Friday Recap–Michigan Adventure: Grand Rapids & Birmingham Hot Spots (according to my iPhone).

Have a cozy Friday, all! My goodness it's been a long week. We were in Michigan for a wedding/short beach vacation and had the worst time getting home: broken down car, that giant storm on Wednesday (yeah, we flew home in it). All I want to do today is get through the stories I have to edit, then curl up at home with boyfriend, who would now like to go by either Sergeant Pepperoni or The Boss when I write about him on this blog. Thoughts?

Here's my dilemma, though: My dad's leaving for the Olympics tomorrow afternoon, so I'd also like to venture to Long Island after work to see him off. Decisions. (Actually! If you're looking for a cute Olympic-themed treat I came up with these doughnut rings for the magazine and I'm kind of in love. Shameless plug. Tisk, tisk.)

Anyway, I hope you have something low-key to look forward to this evening. And if you need a little cyber-scrolling to kill time this afternoon, here are a few photos of our never-ending trip:

In Grand Rapids: 

The Grand Rapids Art Museum—aka The Gram, how cool is that?—has a killer gift shop, or so it seems from the window. Since Herman Miller is based nearby, the store is stocked with super cool gifts like the Eames Elephant!  It's (obviously) the coolest kid chair ever, which I may need to purchase for our home even though we're adults. More Grand Rapids highlights: MadCap Coffee. People kept telling us to try it and geez they were right. Delicious espresso. Fab pour-over coffee. They roast their beans in house—we picked up a bag of the beans they roast specifically for cold brew. Also, Founders Brewing Co.: From now on all other BLTs will pale in comparison to the monster I had there for lunch. Buzzy atmosphere and the beer's not to shabby, either. 

At the lake:

Lots of swimming, grilling and baking. It's starting to feel like my home-away-from-home!

 At the wedding:

We drove to Birmingham, MI, for our friends' nuptials. What an event! Every bit of the wedding was glamorous (well, aside from the part when our car broke down). Sergeant Pepperoni was honored to find out that his caviar pasta was the second course of dinner! Typically I enjoy this dish in yoga pants in our kitchen, so twirling his glamed-up pasta in a sparkly dress and heals was a lovely change of pace.

Speaking of dresses: How gorgeous was the back of the bride's dress? 

Stuck in Birmingham, MI, with a broken Porsche: 

Turns out our car couldn't be fixed for a few days, so we were stranded in Birmingham. The boyfriend gave me a tour of his old boarding school, Cranbrook, to kill some time. HOLY BANANAS! It's Hogwarts meets "Hansel & Gretel," though I'm sure he would explain it differently. I loved the giant sculptures and lakes, but my favorite feature was the outdoor Shakespearian theatre. It would have made this drama nerd feel a lot cooler when she was in high school, that's for sure.

We sustained ourselves on pancakes and cheeseburgers during our unexpected stay. First stop, The Original Pancake House (sorry IHOP) for a stack of buttermilk pancakes that had the most amazing, salty whipped butter on top—ugh, too good. And of course we had to visit Hunter House, voted the best hamburger in Michigan by our magazine. Do you know who nominated them? SERGEANT PEPPERONI! I thought about telling our waiter that he was serving the man who granted them their superlative but who am I to blow up that spot? But, yes, that burger is clearly #1: thin patty, tons over fried onions, melty American cheese, pickles, and you come out smelling like it for at least an hour or two—bonus! 

Wowza, this sucker's long. If you're still reading (thanks!) and have a stupendous weekend. Hope it's a great one!