Michigan – Page 3 – SALLY♡THINGS

The Happy Of 2020: Part One.

I’ve been writing a lot about the bad of 2020, so I wanted to lighten up the mood with the good things that came my way this year. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a sad girl and when I say that I mean it in the ‘sad boi club’ way. There’s just something about me that just is attracted to sadness I guess.

Let’s go start with the beginning of the year, pre-pandemic, with my job promotion. I got promoted to assistant manager at my workplace and this is the first job that I have ever gotten promoted at. I went from being a hostess to assistant manager and I think I’ve done the best that I could, given the circumstances of this year. The restaurant is still up and alive, so I couldn’t have been that awful. I really am proud of myself for the hard work that I’ve put in to have earned the promotion. I feel super honored that everyone believed that I could fill in the spot and most coworkers made me feel so welcomed and appreciated. I really hope I made a difference there.

Right at the beginning of our quarantine phase, I was suppose to attend a show in Chicago of my favorite artist. Unfortunately, that got cancelled due to everything shutting down, but I still kept the weekend off and spent it in Wisconsin with my boyfriend. Well that weekend, turned to a week, turned into three months. Yep, a three month stay with my boyfriend and his family. Being a long distance relationship, you don’t get to do one of those often. I wrote a little about it in a previous blog post, so I’ll spare the details here. Being long distance has it’s ups and downs, so being able to be together everyday like a regular couple was very needed.

A rest. Because of things shutting down, my job shut down for a couple of months and boy did I need that. My life was getting consumed by work and that was wearing and tearing me down. I got to find the balance between my mental health and everything else in my life. I had the time to put into myself. It was hard at first and I still struggle with it now, I feel more connected with myself and not like i’m just going through life like a robot. I now know how to set up boundaries between work, social and personal life. I am also caught up with all the sleep that I’ve ever missed.

I fucking did something that I never thought I would ever do, but glad that I did. I BARELY conquered, but conquered a 8 mile hike with a 14,278′ elevation, Grays Peak. For somewhere who is not an active person at all, I fucking did that shit. I’m so proud of myself, it was crazy. We went hiking within 12 hours of being in Colorado, my lungs were not having it. You can also read about all of that here! In the blog post, I said I wouldn’t do it again, but I’m over that and would love to go on another hike like that. It’s rewarding and beautiful.

I turned 25 this year. The day after I got back from Colorado and had a lovely charcuterie board birthday picnic with my friends. I am a quarter of a century now! This year I’ve learned that time really does go by fast and in a blink of an eye, you just grow up. I’m very blessed to have everything that I do and very blessed to have all these people around me that love the shit out of me. This year I’ve really seen who is there for me, through the good and the bad. I really love this life that I was given. I talk all this shit sometimes, but really I’m having a good time. People can sit there and say I’m not doing anything with my life and try to belittle me, but I know where I’m at and at least I’m doing everything that makes me happy.

As I started typing, just more and more good things starting coming up, so this will be broken up into parts. I’ll post the second part soon! Sometimes it is nice to type up positive stuff, maybe I’ll try to start to doing that more often, lol. I also have another giveaway soon as well, so keep an eye out for that blog post to come out and follow me on Instagram for the notifications!

SALLY ♡ T

Drunk Thoughts: What Would My Older Self Think Of My Younger Self?

Hi, hello. Yes, welcome to drunk thoughts number 2 post. This topic actually came from an Instagram question poll thing and my friend came up with this prompt. To let you know how drunk I am, I drank 4 shots and 2-3 glasses of wine before this and can’t sleep without getting the spins. So I’m going to write a blog to try to sober up enough to sleep LOL. So I’m pretty lit. If this blog post ends up half ass, I’m sorry, I’m drunk lol.

