This past weekend I had the privilege of traveling to Michigan to witness my brother graduating from the great University of Michigan with honors in the College of Engineering! I was a very proud big sister. It was also an experience that has forced me to reminisce about my time at Michigan and especially my time since leaving the University. It’s amazing how quickly three years can blow by.
I set out for Michigan bright and early Friday morning. After two flights I was greeted by my parents at the Detroit Metro and we quickly headed to Ann Arbor. We kickstarted the weekend with a fantastic family dinner at new-to-me Pacific Rim. The food was very good but the atmosphere and service really set it off for me. We had a leisurely long dinner while we all caught up with each other. We started with appetizers of crab cakes with green curry sauce, Thai beef skewers with peanut dipping sauce, and mushroom pierogis. Drinks were had by all and I chose the Japanese Mojito that had a nice kick from ginger (love ginger!). Next we ordered mains ranging from the seared tuna, to lamp chops, to Korean sirloin, to a Thai fettucine. Everyone enjoyed their mains and it was nice to taste everyone’s selections. We finished decadent with their molten cakes with pickled cherries and kalua ice cream and coffees. Heaven. We got group photos and good laughs before heading back to our hotel for graduation cards and presents and hot tub time. I think that Chad liked my framed photo of the Big House and his new Michigan Alumni t-shirt to match me!
Saturday morning started early with the shuttle to the Big House graduation. We sat chilled but excited for three hours in the front row to watch my brother march into the stadium, listen to President Mary Sue Coleman and the new GM CEO speak, a few fight songs, and that was a wrap. We were lucky that the rain held off but it was still a harsh chill. After the ceremony we “hustled” to Zingerman’s for their elusive sandwiches. Real winner here folks, not that that is a surprise to anyone. We shared four different Reubens between the six of us and it was perfectly filling to carry-on over to Crisler Arena for the engineering graduation. Here we had a few more great speeches delivered and then the anticipation of Chad being handed his diploma as he went across the big stage. But the celebration didn’t stop there. Next, we headed to Chad’s house and had a lawn kegger party with his other graduating roommates. We had a keg of Oberon, champagne toasts, awesomely spicy fried chicken, hummus, fruit, cookies, etc. It was windy and cool but a very nice way to end the day. We finally made it back to the hotel after ten to take one more quick dip in the hot tub before heading to Lansing, with one pit stop to Afternoon Delight for their awesome bran muffins; one peach and one cherry please!
Sunday and Monday were luxuriously relaxing with the parents. I was very excited to see their remodeled house and I was shocked at how good it looked. They have a kitchen I want, a fireplace I need, and a layout that works very well. We walked to Biggby for a caffeine fix, got Sophie, napped, stopped at the grocery store, toured Jennette and Terry, and made an awesome dinner in their new kitchen. Monday morning we worked out at Court One, picked up my favorite Aladdins, and then sadly had to pack and head to the airport for my return flight. It sure was a short trip and my entire way back to Seattle I was sad that it had to end so soon. I’m still sad! But I’m so grateful that I got to be there for my brother’s big day.
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 