Disney World post #10

Disney World is truly the Happiest Place on Earth. I have been to Disney at least five times, and each time I visit I make so many memories that I will cherish forever. Whenever my family, friends, and I find ourselves in Orlando, I always beg to stop to Disney for a fulfilled, adventurous day!

My favorite part, by far, is the Princess Castle! Which I always call "my princess castle." My friend Taylor and I had park hopper passes for our own little getaway but we made sure to make a pit stop at the castle each day to get pictures. There are thousands of people surrounding the castle at every moment, usually to snap a picture. Also, there are live shows in front of the castle for entertainment, which is really neat to watch! My biggest Disney Dream is to spend my honey moon (once I'm married), in the Princess Castle. So, let's hope my parents have already started saving. 

The park Tay and I spent the most time in was Hollywood Studios! My favorite ride in all of Disney is the Rockin' Rollercoaster, which is pitch black, glows, goes upside down, and is super fast. Taylor however, dragged me on the Tower of Terror at least six times and I hated it every time. But, I'm glad I went on it because I know its her favorite, so I chose to take one for the team. Another thing Hollywood Studios had to offer was a meet and greet with Buzz and Woody! (pictured below) It was awesome to get our picture taken with some of our favorite characters from our childhood movies. There are usually characters scheduled to meet and greet around each park, you just have to catch them at the right times!

Taylor and I stayed in the Pop Century Resort right in Disney and we absolutely loved it! We were by ourselves so it was amazing that transportation was included and that made our trip easy and worry free. Two 18 year old girls alone in an airport wasn't exactly ideal, but we made it work and it turned out to be just fine! Our resort had two pools and when we weren't adventuring through Disney, we usually were lounging by the pool.

We also fell in absolute love with Epcot. They feature countries around the world, all in one park. It was amazing to see all of the different countries that I wouldn't be able to see all at once. They had iconic pieces from each country so that we knew where we were. It was awesome to see all of the culture, dances and food each destination had to offer. They had little shops that had cultural items for sale and it was amazing to see how different life is in each  place. 

 Also, another cool thing Disney has to offer is Downtown Disney, which I fell in love with the first time I went at age 9. There are tons of places to shop and eat. We usually went around eight at night, just because that's when the night life was really cool and there were more people! Taylor and I spent almost every night walking around and shopping until we dropped. 

I'm so grateful that I got to go to Disney with my best friend and I cannot wait to go back again sometime very soon.

Frankenmuth, MI blog post #8

Frankenmuth is one of the most iconic places in Michigan. The "little Bavaria" is a huge tourist attraction and there is never a time of year where it is not crawling with people. 

This past weekend, my Boyfriend and I went to Bronners Christmas Wonderland. Bronners is the nations biggest Christmas store. The store is stocked full with lights, ornaments, and trees. I have never seen so many Christmas decorations in my life. Another cool thing they have there, is personalized ornament making! They paint or write whatever you want on your ornament and it always turns out great. They have every ornament you could ever dream of, from pickles and pizza, to princesses and crystals. Everyone in Bronners is so friendly and full of Christmas spirit so it is truly an incredible place to spend time in.

My family goes to Frankenmuth every year before Christmas and every time we go, we stop to Tiffany's restaurant to eat. Here, they are mostly known for their pizza and pasta but they do have burgers, as well. It is my favorite restaurant in Frankenmuth and the environment is relaxed. I love looking up to see all of the Tiffany lights and I am obsessed with the colors in the lights. The food here is phenomenal and it's super hard to get a spot because everyone loves it so much!

One of the most fun things to do in Frankemuth is go to Splash Village! I have gone to Splash Village several times with my family and Spencer and I just spent this past weekend there. There are around 6 waterslides, two last rivers, two hot tubs, and I huge bucket that dumps water on a time interval! I love waterparks and this one is super entertaining and has a lot to offer. They just built an add on called the atrium and it has drawn in a lot more people and it was packed, even on a sunday night. The rooms here are clean and it's a really nice place to spend a weekend or even a night! Our family loves it here!

Also during christmas time, they have horse drawn carriages that will take you through the Little Bavaria and sight seeing is one of my favorite parts. Everyone around the town decorates their homes in lights for tourists and even the main streets are lit up and decorated for the season. This town is by far one of my favorite places to be during the Holiday season and it's a great place to get people into the Christmas cheer!

