#13: Take a Michigan day trip.

Destination: beer.

I'll be the first one to admit it: I love cheap beer. I unapologetically drink Miller Lite, and I love it. I guess if I was to credit -- or blame -- anyone it would be my friend Anthony, but really, it's just what we drink. To this day, when I see a group of people who prefer anything else -- especially Bud Light, and especially Bud Heavy -- I judge. I know, I know. Glass houses.

In the last few years, however, I've started to expand my horizons a bit. Visits to Pizzeria Paradiso in D.C., including beer-and-pizza tasting events I organized for my old job, made me appreciate craft beers, most notably the verrrrrry difficult to find seasonal Winter Solstice Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing Company. (Seriously, if I've been able to find a place that actually sells AVBC beer, which is rare, they have always been out of the Winter Solstice by the time I get there. This beer is my unicorn.) And when Janet, Tim and Rujuta came to Ann Arbor this summer, we had an awesome day drinking/sweating at the Summer Beer Festival in Ypsi. Something like 400+ beers, all brewed in Michigan. Pretty sure at least some of those were brewed in basement bathtubs, but whatever.

Straw, please.

So in the course of all this, I began to develop actual preferences (which may or may not make any actual sense). I love citrus-y beers that are inexplicably and dangerously as thirst-quenching as lemonade. I love dark, rich porters, especially with chocolate or coffee notes -- which makes no sense because I don't actually love chocolate or coffee. I love beers infused with fruit flavors. And I love Belgian ales made by Trappist monks, particularly from this place. 


I'd heard of Bell's before I came to Michigan, but didn't start really paying attention until I got here. Bell's is located in Kalamazoo, which is basically 2 hours due west of Ann Arbor, and I'd heard from various people you could do brewery tours and get beer samplers and food there. So I threw out the idea to a few people to do a Sunday Funday there, and boom, a day trip was born.


Josh, Ariel, Trevor, Allie and I piled into my whip and hauled out to Kzoo to the tune of Childish Gambino and The Glenn Miller Band (surprisingly complimentary). We got there with enough time to spare before the tour to enjoy a beverage, and I picked a beer called Raspberry Wild One, which they only had on tap at their restaurant. It. Was. DELICIOUS. Not super sweet, a little sour actually, but light and refreshing at the same time.

Pure Michigan.

The tour was actually quite interesting, led by a girl named Sarah who both works at Bell's Eccentric Cafe in their kitchen and apparently has quite a burgeoning enterprise home-brewing ciders. We learned about all the essential components of beer: hops, yeast, barley, water and kitten tears. We learned about how small things -- the mineral profile or temperature of the water, the amount and type of grains, for example -- can drastically influence the beer. Apparently there are a bobillion types of yeast, but Bell's only uses one or two, which is what qualifies them as producing a true "family" of beers. Wow, I literally and figuratively drank the Bell's Kool-Aid, huh?


Side note: there's a performance area attached to the brewery/cafe at Bell's and GUESS WHO PLAYED THERE THE NIGHT BEFORE? THE VERVE PIPE. That is all.

Lots of beer on tap.

Other fun stuff we learned: Larry Bell is still alive and kickin'. Which I guess makes sense since he was like 23 when he started brewing and that was in the mid-80s. Oh and they currently only serve their beers in kegs and bottles but are starting to can their beer, so summer 2k12, Oberon cans are happening. And Bell's is the largest craft brewery this side of Colorado! Seriously, can someone at Bell's pay me?


After the tour we went back to the Cafe to sample some of the delicious beers we'd heard so much about. You get 6 beers in a sampler, and can pick from anything they have on tap (see chalkboard picture). I got the Porter, the Cherry Stout (not on the board, but I asked nicely), the Milk Stout, the Sparkling Ale, Hopslam and more of the Raspberry Wild One for good measure. They even served it in wooden cut-outs shaped like the state, which was a lovely, festive touch. 

The beer was terrible,
we didn't drink any.

The beers were amazing, but my favorites (aside from the raspberry one which we've already established is the bomb) were definitely Hopslam and the Cherry Stout. The stout was sour and rich, but in the best possible way. And the Hopslam is a really strong, fragrant beer with lots of hops. I didn't think I liked hoppy beer, but Sarah assured me that I may just not like certain types of hops. She was right. Hopslam is the best.


Speaking of Sarah, she and our other tourmate Paul joined us for our meal and samplers, and we ended up getting a lot more information about beer, home brewing and Kalamazoo in general from them. We got one last round of the beers we'd figured out we liked the best (I went with a combo of the Raspberry Wild One and the regular Wild One). And Sarah even fetched us the last few bottles of Hopslam over in the General Store to take home before they sold out.


So even though we didn't get to see much else of Kalamazoo, I'd go back in a heartbeat if it meant I could have one more sweet sip of the Raspberry Wild One. Miller Lite will always hold a special place in my heart, but now Hopslam holds a special place in my fridge.

The Quest for #1: Help Wanted!

Thanks to the very handy internet countdown clock feature (which I have been using overzealously lately for my graduation date -- 104 days, boom!) I know that I've got 52 days until I register for the Marine Corps Marathon and 287 days to actually get ready to run it. NBD.

So, I've run 2 half marathons before, but even though I joke that those combined equals a full marathon, I fully appreciate (and have heard from many people) that training for and running a full marathon -- all 26.2 miles at once -- is a lot different. I've been running a few miles on the treadmill a 3-4 days a week to ease into an actual training routine, cross-training with spinning, and doing some weight training (I AM SUCH A JOCK!). But I really need some inspiration and suggestions because lately I've been feeling like running 4 miles is great, but HOLY CRAP I HAVE TO RUN A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN THAT.

