My childhood Christmases were spent at my grandparents. They’re both long gone, but I clearly remember traveling through some very scary weather to get their house. Although I loved being surrounded by family, I decided I didn’t want to put my kids or myself through the stress and strain of long distance drives and holiday traffic. As a result, our Christmases have been much more laid back. With only us in the USA, we didn’t have all the gift shopping or the flurry of social activities, and I loved it. I loved it right up until the quiet moments that bring back memories of helping my grandmother find gifts she’d squirreled away while she prepared to make us snow taffy, or chatting with my grandfather about his latest crossword puzzle. Then I hear my Aunt and Uncles throwing teasing barbs at one another – as only siblings can do – followed by hearty laughing. I wish my children had known those Christmases as well. Perhaps, as they begin to have families of their own, I can show them by being as good a grandparent as mine were… not that I’m in a rush!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! I hope your Day is exactly what you want it to be… whether chaotic or quiet. Either way, may it be filled with love, peace and gratitude.

The following video is Frosty the Snowman from my son’s recent concert performance.

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For the record, I usually double this recipe and make it in a 9×13 rectangular glass dish. You can substitute margarine for the butter but, in my opinion, it just doesn’t taste as good. My personal food philosophy is that anything with chemicals or unnatural ingredients in it, is far worse for my health than the real thing. I only eat this treat once a year, when apples are in season. When I lived in Canada, I used Northern Spy apples (use less of these because they’re rather large!) but I currently use the McIntosh variety sold at my local apple orchard.

Apple Crisp Recipe

4 cups sliced tart apples (about 4 medium)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup butter, softened (plus extra for greasing and topping)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 375, grease the pan (yeah extra butter!), arrange the apples in the pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the apples.

Now here’s the secret ingredient. Place pats of butter on the topping. There’s no special configuration, evenly distribute them – maybe 3 or 4 for an 8×8 pan and 5 or 6 for 9×13. It stops the topping from drying out and makes it crunchy.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream!

The original recipe is 295 calories per serving (6 servings in the 8×8 pan, 12 for the 9×13), add the additional butter you used in to get the new calorie count.

We headed out to the Apache Trout Grill for dinner. The wait was appreciated because it allowed us to sit by the water with a drink and enjoy the view.

The food was delicious, particularly my taste of the crab and lobster bisque. I kept my meal simple with Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad. The tuna was served more raw than my preference, but I was enjoying myself and didn’t think twice about it.

We arrived back at our room in time to watch the sunset. I spent all night pacing in the hotel room with extreme belly pain; it never occurred to me that it might be food poisoning until dinner came up around 5 am. I was finally able to sleep and did so until noon.

I would still go back to the restaurant, the food was incredible and I’m sure if my illness was caused by the tuna, it was an isolated case. Next time, I’ll make sure my seafood is fully cooked.

I expected to be awoken in the morning by an impatient maid waiting to clean my room. In other hotels, the attendants never see the “Do Not Disturb” sign – somehow – knocked to the floor. Instead, I awoke to a note under my door that explained the cleaning staff had stopped by, but respected my request for quiet and to let them know if I needed supplies. I so appreciated the uninterrupted sleep, I thanked the staff at the front desk when I asked for some extra towels. Later that day, I arrived back to a made bed and cleaned room. That’s good service.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the charming town of Traverse City, I purchased some spices, infused oil and vinegar and saw my first medical marijuana store front.

There are so many quaint shops, historical buildings in a pretty town, I was surprised to discover that only 20% of Traverse City’s visitors reside outside Michigan.

I discovered Trattoria Stella using Foursquare, someone had recommended a basic dish that sounded simple and good. I was ecstatically surprised by the quality and philosophy of the restaurant. Listed on the menu are the farms they purchase their food from, the majority are local and they butcher their own meat. The food and service were the best on the trip.

The location was unique too, it’s housed in the the basement of a complex called The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The commons is a large scale redevelopment, still in progress, of several historic buildings previously used as the Traverse City State Hospital and the Northern Michigan Asylum.