Brooklyn, Michigan blog post #8

As you can see in the photo above, my friend and I traveled to Brooklyn, MI for the Faster Horses music festival. Now, I know what you're all thinking... and no I was not intoxicated in this photo. Faster Horses is a country music festival where upcoming and already famous country starts/bands, come and perform. For the festival, you buy a wrist band online and usually camp out right at the motor speedway for the 3 days of live music. We on the other hand, stayed in a beautiful cabin for the weekend (thank god, I don't mess with tents.)

Faster Horses was such an incredible experience and I was so excited I got to be apart of it. I love concerts and any music, really. The people who performed put on great shows but my favorite was Sam Hunt. Not only is he super yummy, but his ability to perform live blew me away! He knew how to dance and sing and really get the crowd involved with his show. I loved listening to him and was honestly sad when he left the stage. I would have been perfect content if he performed for all three days at a constant rate. 

Also at the festival were vendors, ferris wheels, big blow up slides, cooling down stations, and many other fun attractions aside from the concerts. It was really awesome to be able to walk around and see everything they had to offer. Honestly, one of my favorite parts was people watching because I am not exaggerating, everyone was drunk at every second. Another cool thing they had to offer was free bussing and transportation back to your cars or back to your campsites, which was really helpful, saved time, and helped everything to be organized.

Faster Horses was just an overall great time, spent with great people. The vibes were so awesome and hearing some of my favorite country artists live, was an amazing experience. Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Sam Hunt don't know it right now but I will marry all of them. I cannot wait to go back next year and I can't wait to make more memories!

Chicago post #7

Chicago has been my favorite place for as long as I can remember. I have visited this city for countless years, and probably more times then I can count on both hands. The beauty of this city and the excitement behind traveling there, gives me the urge to go whenever I get the chance. Chicago has so much to offer and I love spending weekends there with people that I love.

The photo above was taken on the Sky Deck in Chicago. The two girls on the left are my sisters and the one right next to me, is my mom. These girls are who I normally experience traveling to Chicago with. On this exact trip, we went to the sky deck and went to a lot of sight seeing attractions. We also went to a restaurant called Dicks Last Resort, which was one of my favorite parts. In this restaurant, the servers are paid to be cocky and sarcastic towards you. I fit in very well under those circumstances, so I of course, had a blast. I will forever remember this specific time, solely because of that night at the restaurant when the waiter called my mom a MILF. 

This Chicago trip was spent with my three friends and one of their moms. We went more towards Christmas time, which was a really fun experience because the City was decorated beautifully. Christmas time in Chicago is one of my favorite times of all! Well, with 5 girls taking on the streets of Chicago, we did a lot of shopping and mostly just spent time spending money and weaving in and out of shops and stores. Miranda's mom took amazing pictures of us with the City as the back drop and I will cherish those photos forever. I was super thankful that she helped us capture every moment!

The most recent time I was in Chicago, was for my moms birthday. We go to the City for my mom's birthday each year, in august. We stayed in an incredible hotel, just steps away from the Magnificent Mile, which made our girls trip much more valuable because it was so close to the shopping mall and stores alone Michigan Avenue. Also, we visited the very well known Zoo right on the out skirts of the City, which we had never done before. One of our favorite attractions in Chicago is Shedd's Aquarium, which we have gone to every single time we travel there. Us girls love being able to see the animals up close and we even have been able to touch them! One place where we spend a lot of time is the mall. My little sister is in love with the American Girl Doll store and I know that place like the back of my hand. We love shopping and I'm sure you can imagine our handfuls of bags as we leave the Mall. Also, on this specific trip, we went to the extremely iconic Bean. We take a lot of fun pictures at this destination and think it is one of the coolest things to exist. The photo below is my mom and I with the Bean in the background.

Chicago is a beautiful place, that I look forward to visiting every time I go and will be traveling to in the future. The excitement and rush of the City is a feeling I hold onto and cherish forever. I am so excited to call Chicago home someday.

Clearwater Beach, post #6

Clearwater Beach, Florida was by far one of the most beautiful places I've been. I went on my senior spring break to this destination with my two friends, Mackenzie (brown hair) and Madelyn (blonde hair). We went with their families and stayed in a 5 story house and we actually had a whole story to ourselves! There were amazing views throughout the city and the beach was absolutely flawless. I was so blessed to have gotten to spend my senior spring break here.