Since it's in my nature to obsessively prepare for things, and since I know a lot of you are runners, I figured I'd seek out some advice here. Any and every piece of advice/nuggets of wisdom you have, I'd totally appreciate. Of particular interest are these topics:

• I need new running shoes. I'm planning to go to a fancypants running store in Ann Arbor to get fitted in the next few days, but would love to go in armed with some knowledge bombs. I used to wear Adidas running shoes that I loved, then got a new pair (same shoe though) and they gave me terrible blisters.
• I also need a new pair of headphones for running. The ones I have bounce out of my ears and really squash the rush I get from my sweet jams. Any recommendations?
• Have you run a marathon before? Did sticking to a particular training schedule help?
• Was it helpful to do other races during the training period? I'm thinking about a 10k in April and a half-marathon maybe in July.
• Have you ever worn those FiveFingers running things with the toes? I don't think I'm interested, but I'm extremely curious because they look like the equivalent of a very uncomfortable toe wedgie.
• Running music! I like my beats quick 'n heavy and my lyrics vaguely unintelligible (see: Rihanna's "we fell in love in an office space"). Any suggestions?

So if you have a moment and any pearls of wisdom, email me, Facebook, send me a comment, a text, carrier pigeon, message in a bottle, sky writing, whatever. 

#30: Officiate a wedding

They vested me power!

It all started in April. After one too many specialty cocktails made me wax nostalgic about love and friendship at our friend Courtney and Rich's gorgeous Florida wedding, I jokingly asked my friends Nick and Erica whyyyyy I hadn't been dispatched to make more speeches at our friends' weddings. I was throwing around words like "destiny", "cherish", and "a lifetime of happiness", things I rarely say non-ironically when not watching an episode of The Bachelor. I am clearly neither subtle nor eloquent when there's an open bar nearby.

Fast forward to late June. After attending a conference in Boston, I stayed through the weekend to visit the contingent of GW friends (+ significant others) who've settled there, including Nick and Erica. After an all-day pub crawl of the bars on Boston Harbor, we retired to their beautiful Beacon Hill apartment where, after inflating the Aerobed and rehashing the day, Nick and Erica asked me to officiate their wedding. Were they drunk? Were they joking? Or had what I said at Courtney and Rich's actually made them think I could handle this? They assured me they were indeed sober and serious.

Without hesitation, I said yes. I had no idea what to expect, but I think that was part of what made the idea so exciting. Over the next few months, we discussed loose plans for the ceremony: they gave me the general format (processional, welcome address, song, etc.) and sent me their vows and what they wanted to say when they exchanged rings, but with their blessing they let me otherwise take the reins and write the ceremony. Without their input. And they didn't want to hear it until the actual wedding. I think Joey Lawrence said it best on Blossom: whoahhhh.

So then school happened, and work, and life, and 4 other out-of-town weddings this fall. I did some light research -- emailing Nick and Erica's friends and family members for their input, writing down some choice quotes at other weddings, and soliciting scripts from friends who've also officiated -- but otherwise I put off writing the ceremony til after the semester was over. 

At home over winter break was when the panic really set in. I wrote furiously, then went back, edited, doubted, rewrote, and finally felt satisfied with the ceremony. But then, with more spare time on my hands, and the wedding just a couple weeks away, I started ruminating about the occasion. About the fact that my friends had enough confidence in me that they'd be willing to let me stand in front of them and everyone they know and love, and perform a marriage ceremony that they had never read or heard before and say words like "authority" and "vested" and then make them put on their wedding rings and then kiss and stuff. This...this was a big deal. 

HITCHED!

In fact, at the rehearsal dinner last Friday, I expressed these thoughts to Nick...how humbled and honored (and I don't throw those words around lightly) I was that they trusted me this much. He said how surprised he was that I didn't need any time to think about it after they first asked me in June, and I realized, as nervous as I was, I never for one second considered not doing it. That's the great thing about trust and friendship...when someone gives it to you, you just want to do the best and be the best that you possibly can, without thinking. And then, like now, I started getting all sappy and philosophical, except at the rehearsal dinner it was worse because once again, there was an open bar involved.

As for the actual wedding, it was amazing and personal and perfect and so Nick and Erica, from the song choices for the ceremony, to the slider bar set up during the reception (I still am thinking about those pulled pork sliders with cole slaw), to the beautiful and hilarious toasts, and to the groom's cake in the shape of a Boston Red Sox baseball hat.

And as fun as it was to get ready with Erica and her bridesmaids beforehand, to toast at midnight with all our friends, and dance and eat cake and celebrate, the thing I'll never forget came before the champagne bottles popped and the ball dropped. It came as I stood at the front of the room watching Nick watch Erica walk down the aisle, both of them having never looked happier, calmer and more at ease. I realized how lucky I was to be standing there, both literally and figuratively.

The ceremony itself went very well, eased immensely by the first joke I made where people actually laughed (and I, subsequently, relaxed). I think the calmness that Erica and Nick were radiating was contagious, because once we got into the rhythm of things, it felt really fun and easy. Quite a few guests asked me at the cocktail hour if I was planning on a second career as an officiant, and I told them that the joke's on them -- I don't have a FIRST career! So maybe, after I graduate in 113 days (but who's counting?), I'll throw caution to the wind, move to Vegas and open up a wedding chapel. Who knows, this Creverend act may have staying power.

What a crazy, memorable and awesome way to close out 2011 and start up 2012! I've had some pretty awesome New Year's Eves in my time, but this one takes the (key lime and raspberry Sox hat) cake. A huge thank you to Nick and Erica and their families for letting me be a part of their special day, and trusting me not to royally eff it up. And if you, dear readres, ever find yourself in need of some High Priestessing, you know where to reach me. I work for free (as long as there's an open bar involved). Happy New Year!

Pub crawling in Boston with the bride and groom.