Party in the Midwestern USA, Part 2

As soon as the Toblers left, one of the blogs I follow published a series of suggestions of things to do in Ann Arbor. Although I feel like we had done a pretty good job of showing them the city (and, as I remind myself, people come to see us, not buildings and trees), I wished that that list had been published before we had visitors.

But, as fate would have it, Kevin reminded me that we were going to have more visitors, that our calendar for months had pronounced that on September 5th "The Clouses come to see the glorious place called Michigan." And so we eagerly awaited the arrival of Ian, Emma, and Abe. I mean, Ruprecht, Steve Martin, and Lyle. (Ian insisted on protecting the innocent with believable nicknames, and these are what he chose.)

On a dark and stormy and lightning-y Friday night, they completed their journey from Indianapolis. The next morning, we treated them to gourmet French crust, a delightful variation on French toast made from the bread crusts Joseph doesn't eat. Um, yes, I just admitted that. It's cheaper to freeze them and save them than use slices of fresh bread! And the same heat which kills the germs in raw eggs also kills the germs from our fingers which tore the crusts off the bread, so it's totally sanitary. Ian declared that they weren't "half bad," so that counts for something.

After a brief foray into 1940s children's literature by Abe and Joseph (see above), we were off to the arboretum! Kevin and I have the uncanny ability of timing most of our visits to the arboretum during 5Ks. Either that or they just always have 5Ks there every day. Luckily, the race was mostly done, and with the French crusts sitting comfortably in our bellies, we weren't tempted by all the snacks waiting for the racers. Instead, we just got to enjoy nature.

Joseph was supposed to be in this picture, but he left.

I think it's time someone wrote a new poem about roads diverging in the wood.

As soon as they weren't hungry and tired and possessive anymore, they became best friends.

Abe will probably be taller than Joseph.

As soon as we had our fill of nature, we walked down to Central Campus again. We were too busy soaking in the atmosphere of education to really snap any pictures (that or too busy chasing and holding little boys). We also stumbled across a few more weddings, though none with Lord of the Rings music this time. Near the end, we realized they might both fit in the stroller, which would save all our aching backs because Abe appreciated the novelty and Joseph appreciated the company.

We then went to Frita Batidos as recommended, and it was great. After swinging down by the stadium via Main Street,

we made sure the Clouses experienced another one of Ann Arbor's specialties: terrible roads. It wasn't necessarily the potholes so much as the storm-induced power outage that turned crowded intersections into even more crowded four-way stops. Eventually, we made it home, and the 11 minute naps in the car were sufficient to re-energize both boys for the rest of the afternoon. So, we went off to the playground and then took the bus to the wave field.

Crouching tiger, hidden Ian. Kevin, Joseph, and Abe had no idea what was awaiting them.

Once we got home, it was time for yet another get-to-know-you activity, this time sponsored by Northwood. The Clouses evaded the "Are you new?" questions by leaving the potluck swiftly, but we got to answer for them once they were gone. Alas, they had to go back to Indianapolis. But they're welcome to come again! As are any other visitors, even if you're not from the Midwest!

Even though this will probably happen once you leave.

Ps: the final count for awkward encounters is:

Number of weddings witnessed: 4

Number of 5Ks: 1

Number of get-to-know-you activities: 3