Go Blue. Dairy Queen, deers & no donuts, a whirlwind week in Michigan

                                          

After days of anticipation (and a lot of silent panic), Thursday finally brought sweet happyness - we made it to Dairy Queen! Crisis averted. I was genuinely starting to worry that my beloved Blizzard would remain just a dream.

That evening, feeling sugar-fueled, we set out for a sunset walk around the neighborhood. Enter the deers. Herds of them. We counted 15 on a single street corner, standing there like they owned the place. Just staring. Judging. It was a beautifully warm night, the sky painted in pinks and golds, and we spotted dozens of pink blossoming trees looking straight out of Louvre. I even managed to get a few good photos taken of me, proving that yes, I was present for the magic.

For Friday night’s dinner I whipped up Pad Thai and kringel (because why not combine Thai street food with Estonian pastry?). All four of us enjoyed it and - dare I say it - I was pretty proud of myself.

Saturday meant a return to my happy place: Ann Arbor. We wandered the well familiar streets, grabbed some mini cupcakes, and attempted to revisit the mini donut place... which, to our dismay, had vanished into the entrepreneurial void.

We also walked down our street, and wrapped the day with Zingerman’s sandwiches - an absolute must. The ordering system was smooth: order on a screen, receive a text when it’s ready and go pick it up. Easy. But then came the tip screen, already defaulted to 18%. It was me placing the order, Scott picking it up, and naturally, we couldn’t decide who deserved the tip. In the end, the great stalemate meant… no tip. We worked for free.

On Sunday, we witnessed what seemed to be half the town doing yoga in a neighbor’s yard. Quite the sight. Later, we headed to Common Grill in Chelsea for dinner. It had been years - since Scott’s birthday in 2019 (or was it 2018?) - but it was just as amazing as we remembered. The menu still has a few items calling my name. Next time, perhaps.

Monday delivered another Dairy Queen moment (because why stop at one?), followed by dinner at an Italian restaurant that fully embraced the motto “Go big or go home.” The portions were enormous. Like, “you’ll need a to-go box and a nap” enormous.

And then came Tuesday - airport and airplane day. Armed with a Cookie Crumble Starbucks Frappuccino, I boarded three flights and eventually made it back home on Wednesday afternoon.

Go Blue. From Desert Dust to Cherry Blossoms

 

We kicked off Easter Sunday in Jackson, waking up at Scott’s mom’s house. The main plan for the day was to prepare and eat Easter lunch. I had been assigned dessert duty by my loving husband. Upon entering the kitchen, we discovered that Scott’s mom had already whipped up a Key Lime Pie (it was delicious!).

So instead, I was promoted to appetizer status and made asparagus wrapped in bacon, fried to  perfection. Scott bravely took on roast beef for the first time in his life - and did a great job. Meanwhile, Scott’s mom had also prepared stuffed potatoes. We enjoyed a nice very late lunch and as predicted, ate way too much.

Monday after work, we zipped off to Ann Arbor, each with our own shopping agenda. As soon as we arrived, we split up like expert pickpockets - I dived into TJ Maxx (and since I had never been there in spring, I was wow, the clothing selection was just overwhelming), while Scott tackled his errands.

We reunited for a quick detour to Home Goods (my second-favorite store after TJ Maxx), then met up with Rebecca for dinner at Knight’s - still as reliably good as ever. And what an amazing service!

Tuesday night was a cozy one in, and I cooked creamy lemon pasta with pan-fried chicken. Not to brag, but it turned out seriously good.

On Wednesday, we took a little drive down to Saline to meet with Sherry - someone I hadn’t seen since pre-2020. It was such a lovely meetup, filled with much catch-up, and - no surprise here - a massive amount of meat. Because if there’s one thing you don’t come to the U.S. for, it’s reasonable portion sizes.

Arizona dreaming with desert vibes. Making new friends

 

Our Arizona adventure was wrapping up, but not before giving us one final amazing view: an absolutely breathtaking sunrise. If Sedona was trying to convince us to stay here, it almost worked.

Having learned our lesson about Sedona’s breakfast rush, we arrived at Redrock Café bright and early — 7:20 AM, just 20 minutes after opening. Some folks were already tucking into their pancakes, and by 8 AM the waiting line was snaking out the door. Perfect timing! I went for an omelet and buckwheat waffles (plus essential coffee, obviously), while Scott celebrated his love for American sandwiches with a Reuben. Another win in the culinary department.

After brunch, we headed for the creek, revisiting a hiking spot where Scott used to come some 30 years ago. When we pulled into the parking lot around 8:30 AM, only a handful of cars were there - peaceful and perfect. Fast forward to our return: the lot was packed, with a line of cars waiting to grab any available spot. Safe to say, Sedona’s popularity has skyrocketed since Scott’s good ol’ days.

The hike itself was pure joy: sunshine, stunning views, and that magical desert stillness you can almost hear if you listen carefully.

On the way to Phoenix airport, we couldn't resist a few more stops to meet the local celebrities - the giant saguaro cacti standing tall and proud on both sides of the road. Fun fact for you, dear reader: Arizona actually has to tag and register these cacti because people (apparently) can’t be trusted not to steal them. Apparently, cactus theft is a thing. I'm happy to report I took only a selfie with cactus No. 320, and left it right where it belongs.

This trip was my first real desert experience, and it turned out to be way different - and way better - than I had imagined. So many landscapes, so much nature, and so many moments that took my breath away.

Our car drop-off at Phoenix Airport went smoother than expected (always a small miracle), and our flight was blissfully uneventful.

Arizona dreaming with desert vibes. There’s no bad weather, only bad clothing (and we had both)

Friday in Sedona greeted us with the only cold and rainy day of the trip as well as the only cold and rainy day in Sedona in whole April. The morning was just cloudy, so we hang on to optimism and decided to stick to our original plan: breakfast, hiking and adventure. After all, there’s no bad weather, just wrong clothing - a wise saying we remembered right after realizing we had packed like we were heading to a desert... not the Scottish Highlands.

First stop was Redrock Café in Redrock Village. We pulled in around 9:30 AM, dreaming of hot coffee and pancakes, only to be told the wait time to be seated was about an hour. An hour?! I love a good breakfast, but can't wait that much. Plan B: head back to Sedona and try the Shorebird, which had been my first choice anyway (they just opened at 10:00 AM and initially we did not want to wait this long).

Perfect timing - we arrived a few minutes early and snagged the first table. Breakfast was a success: I had crab cake eggs benedict (delicious), and Scott went for a burger that he praise highly.

Fueled and caffeinated, we did some driving around to admire the famous Sedona red rocks. By this time, the rain was coming down harder, and let’s just say... hiking was officially off the agenda. Still, the dramatic, brooding skies made the views look even more magical. The photographer in me was absolutely thrilled.

We also went exploring Scott’s old neighborhood, attempting to find the house where he used to live. No luck - either it had vanished into the Sedona mist, or his memory maps was less reliable than hoped.

Around 11:30 AM, we made a beeline to Sedonuts, a donut place I'd read about (open from 7 AM until noon or until sold out). When we arrived, there was a line out the door, but we persevered. Totally worth it: warm, sugary goodness secured.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in peak cozy mode. We returned to the hotel, enjoyed our donuts, watched the mountains through the windows... and then, because Sedona clearly likes to keep things interesting, it started to snow.

Armed with umbrellas (and still wildly underdressed), we went for a walk through the charming town center, soaking up Sedona’s vibe in its wintery glory. Later, we grabbed some takeaway food, curled up, and called it an early night.