Adventures in Detroit

If you live anywhere in the U.S., you've probably heard things about Detroit.  I know, at least, that whenever I'm out of town and tell someone "I'm from the Detroit area," their initial reaction is to draw back slightly and hold onto their purse. Maybe they thing I'm a gang member or a thug, or at least a little tougher than your average teenage girl. 

At which point I usually explain I'm from the suburbs. 

Usually. Sometimes I just go with the tough girl thing. It's kind of fun!

In spite of everything you've heard about Detroit or anything you're thinking of now after my description, it's not all shady, run-down buildings, graffiti, and liquor stores. The city has some really, really interesting stuff to offer - I think the fact that you have to dig through the rubble and avoid the gangsters to get to it makes it even more so! I kind of love the mixture of the the struggle of the present city and the beauty that's in its past or its hope for the future.

Belle Isle is one of those interesting places, and although it's seen better days, it is, after all, an ISLAND! (I really like islands) and it's full of history and hidden secrets and is just a bridge away from downtown Detroit. 

This monument is visible across a small lake as you're driving into the island, and the view is

Healthier Cheesecake

Mmm, cheesecake.  Possibly the most infamous dessert ever, known for busting diets (and pants seams),  tipping the scales, heart attacks, and the like.  Cheesecake is the villain, and we know it. Yet, something continually draws us in - it's the bad boy we know we should stay away from even
as we're digging into a slice of turtle or pumpkin or New York style. Not just once. Maybe not just once a day.

Fortunately, there's a hero around with an almost guilt-free solution to our problem: blogger Angela Gallardo from Bare Root. This is almost word-for-word her recipe, with a few slight variations I've made. Don't worry; this treat has the whole package - it doesn't sacrifice any flavor. It's super easy if you have a food processor and there's no baking involved (our oven is lukewarm on a good day, so no-bakes have been my thing lately)! It's the perfect summer treat, as proven by the fact that my family and I couldn't wait for the pictures before digging in. Intrigued yet? Good! You can whip one up yourself right now.

Cheat Shake

Day 2 of boot camp week and I've officially fallen hard for a sweet, peanut buttery, chocolatey dream. We've been seeing each other almost every day, even though I've resolved to be a fitness blogger this week. What can I say - the taste buds want what the taste buds want!

The good news is

Dance

I've always loved rain. It's kind of like your favorite bottle of perfume: it's beautiful, it smells great, and everything it touches gets a little freshening up. There's nothing quite like a huge, banging, flashing thunderstorm as I'm going to sleep or a slight mist when I'm out for a run. One of my favorite touches on a good love story is when the couple gets caught in the rain storm and dance, or kiss, or run through it together.

Rain got a little bit better for me last night - it has this inexplicable power to drive people together, something to do with experiencing the same hardship I suppose. I was out for a walk with my little Shih Tzu puppy, Eddie, when the sky grew dark. I take that back - it didn't actually grow dark; it turned dark all of a sudden. About five seconds after that, the rain started. I take it back again - the torrential downpour started. A monsoon got lost on its way to India. Eddie had to doggie paddle down the street instead of walking.

We dealt with it the best that we could, darting from tree to tree. Eddie's fur was doing some crazy, spiky, crimpy thing and he was not a happy camper to say the least.  I think he was happier than me when we heard a voice from deep inside a stocked garden, inviting us to sit on a porch for a while. The voice turned out to belong to an old lady I'd never met before, M. She bustled into her house to get me a jacket to wear - "My favorite garage sale coat," she informed me. "Just make sure you get it back to me before winter." We sat on the porch and chatted about the rain and where I went to school. She told me about a time when the busy road in front of our subdivision was dirt and people road their horses around instead of cars. And you know what? It was unexpected, yes, but it was a really cool moment. I mean, so cool that I went home and made the woman cupcakes to return to her with her jacket (not that it takes much persuasion for me to do that!)

Another great thing about rain? Rainbows. And we saw a great, big vivid one as the rainstorm lightened up Wednesday night. This one stretched allll the way across the sky in a perfect arc, and the whole thing was visible. It was the kind of rainbow that makes you think the pot of gold might actually exist.

Moral of the story? When it rains, dance!

Acceptance Speech

I'd just like to take a moment to thank Pinterest.

Sure, Pinterest has helped me to feel productive while I'm just sitting on the couch. It's where a good friend of mine discovered the Color Run. It has brought me "Power Protein Muffins" as well as "Fried Mozzerella Sticks" and everything in between, along with all kinds of dissatisfaction in the form of food, clothing, home decor, and nail art. But today, I have something even better to thank you for, Pinterest.

Because it was Pinterest that helped me to discover this little number BEFORE I found it between the covers of Glamour magazine.