To start out, the beaches here were mesmerizing. The sand was white as snow and the water was crystal clear and incredibly blue. As you can see in the photo above, I am not exaggerating at all on how beautiful the beaches are. Along the shoreline, there are just miles of shells that you can scavenger through. It was super cool because we actually all found a full sand dollar and hoped it wouldn't shatter on our travels back home.  We would lay on the beaches and tan and just laugh at how burned we were all getting. Our beach house was within walking distance to the beach so we got to come and go as we pleased so that was awesome for us and super convenient when we wanted to eat or nap!

Another fun experience was running to the pier each morning. My friend Mackenzie and I took the two mile run before we started each day and it was relaxing and fun for us. The pier also was a huge attraction at night. That week, there were vendors covering the whole pier, all the way to the end. Also there was entertainment each night, which made it even more interesting and fun to walk down there and see what it had to offer. In the photo underneath, that was one of the entertainers, who dressed and played the part of a pirate! There was also people doing stunts, paintings, and hair braiding. The pier was just an incredible attraction and helped make our trip full of fun and a different adventure each night.

Clearwater Beach also had fun things going on during the day. In the restaurant pictured above, there was live music and everyone working was super kind and funny. We went to eat at a different restaurant each time and they all had a memorable aspect and great food! Restaurants there were usually beach style and it was awesome that most of them had an outdoor patio for people to sit on because of the beautiful weather. Good food and restaurants were always easy to come across here.

The final thing I would have to say about Clearwater is that there is always a photo opprotunity. Each night, Wendy, Mackenzie's mom would take us down to the beach to take photos of us. There was a beautiful sunset every night and the tide was always perfect for us. After the sun would set, we would just sit on the beach and talk and laugh. I loved nights like those because we were making memories that would last us a lift time and I'm truly blessed to have gotten to travel with my friends and make our trip so memorable.

Mackinaw Island Blog post #5

Like any Michigander, I consider a great weekend away to be spent in Mackinaw Island. I have traveled to Mackinaw Island several times since I was little and I have memories from each time. My family and friends enjoy the road trip as well, so I always have a buddy to tag along with me! There are so many options when traveling to the Island and each time I arrive, I feel a new rush of excitement and look forward to a great day. I love the sights, the smells, and just the vibes of this small Island. The houses there are a sight all in themselves and the beautiful scenery is breathtaking.

My sister and I get a tandem bike every time we choose to bike around the Island. We usually stop to take pictures and get off our bike to walk around and sight see. Usually, when I have my sister (Brook) sit in the front, I take breaks and don't pedal, just so she can do all of the work. Brook and I always end up laughing and making memories on the bike because the only option we have while riding, is to talk to each other. The bike around the Island is 8.2 miles and we regret it about halfway each time. We do feel very fit and muscular after and usually brag about biking such a long distance.

The last time that I went to Mackinaw, I went with my four friends. My friend Mackenzie is pictured with me in the photo above. We didn't end up going to the Island on this day because when were getting our bikes prepared to take on the Ferry, Luke, our other friend cut his whole finger nail off. We ended up in the ER. He felt awful about putting an accidental damper on the day, so he said he felt good enough that we could walk around the city, grab some food, and shop around. We spent the day in the city and bought our souvenirs and ate lunch at a pub. It was a hectic but fun day and I didn't mind that it didn't go exactly as planned. 

I love Mackinaw and Mackinaw Island because I think it is just beautiful. The sight seeing is one of my favorite parts and is something I love seeing each time I go.

Cocoa Beach, Florida. Blog post #4

Cocoa Beach, Florida was absolutely ideal for a great Spring Break trip. I have traveled to Cocoa Beach twice with my friend Haley, her family, and some family friends of theirs. This trip was full of relaxing beach days, shopping trips to Ron Jons and crazy adventures! There are a few people who you will see in some photos. The girl in the photo above, is my friend Haley. There are two boys we were with, one is Haley's brother, Zac. The other is the family friend's son, Ryan.

To start off, Haley's grandma lives on the Banana River. We stayed with her because she had the extra space and was very inviting to all eight of us. A lot of the time, after a long day, we would go out on the dock and use a spotlight to see the large fish out of the water. Also, her neighbors had paddle boards, which we would stand on and trail through the water. Actually, I remember paddle boarding and seeing large whales just swimming right past us! It was an incredible experience being next to such a large creature, that you would usually only see at an aquarium. The boys, being the immature 18 year old that they were, would chase us in a little boat and try and knock us into the water. I, of course, got extremely mad and would rather have died then fall into waters that I was unfamiliar with. I was so grateful for Haley's grandmother for opening her home to us!

