Traverse City...

Over Memorial weekend, I got the chance to head up to Traverse City with my sister and her running friends to watch them compete in the Bayshore Marathon. I had been debating going for a while, and just when I thought there was no hope, an "eye emergency" forced me to take the 3 hour hike up north by myself 10:30pm to meet everyone else who had gone up earlier in the day. When I finally rolled into town at 1:45am, I was ready to find the hotel and hit the sack! I was extremely exhausted when 4:30am rolled around and the alarm went off, but I jumped out of bed like everyone else and got ready to go cheer my sister and friends on.

Megan and I before the race...

Kendra and I waiting for everyone to run through the finish line...

My sister rocked it out and finished with a time of 3:15:11, which put her 1st in her age division and #101 overall. I was so proud of her!

Once the race was finished and everyone cleaned up, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing a pub crawl.

Megan and I enjoying the sunshine...

How these people were able to walk so much after running 26.2 miles is far and beyond me! However, Megan did get slightly tired at one point and needed a little lift...

Before dinner, we decided to change clothes and freshen up a bit. Of course, no wardrobe change can go out without some cute pics being taken.

Megan, me and Kendra ready to hit the town again...

Greatest girls in the world...

And one lucky guy to be surrounded by such beautiful ladies...

Finally we were ready to go out again and meet up with our other friends already getting settled in at yet another bar. We pretty much spent the entire evening hanging out at various bars downtown and making great memories!

Best friends...

Such love...

After a long day, and even longer night, we made our way back to the hotel and finally went to sleep. The next morning we all woke up and headed to breakfast. After eating, a few of us headed to the beach to play in the sun for a few hours. We attempted to go in the water, but that didn't last long... it was FREEZING! However, it was perfect laying on the hot sand.

Megan and myself cathing a few rays...

After the beach, we hopped in my car to go to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Back when we were younger and my grandma lived up there, we spent many summer days with our family exploring the area. After her passing, the house was kept in the family for quite a few years, and we still managed to visit now and then. We thought it only right to drive by and recall stories of our times up there. Good stuff! 

Once we got to the dunes, we chose to take the scenic drive along the shore. Let me tell you, there is nothing more gorgeous than the views from some of the lookout spots. Every time I visit, they manage to take my breath away.

Megan and I taking in the scenery...

Along the scenic drive, there is a bluff about 450 feet above Lake Michigan that is very steep. Many tourists enjoy running down to the lake, but then have the tedious task of climbing back up. Depending on how great of shape you are in, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to multiple hours. I did it once years back (literally the day before I found out I was pregnant with Andrew) and it took me 2 1/2 to get back up. It was worth it to do it that one time, but it's definitely something I would never do again... ever. However, my friends thought it would be great, so down they went.

View from the top...

 

When everyone finally made their way back to the top, they were exhausted and ready to call it a day and head home. Although it was spur of the moment, and there was a lot of sleep deprevation, I had a blast and can't wait until the next trip with these great people!