside enjoying the game.  The best part of the day was that Michigan ended a 10-year losing streak to the Buckeyes!  It was the perfect way to spend our Saturday and I felt so relaxed.  I need to remember to take more days like this.  They are so important.

And I really appreciate the beauty of the freshly fallen snow when I don't have to drive in it!  Although the first snowfall of the season is always special.

We had reached Sunday and the final day of my vacation. While we had hoped to get together with Katelyn, Emmalee, and Vanessa, it didn't work out for all of us to meet, so Vanessa met me and the girls at Harris Nature Center for a snowy walk through the woods and a little geocaching.  The temperatures were above freezing, there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground, and the sun was shining.  It was a beautiful day to be in the woods. 

It had been such a nice week off from work.  We had enjoyed time in the woods, holiday fun, and lots of time doing the things we enjoy.  While the daylight hours are still getting shorter as we work our way toward the Winter Solstice, making it more difficult to get out during the week, I was so thankful to have had a week off to enjoy some time outside before the frigid Winter temperatures arrive.  It is the time of the year that the Fall woods is waiting for Winter's arrival and everything seems to be calm and peaceful.  My neighborhood is beginning to glow with holiday lights and my house is decorated for the season.  It is a good time to slow down and reflect on the things that are important and to rest our minds and bodies.  I look forward to a restful month.  I hope that you get time to relax and refresh during this time as well.