Day Seven: Traverse City, Here We Come!

A portion of the confusing mass.

A much needed vacation!  The sun, swimming, a catamaran, relaxation, good food - and good times with good people.  Happy sigh.  I was pretty tired when I woke up Friday morning.  11:00 pm the night before, I was standing amidst a confusing mass of potential outfits, wondering what I should iron first.  Pretty typical for me.  Despite the tiredness, however, I was super excited; and not a bit nervous or worried about whether or not it would be difficult to resist a drink, or whether or not the trip would still be fun without one.  Or some.  If a difficult moment comes up, I thought, I'll deal with it then.

After an easy, relaxing, and fun drive up, filled with some excellent tunes and good conversation, our first stop was Leland, Michigan.  "Reelin' Leland", to be exact.  I love Reelin' Leland.  Surrounded by water, and full of cute little shops and restaurants; it's an adorable tiny fish town.  The Village Cheese Shanty is one of their many cute little restaurants and it is home to the infamous vegetarian sandwich called the "Fish Town" - one of the most scrumptious sandwiches I have ever consumed.  Green Peppers, onion, spinach, cucumbers, olive spread (yes, I said olive spread), tomatoes, dill havarti (um, hello, DILL havarti), and guacamole.  And, (this is the clincher, folks), all of this on pretzel bread (and...she swoons).

Reelin' Leland!

I first had the "Fish Town" when Melanie and I were in Leland, two years ago.  The second time around, it didn't let me down.  It was just as scrumptious as it was the first time.  Deja-delicious-vu!  I would have shared a picture of said sandwich, but the only picture I have, I took with my iPhone, and well, rules are rules.  We shopped around a bit, then we headed to The Cove so Sherri and Andrea could sample what I had said was an excellent Bloody Mary.  Per the bartender's suggestion, they both tried the horseradish vodka.  Out of curiosity (I love horseradish) I took a sip and, lo and behold, it tasted just like horseradish.  Tasty!  We sat by river on the patio while they enjoyed their Bloody Mary's and planned out the rest of our day.  After shopping at the mall for a bit, checking into the hotel, hanging out by the pool (a heated pool - 85 degrees!) and the hot tub for awhile, we gussied ourselves up and headed to downtown Traverse City to find a place for dinner.

After some very tasty Mexican food, we ended up at Union Street Station for the rest of the night.  There was a blues-y band playing and they were quite good.  Andrea met the band and they seemed like a really nice group of guys, too.  They even played a Beetles song, just for her!  How sweet.  We danced, tried to talk as best we could over the music, and took some silly pictures.  To say "to my surprise" would make sense, here - but, I can't say that; because, to be honest, I really wasn't all that surprised - I had a great time and didn't crave a drink, at all.  I didn't even feel uncomfortable or self-conscious that I wasn't drinking.  I just sat back, relaxed, enjoyed the music, and took it all in.  I love to people watch and there was something pretty amazing about just sitting and watching everyone around me - engrossed in conversations, laughing or flirting or baring their souls, and dancing.  Oh, the dancing!  One woman in particular (and there is no way I could ever do it justice by simply explaining it here, on this blog) - boy did she have some moves on her.  I think I would call it the - "oops-I-just-dropped-something-let-me-pick-it-up-didn't-quite-get-it-let-me-bend-down-again-I'm-going-to-turn-in-a-circle-that-way-then-back-in-a-circle-this-way-and-then-throw-my-arms-up-in-the air-for-no-reason-and-oops-I-just-dropped-something-again" - dance.  Yes, I think that about sums it up.  Aside from the fact that her dance was adorabl-y funny to watch, she was just too sweet and I loved her.  Eyes closed, her head tilted back as she drank the music in, with not a care in the world as to who was watching; she was perfect.  And all without a drink in her hand.  I have felt that way - dancing and not caring who was watching - but usually when I've been drinking.  Of course I've had plenty of moments throughout my life where I've felt that way without alcohol, but it's been awhile.  There was a group of youngin's sitting near us and, one girl in particular, (disturbingly tan, dark brown hair, wearing all black; so all one could see in the darkness of the bar was the white of her eyes and her toothy grin) was laughing at her, off and on, throughout the night.  That's okay.  When you're young and awkward, it's quite easy to view a carefree individual, especially an adult, as a weirdo.  I took my cue from the "weirdo", however, got up and shook my booty - shook it like I meant it (Shake it, shake it, shake it like you mean it - this is an inside joke that I had to get out of my system.  Continuing on, now...) and I had forgotten just how good that feels  - to be high on life without the buzz of alcohol.  There was something about letting go, but still with control to avoid waking up the next morning wondering if there was just a bit too much shake in my booty, that felt so damn good.  I realized that this idea of control is a double-edged sword, a catch 22.  Yes, there is something appealing about giving up all control and completely letting go.  I know that temptation.  But along with it, and too often for me, comes a feeling of guilt or shame that perhaps I was a bit too free and sent the wrong message or acted in a way that I wasn't proud of, that giving up all control allows or lends itself to, that makes it not quite worth it, in the end.  Knowing that I was in control of my own behavior was a truly empowering feeling; one that for me, at this point in my life, was much more appealing.  And to wake up the next morning without even a hint of those feelings of guilt or shame or regret, or even questioning lingering in my thoughts?  It was a good, good night.  And a whole heck of a lot of fun.