I don’t post personal posts too often, but I had to share some of our recent trip up to Michigan. It’s been a whole year since our wedding last summer! So to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, we decided to go on a weekend road trip to discover some of the beautiful places in our own (extended) back yard. Being still somewhat new to the Chicago area, we brought up google maps and hunted through nearby states, parks, towns, and events. As soon as we saw photos of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we knew we’d found our destination!

Although Pictured Rocks is over a six hour drive from Chicago, that didn’t deter us. In fact we enjoyed the time together talking about life and taking in the views of lush green Wisconsin and the deep blue of Lake Michigan as we drove up.

Over the next day and a half we took several hikes, waded in (cold) Lake Superior, enjoyed a boat tour of the rocky shoreline, were fed on by mosquitos, and even popped a celebratory bottle of champaign in the middle of the wilderness! Spending that time outdoors, often without cell service, and really connecting with the raw natural beauty around us was invigorating.

Here’s to year two!