One of the most incredible things I've ever done, was fly a plane all on my own. There is an aviation program in Cocoa Beach that allows kids to go up and literally fly the plane on your own, with verbal guidance from the pilot. I never thought I would be able to do that in my lifetime and the fact that I also got my aviation certificate, made the experience even better. I will never forget how we spent the afternoon flying a plane and I will probably always brag about it! The pilot was so kind and trustworthy (which I probably would not let some kids fly my plane.) I was just in awe at the situation and know that I was very lucky to get to experience something so amazing.

Another incredible experience was completing a rope and zipline course above the Cocoa Beach Zoo! Usually, when you get there, they tell you the three levels of difficulty and you get to choose which one you would like to accomplish. When we were asked, the boys, answered for us. So, of course we ended up doing the most difficult course. As you can see, I am not exactly built to concur incredible strength courses but somehow, we did it. It was so amazing to see what the zoo looks like from above. It felt almost like an out of body experience, flying through the air and being at the top of the trees. Your safety was all up to you and whether you clipped and unclipped your harness correctly. My favorite part was probably the actual zip lining. I love heights and loved just soaring through the sky. I was so happy that we chose to follow with our plan to go to the Zoo that day.

At night, we would go to Ron Jons to shop. It didn't matter if we had anything to buy or not, we would still go and look around. It seems silly, but it always felt like they had something new each time we went and we had this weird idea in our head that we would miss out on something if we didn't go. We bought Boogie Boards from Ron Jons and would crash through the waves with them at the beach. We bought sweatshirts and sunglasses, and probably funded their business for a solid month. 

The final thing about Cocoa Beach, that I fell in love with, is their beaches. The sand was white and soft and felt like you were lounging on a tempurpedic mattress. It was spring break and there were a ton of people at each destination, and especially around the pier! We spent hours upon hours, laying on the beach and playing in the water when we got over heated. Sometimes, we would even walk down to the beach if no one else wanted to go with us. I loved the hot sun on my skin and hearing the waves crash up onto the shore. Cocoa Beach was absolutely perfect and I hope that I get to visit there again, sometime soon.

Gulf Shores, Blog Post #3

Gulf Shores, Alabama was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. Tan skin, stunning beaches and long nights, made this vacation one of the most memorable. My friends and I spent countless hours soaking up the sun on the beach and lounging by the pool. Some of my best memories were made in this small town. I will never forget this wonderful vacation and hope that these memories will last a lifetime. Like it says in the photo, Small Town, Big beach! Also, great times!

The beaches here, were absolutely breath taking! The water was crystal blue and the most perfect temperature for when you were hot from laying on the beach. Being able to see your toes through the water was like a complete shock for someone whose home is steps away from the Saginaw Bay. There were several entertainment options if you were feeling bored from baking under the hot sun. Stands were set up for jet skiing options, parasailing, and tubing on the ocean! At night, we often went for walks on the beach and throughout the sand you could catch crabs or even see some nighttime feeders come up to shore for dinner. The waves crashing on the shore were a relaxing ending to a long day. If we weren't laying by the beach, we were laying by the pool. The pool was an easy access point and had a really fun atmosphere. There was always music, people dancing, and the pool was always cool and refreshing.

Night life in Alabama was absolutely awesome! There was always somewhere to go or something to see. We spent our nights riding go carts, zip lining, and eating dinner at the most entertaining restaurants. One night, we went to a small attractions park, where there were go carts, putt putt golfing, and so much more. It was definitely a hot spot for travelers and there were a lot of spring breakers there to join in on the fun! We went shopping along the main strip of Gulf Shores, almost every night. It wasn't ideal for my wallet, but it was a lot of fun to look around each shop and buy our souvenirs. On one of our final nights, we went to a restaurant called The Hangout (shown above). This wasn't your average restaurant and was one of the most memorable portions of this trip. The Hangout was just simply a restaurant, there was live music, a DJ, a foam party and a very informal and inviting atmosphere. During dinner, we sang along to music and were actually encouraged to dance along to the music.... on our table! It was so funny how many families and teens there were, just dancing on the table after dinner, like it was normal! Waitresses and waiters told us to just have fun and thats exactly what we did! We ended up spending hours dancing, laughing, and Cupid Shuffling on our table. What a crazy experience! The vibes in that restaurant were so chill and it was awesome to let loose and have fun with people we didn't even know. 

