road trip: grand rapids

Last week was one of those rare weeks when all sorts of lovely experiences seem to squeeze into an unbelievably short amount of time. I had the privilege of joining Ryan for a couple of his performances over the last few days, and one of the shows was in Grand Rapids, MI. We arrived in Grand Rapids after a rainy drive, and met up at the venue with our friends Jim and Cherie. While Ryan and Jim rehearsed for the show, Cherie and I slipped out to get coffee. We walked a few blocks through downtown Grand Rapids, where Cherie introduced me to a coffee shop called Madcap Coffee - one of her local favorites. I took her recommendation and got the "Cafe Miel," which is a latte with honey and cinnamon, and it was absolutely delicious. I picked out a bag of their El Porvenir whole bean roast to bring back home, too. I am excited to try this roast as a part of my morning French Press routine. If the Cafe Miel was any indicator, it will be a win for sure! It was a wonderful coincidence that ArtPrize (an art contest based in Grand Rapids) had just started this weekend - there was an incredibly gorgeous art installation, "Perspective Lifters," which filled the entire coffee shop. It was so magical to enter the shop and be charmed by the hanging paper houses, art prints, and ladders mounted and grouped throughout the space. 

As we headed back to the venue with our coffee, we stopped into a stationery shop called 6.25 Paper Studio. I loved this little message posted high on the wall near these pretty polka-dot balloons! And I found some very special treasures to bring back with me. I am especially taken with this 2013 calendar by Smock - it will be such a pretty way to keep track of the year ahead! I adore all things Audrey Hepburn, and I am excited to find a special use for this pink notebook and this darling washi tape, too.

Ryan played the Ladies Literary Club in Grand Rapids once before, and it is one of my all-time favorites! It is such a beautiful, elegant space - open and roomy with its high, formal ceilings, yet still intimate and cozy. Lovely woodwork and moldings are accented by a gorgeous crystal chandelier in the lobby, as well as an original Louis Comfort Tiffany window, commissioned long ago for the space as a gift from one of the Club's members. (Did not get a good picture, I am sorry to say!) I love the idea of the venue's history as a Literary Club - so neat! I am so happy that Calvin College now continues to host music events in the space. It is always SO great to hear Ryan play live, especially with a string quartet!! (He is going to be touring on the East Coast soon with strings, look here for more info...)

Before heading back home the next morning, we joined Cherie and Jim again for an incredibly yummy brunch at Marie Catrib's. We couldn't have been happier with our choices and with so many healthful, delicious menu options, this restaurant received maximum stars from all of us!

On our drive home, we experienced more rain, but in between, we enjoyed the Midwestern expanse of cloudy skies as they put on a show for us, shifting and swirling themselves into one dreamy landscape after another. I am reminded that even the smallest, shortest of road trips can turn your world just enough to grant you amazing new experiences and perspectives. 

road trip: iowa city book festival

I miss working in a bookstore. I am really happy with the life I lead right now, but there was something so amazing about working daily in that environment of books. I worked in bookstores for seven years, and gained an invaluable education through those experiences! Keeping track of new books as they came out, following authors' journeys as they released new works, and the unpredictable daily adventures of helping our customers find books that we would never look up on our own: this was truly a wonderful way to spend our days.  We built our mental catalogues like virtual bookshelves as we kept track of our learnings and observations. We formed friendships with our fellow booksellers and customers alike, as we discovered, through books, common ground that we might never have imagined or sought otherwise. We played the roles of 'expert' and 'student' all at once, in a field of learning which always held so much new knowledge, no matter how much you already thought you knew. 

Nowadays, I really have to work to keep track of what is happening in the book world. There are blogs and newsletters and social networks to help with this pursuit, and I try to adjust my expectations and do the best I can in keeping up. But there is no match for good old-fashioned conversation, for "book talk" with other readers and writers, and this camaraderie and friendship feeds the soul like nothing else! Now that I am not in a bookstore daily, any chance to drift back into this world of books and catch up on all that I have missed learning is an absolute must!

(Stacy, Missy, Cayt, Chris and Ruth: AWOL friends forever!!)

This past weekend, I traveled to Iowa City, IA with a few friends to attend the third annual Iowa City Book Festival. We attended two days of the three-day festival, and we all really enjoyed our adventure! It was my first time attending this book fest, but my second trip to Iowa City with these amazing friends. Missy, Chris, Ruth and I all worked at Borders Books together years ago and have tried to keep in touch over the years since then. Chris suggested last year that we gather together for a day trip and meet up with Missy, who now lives in Iowa. Iowa City was an ideal destination since it is not only mid-way between us, but also because the town hosts several fabulous book shops! 

We headed home from that first trip with our tote bags full of books and our hearts full of so many wonderful moments and memories! (Sentimental, but true!) We had SO much fun on that trip that we decided to make our friendship even more "official." And so we four ladies christened ourselves as the "AWOL Literary Society." "AWOL," as in "Adventurous Women Obtaining Literature," and most definitely not the military term.

When Missy heard about the events at this year's Iowa City Book Festival, she proposed our second AWOL expedition! We decided to stay overnight and really make an event of it, and enjoyed ourselves even more than we expected. We attended the fest's Literary Carnival on Friday night, where we played carnival games for book prizes, such as "Plinko" for a festival t-shirt, a literary cake walk, and darts for books by authors participating in the Book Festival. We all won at Plinko, and wore our XXL shirts (the only size available) proudly as pajamas that night! And we made some lovely cards through a block-printing process with designs created specifically for the festival. Chris was our only darts champion, and she was excited about her winning!!

