This past weekend I flew up to Grand Rapids, MI to visit one of my dear college friends, Andrea. This was the first trip I’ve taken that was entirely free from any work-related commitments and it was just so refreshing and so dang nice. Andrea and I were roommates (along with our other amazing friend, Abby) when we studied abroad two years ago in Austria. It was so fun to see where she’s living and explore the area with her. When Andrea and I were planning this visit she asked if I would rather come see her in the winter or wait until this spring or summer when it was warm outside. I immediately know I wanted to come in the winter because we just do not get enough snow down here for my snow loving self. This weekend did not disappoint in the snow department. There was already close to a foot on the ground when I arrived on Friday and then another 8 inches fell Sunday night into Monday morning. We were actually concerned it would effect my flight but thankfully my evening flight departed on time despite the heavy snowfall and I made it safely home.

Our first stop was a new coffee stop in her neighborhood, an outdoor coffee place that serves their coffee from a vintage RV trailer and has hammocks in the summer and igloos in the winter. Pretty sure an outdoor coffee shop would NEVER fly in the winter down here in southern Pennsylvania (I live around too many puny Northerners who are really southerners at heart, hahaha). But I LOVED it!

On Sunday we drove out to Saugatuck, MI to go hike along Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan was frozen over and it was the coolest thing to see the ridges and strange formations of frozen waves. Andrea hadn’t been to the lake since it had frozen over so it was a new experience for both of us and we just walked along the shore for a bit in utter awe of it.

Pretty much everything to the right of me in the photo below is the frozen lake!

Then all of a sudden, the sun came out and it became all the more beautiful!

Our hike back through the woods to our car was freezing but so incredibly beautiful. It was like we had stepped into Narnia!

So very thankful for friendship, adventures, and the beauty of winter!!

Xoxo,

Mary Kate