After dinner, we had drinks on the patio of our hotel and watched the sunset. A relaxing and enjoyable wrap-up to a trip I didn’t want to end. I’ll definitely head back to the area but next time I’ll stay longer and explore more.

While there I discovered I was near the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. I knew I had to record the momentous occasion. Instead of building a cairn, I checked in on Foursquare.

It was while checking in I discovered that 2 Lads Winery was offering a special for Foursquare users. We had seen the winery on the way up, but hadn’t planned on stopping. I couldn’t resist.

We traveled past beautiful fruit farms, wineries, bed & breakfasts, all with striking water vistas.

2 Lads Winery is an impressive looking architecturally modern building set upon a hill with panoramic views of Grand Traverse Bay.

I ordered a tasting flight and was surprised. I have come to appreciate red wine in recent years, but even as a white wine drinker, I only enjoy dry wines, and avoided rieslings because they tended to be too sweet for my taste. The Fouch Vineyard riesling was the first riesling I enjoyed.

I carefully packed my purchased bottles away for the roadtrip home.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is an incredibly beautiful area beginning at Lake Michigan, stretching through dunes, forests and glacier carved lakes.

We spent most of our too-short time here on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive which gives drivers a quick summary of the wide variation of landscape in this area. The road was the vision of Michigan lumberman, Pierce Stocking, who oversaw the scenic drive until 1976 when he passed away. Posthumously, the drive was renamed to honor him.

The self-guided tour has many “pull offs” to view the vegetation or the views. The first was a covered bridge. The most memorable interest points were the views of the dunes, Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. Although there is an official Dune Climb location further into the park, the first glimpse of extreme dune climbing occurs along Pierce Stocking Drive. It is accented with a sign that warns of a $2500 rescue fee should the adventurous wander down to Lake Michigan and not be able to get back to the top. There were plenty of adventurers going down and were winded coming back up.

Reluctantly, I left the national lakeshore and headed towards Traverse City with plans to return to the area to camp, hike and tube in the future.

After checking several Manistee hotels late into the night, we finally found one that was not booked full with fishermen hoping to win the local derby.

I awoke to another beautiful blue sky, fluffy cloud day and began the drive towards Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The first awe inspiring roadside stop was the Arcadia Scenic Lookout which is also aptly named Inspiration Point. It was my first grand coastal view of Lake Michigan’s sandy shores. The most startling surprise was the water color rivaled every Caribbean location I’ve seen. Beautiful!

Point Betsie Lighthouse is off M-22 down a road carved out from the sand. It has been beautifully restored by The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse, with plans to add further exhibits in the future.

Another favorite Michigan shoreline view was discovered after I walked by Betsie on the Lake Michigan side and took a dirt path in front of the rich red Fog Signal Building. I was rewarded with a long shoreline view and of a sailboat on wheels.

The first Lake Michigan view was supposed to happen around Saugatuck, but a missed sign resulted in a tour of Holland instead. I hit the highway and didn’t stop again until I reached Ludington. We drove out to the Ludington State Park to have a look around. After investigating the beach area and determining the lighthouse was a 1.8 mile hike, we decided to make the trek to catch the sunset and hope the light stayed long enough for the return 1.8 miles.

The hikes began with a walk through the very full campground the smell of fires hanging low in the air as the kids ran back and forth in summer play. The trail turned past the camp and headed along sand dunes parallel with Lake Michigan.

We climbed the first opening in vegetation to take a look at the lake view and came across a two-story driftwood fort and it’s creators. This was the fifth year they’d returned to Ludington State Park and the fifth year they had continued to add onto the structure. It looked beautiful set atop a dune with panoramic lake views.

We continued along the road, past the hike-in campsites, the woods, sand dunes and bowls until the lighthouse came into view.

Originally built in 1867, the structure had deteriorated until the Lighthouse Keepers Association was formed and restored it. The Big Sable Point Lighthouse is on the state and national registers of historic places.

The light, like tourists, was disappearing and I wandered up the side of a hill and took time to play with my camera settings in the waning light. We stayed until the sun disappeared behind Lake Michigan, and were fortunate to have just enough light to make it back to the parking lot as darkness descended.