We ate dinner together at the delicious "Crepes de Luxe Cafe" together (which is now an annual tradition, too!) and sipped mint iced tea and Earl Grey hot tea (which was accompanied by a tea straw to strain the loose-leaf as you drink - new to me!), enjoying every bite and sip. Back at our hotel, we were joined by Stacy, one of Missy's friends from Iowa, who is a great new addition to AWOL! We stayed up late to play a competitive round of the literary board game "Booktastic" before getting what sleep we could before our day of author events.

Saturday's author events were so wonderful that I hesitate to even begin to summarize them adequately! We attended some events together and some on our own, depending on our interests, and we made sure to squeeze in some book-shopping in-between at Murphy-Brookfield, Prairie Lights, The Book Shop, and The Haunted Bookshop. (I would highly recommend that you visit any or all of these shops online or in person, if you get the chance!) We ate lunch together at a new Iowa City gastropub called Moonrakers, which featured yummy panini sandwiches and french fries with aioli dip - a new favorite! And Ruth and I snuck away just long enough to indulge in some Whitey's ice cream single-scoop cones: Turtle Tracks and Cup O' Joe, respectively.

Between us, we heard a wide range of authors speak, so I will just give you a rundown of the authors I heard personally. My first event was authors Dean Bakopoulos (My American Unhappiness) and Patrick Somerville (This Bright River), speaking on "Literary Friendships" and discussing their new novels. I have not yet read either of these authors, but I was really inspired by Dean and Patrick as they spoke: their thoughts on the writing process, their experiences as authors, and their perspectives on writing novels set in the Midwest. I bought each of their books and I am really looking forward to reading them. Next I heard Laura Moriarty speak, whose book The Chaperone is my most recent read, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I really love her work and had heard her speak a couple of times before in Chicago. I am always inspired by her humility and openness as she discusses her work. She is really down to earth and passionate and she read some beautiful passages from her novel. Next I heard Ridley Pearson, who is one of the most entertaining elocutionists I have witnessed! I have not yet read his works but recently picked up Peter and the Starcatchers and had it signed - I am looking forward to reading it! And our last event of the day was Zach Wahls, whose 2011 testimony of his experience as the child of gay parents impacted not only the Iowa House of Representatives but millions more people through the YouTube video of his speech. He was an impressive speaker and read portions from his recently-released memoir, My Two Moms, which seems really beautifully and thoughtfully written. 

All in all, this two-day road trip replenished my reading soul and was another incredible source of inspiration in my writing practice. I am motivated to seek out more "book talk" and literary conversations and keep my reading soul better-nourished from here on out! How do you nourish your reading soul??

(For more info on the Iowa City Book Festival, click here!)

road trip: northwest wisconsin

This past weekend, Ryan and I set out on a road trip to visit my Grandpa up in Northwest Wisconsin. He lives in a small town, and we enjoyed spending time with him and exploring that part of the country a little bit. Here are some snapshots of our time away!

On our drive up, we stopped at a restaurant in Wisconsin Dells called "The Cheese Factory." We found it on Yelp, and decided to give it a shot based on the high ratings from reviewers. When we got there, we realized it is a completely vegetarian restaurant! It is a total treat to be able to order anything off the menu and not think twice about whether or not we can eat it. The food was delicious and the staff was super nice! We will definitely be stopping there again next time. 

Once we met up with Grandpa, he took us to visit the beach where we always went swimming when I was small. So many memories!

That night, we visited Dairy Queen in the nearby "big" town, and I was surprised to find that the old 25-cent carousel is still there! I loved to ride it when I was small. (The delicious peanut buster parfait I treated myself to was also a bonus, hehe!)

The next morning, we met Grandpa at one of his favorite diners for breakfast! We all had matching breakfasts: two eggs, hash browns, and a pancake the size of a dinner plate. The diner's specialty is their blueberry syrup - yum!! Grandpa takes his eggs differently, but it turns out we take our coffee the same, which I kind of love! Cream AND sugar, please!

Here I am with Grandpa. He is a jokester, so he always makes me smile pretty big. (Do you see the little "Pippi Longstocking" keychain hanging on the cabinet behind us?! What a delightful coincidence: apparently it belonged to my Grandma and was an inside joke between her and some of the nurses who cared for her. It holds a special place for Grandpa now that Grandma has passed away, and it makes Pippi mean even more to me.)

Meet "Taco the Chihuahua," Grandpa's faithful best friend. He is absolutely darling and couldn't adore Grandpa more.

He was definitely not used to having his picture taken, hehe, he was not so good at sitting still! These are only a few of the photos I attempted...

On our way back, Ryan and I stopped for lunch at "Casa Mexicana." The entire restaurant is covered in these carved-wood scenes, painted bright, cheery colors! 

Ryan is the best road-trip-partner a girl could have - he drove the entire way and that gave me lots of time for daydreaming and soaking up the countryside. It was really wonderful to get to spend some time together and share some great conversations. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband! 

Even short road trips can be really motivating to me: taking just a little bit of space and time away can help you come back to your 'normal' life ready for a fresh new start... Have you been on any good road trips lately??