One thing many people don't realize on vacation, is the little things that happen that you won't forget and will continue to laugh about  even on the ride back to reality. In the photo above, I remember exactly what we were laughing about. I was typing out a tweet and wrote "self of steam", instead of "self esteem". It may not seem funny to anyone else, but in that moment I was just laying in my bed, laughing until my stomach hurt, with one of my best friends. Getting ready every morning and watching movies with them every night, was one of the best parts of the entire vacation. Spending genuine time with the people you care about can definitely make vacation more memorable. I will always remember my week in Gulf Shores and will for sure be visiting again. (663 words)

Blog #2 Drummond Island!

My first destination that I'm going to share with you is to Drummond Island, in the UP. Drummond Island holds a special place in my heart because that's where I have spent my summers since I was 3. I am Indian and our tribe originates in Sault St. Marie, which is right near Drummond. We usually stop there to visit family and gamble at the casino near the reservation. My dad and grandparents have taken me on that 6 hour road trip more times then I can remember and I know that I have cherished every time. We stopped going as a family when my grandma passed away 9 years ago, but I still have those memories tucked away in my brain and often find myself looking back on them and smiling. We went there to fish, swim, take walks through the woods, and other outdoor activities. We would target shoot and ride quads through the woods. The first time I went, I may not remember, but my dad tells me stories of how truly obnoxious I was at 3 years old, in the car. I have a favorite story that he tells me and I ask him all of the time to retell it because it always puts a huge smile on my face. In his words, I was sitting in my car seat and I would not stop crying. I always called my pacifier a Nukabah (I have no clue why.) He said that I loved driving over the bridge with the windows down and that specific time I was very grumpy. He said that I kept throwing my "nukabah" out of the window and then screamed for it, wishing I had it back. He also added that they bought me several two packs of "nukabahs" throughout the trip and actually found it humorous that I was tossing them out of the window, repeatedly. 

Though we stopped going as a family, I have not stopped visiting my child hood vacation spot. My friend Miranda and her parents owned a cabin on the water, until they recently sold it. I went there to spend some time with friends and snowmobile. Trail riding there is absolutely beautiful and is also super entertaining. The locals actually built an outdoor ice skating rink, which I visit every time I am there. I think its the coolest thing because its outdoors and we don't really have anything like that here in Bay City. Also, we went there during spring to boat, fish, and hike through the woods. Usually, the water is freezing but is totally worth the mist of the boat ride to catch some fish and spend some quality time on the crystal clear waters. Although, its completely different without my grandma, I love that I still get to revisit my childhood and make more memories there. Drummond Island is such a small town, that everyone knows everyone and makes you feel like you are welcomed, no matter where you're from. Whenever I'm there, I try to take everything in and just breathe and embrace every second. I know that whenever I am there, my grandma is there with me and that's one of the many reasons I love it there. It helps me to feel close to her. The picture above, is my friend Miranda. The photo below is her mom, who owned the cabin.

Why I chose traveling as my Blog theme? Blog post #1

Hi, I'm Alex and my blog is about my traveling adventures and the ones that are yet to come! The reason I chose traveling is because I absolutely love it. I love the thrills, the unknown, and the planning of awesome, fun filled days.I have always had a passion for traveling and can honesty say, without traveling, I would not be the open-minded person I am today. Everywhere I go, I always seem to leave a little piece of my heart at each destination. While traveling, I have found out where I want to hold my future and where I want to be for the rest of my life. I have seen beautiful sights and I have also seen some things that have opened my eyes to the real world and everything this beautiful world has to offer. 
Being in different parts of the world has taught me how to be spontaneous, adventurous, and how to soak in every minute. I have learned how to never take experiences for granted and to always cherish time spent with people you love and places that you may never get to see again. I look forward to long drives, camping, or extravagant trips, to basically anywhere but here. Don't get me wrong, I love my home town but when I get the chance to take a vacation or visit someplace different, I take the opportunity. I usually find myself traveling with friends or family members, so I feel like I take a little slice of home with me wherever I go. I have traveled to anywhere from the "Happiest Place on Earth", to the beautiful city of Chi. For my age, I would say that I travel a lot more then the average 18 year old and have gone to a wide variety of places. Near or far, every destination has its own special perks and I find myself making memories, no matter where I am. I'm so excited to continue traveling and can't wait to share my previous and upcoming journeys.