In my head, I was movin’ and groovin’ to the sounds of the seventies, but the reality was much different. They didn’t play Disco Duck or Sometimes When We Touch, and I found my body was unable move the way it used to. Sure, my center of gravity has shifted slightly; roller skating never provided a workout sweat before either.

Apparently, my body did not receive the lesson on the power of positive thinking.

With each lap, skating memories returned…

• My first rink in Toronto and the reason I began to ride the city bus alone in 5th grade.
• Buying my own pair of roller skates.
• Every weekend of my early teenage years, and several “all nighters”, dancing and skating until sunrise.
• The happiness of having a hand to hold during the couple’s skate.
• The two occasions I’ve hitchhiked.

Towards the end of today’s event, I was beginning to get a little doo-wop back in my stride and I even participated in the backwards skate. If there was a local roller rink, I’d be planning a weekly visit and be dancing on 8 wheels again in no time.

Instead, I’ll look forward to the next P.O.W.E.R Organization’s skating fundraiser!

The trip began at the Infusionsoft Customer Tour in Lombard, Illinois. Infusionsoft has put together a knowledgeable team to help small businesses automate their marketing. If I had a do over I’d sit in on their advanced sessions, but it was my first workshop with them and I wanted to make sure I had the basics covered.

Afterwards, I spent the evening with Amy Kazor, who introduced me to a wonderful restaurant in Downers Grove called Borrowed Earth Cafe. The food was delicious and my first experience at a raw food restaurant. Most (not all) of their food is gluten free as well. I’ve always eaten healthy but lately I’ve changed my diet to include more raw foods and for the first time in my life I can imagine a diet without meat. The Borrowed Earth menu was a fantastic introduction to the many raw possibilities. The owners were a treat to chat with and their culinary endeavors began with a raw food Meetup group and a Secret inspired manifestation.

As we sat on the patio of the restaurant I marveled at the train traffic through the town’s core. It’s not often I see trains and people in such close quarters anymore. After dinner we then wandered around appreciating the charm of Downers Grove which was teeming with pedestrian traffic viewing the extensive car show.

In my grandparent’s life, they expected to save and purchase a home they would stay in for years. They’d raise their families, and once the children moved to homes of their own they’d continue to return for holidays and festivities and the parents would stay at the same address as long as they were able. (yes, I am that bundle of joy in the center of that picture, taken on my grandparents porch in Kingston Ontario, August 1965. My grandparents – all 5 in this picture – are gone but my aunt, sitting bottom right, still lives there today.)

My parents initially thought the same but divorce and job transfers necessitated moving a couple of times in their lives. There is no one place for us all to gather as a family for special occasions as we’re spread across countries and multiple provinces.

In my adult life I’ve moved every seven years and expected to “buy up” with each move. As the houses got larger, so did the expenses but the job pool became smaller. We had to search farther and wider for positions that would support the lifestyle we’d become accustomed to.

The current economy has resulted in people being forced to re-evaluate what’s important, I saw it when talking real estate options with owners. I see it in my own life. I love my house but it’s become a burden of never ending bills, maintenance and work. Once my kids graduate and move onto their own lives, it will be too large for me and I’ll say goodbye to it.

Although change is rarely comforting, this re-evaluation phase has been welcomed into my life. I’m becoming hyper-focused on what makes a home special to me and I’ve realized, it has nothing to do with how big it is or how much it’s worth – or not worth these days! Instead, my definition of home has more to do with how I feel about it, what I see when I look out my window, the comfort I find inside, and most importantly, the memories, relationships & experiences that exist within the walls. Home has nothing to do with “belongings” and everything to do with emotion.

Homes should adapt with us, as they have beginning in the womb and ending upon the earth. In between, homes should support who we are rather than compete with other areas of our lives. So many of us worked to support our bigger house habit that other areas of our lives were lacking. How many people did you know who bought a monster home but couldn’t afford to furnish all the rooms? I knew many.

Maybe i’m a rolling stone
Who won’t amount to much
But everything that i hold dear
Is close enough to touch

My next home will likely be small and mobile.

Has this housing market changed what you thought you wanted in a home? What does “home” mean to you?

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