So this suggested topic stood out to me because everyone usually asks “what would you tell your younger self?”, while this was the opposite, “What would your older self tell you or think about you?” Honestly my older self will love all these memories that I’m making and will love her 20’s, good and bad moments. I will regret some things, but nothing I’ll beat myself over with. I think I’m doing what anybody in their 20’s should and that just to live and experience life in whatever way works for them. What I do now, will be told to my kids and grandkids and I wouldn’t be ashamed. If they can learn from my mistakes, LOVE IT. Just like this blog, if it helps you in anyway, perfect. I did my job. I made someone one step closer to who they are or helped them through something that they were struggling with. I’m such a helper and people person, I hate it sometimes LOL.

I think my older self would tell me to stop being so up right and find a job that better suits me. Manager restaurant life is not it, especially during this pandemic. I’m pretty tired, if I didn’t feel and see the spins when I closed my eyes, I would be sleeping by now. But boohoo. It’s fine, everything’s fine.

SALLY ♡ T

* I’ll write about this topic when I’m sober too lol

Food Alert: A Weekend in Grand Rapids.

Yes, you read that right, it’s our time to shine! Grand Rapids has a lot different options when it comes to food and drinks and there’s always something new coming. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life, I’m not even close to trying everything, but it’s one place at a time. Follow me into a two day foodie/drink weekend! #GREats

On Saturday, I met up with my friends at Butcher’s Union for some food and drinks before work. Butcher’s Union is one of my favorite places to go, it’s so cute in there and the servers are always friendly. We enjoyed some Brussel Sprouts for our appetizers, which is my favorite appetizer there. Then I got the White Chicken Chili. (Yes, I only got soup to eat. If you don’t remember in the last post, I really don’t have much stomach room haha) I did wash it down the a nice Watermelon Mojito. It was the perfect drink to end the summer weather and season with.

On Sunday, I went on a food and drink adventure. Every place was so good and I had very good company! 😉
It started at Royals, this cute little brunch diner. It was a recommended by another one of my friends and he was not wrong at all. The food there was very good and the drinks sounded delicious! I unfortunately went out to brunch hungover, so I wasn’t ready to start off with some drinks at our first stop.

Our seconds stop was to one of my favorite rooftop bars here in Grand Rapids, Haute at New Mertens Hotel Rooftop Bar. It’s has the perfect view 360 view of our downtown and the drinks are always good. The menu changes through out the year, so it’s never the same drinks, which makes it so fun to come back. They are open besides during winter, but a cold fall night? No problem, they have space heaters, fires and before the pandemic, blankets. There’s just something about having drinks while the sunsets in downtown.
This visit, the drinks are customizable spritzers. You choose your base, then they add champagne and fizzy water and there! Your drink is born! We got the Lillet Blanc.

We went to a candle making bar after the Haute, then decided to check out this new restaurant for dinner that opened called Tupelo Honey. It is so cute inside and out and the drinks and food are just as pleasing! We couldn’t have a Sunday funday without a mimosa, so we each got the Sweet and Tart mimosa size mega of course! A grapefruit with blueberry puree mimosa. It’s exactly like the name, very sweet and tart. They also use paper straws here and WE LOVE THAT. I really wish I wasn’t so hurt cause I definitely would have ordered another drink to try. This won’t be my last time here though, but let’s get to the food!

So everything sounded so delicious, we went in on Tupelo Honey. In the video, are only the appetizers that we ordered. We got the Fried Okras, Crispy Brussels, and the Mac & Cheese Bites. They were all so good and mouth watering. I’ve just discovered Okras this year, so I had to those, but the Mac & Cheese Bites were my favorite. Who just doesn’t like mac & cheese??
Everyone that has gone here recommends their fried chicken, so for the main entree I ordered their Fried Sweet and Spicy Chicken sandwich. It comes with a potato bun and have NEVER tasted any buns like it. Please use potato buns for every sandwich and burger now! These buns will change your life. Anyways, the honey sriracha on the sandwich was really good. It lives up to the hype!

I was so full this day, when I got home at 6 pm, I took a big food coma nap. I’m pretty sure the nap lasted 4 hours. I had a lot of fun though and it was such a fun adventurous day with my friends. Three things that I love, my friends, food, and drinks. It’s all just L O V E. Like I mentioned before, there’s so much more for me to try here in Grand Rapids, so expect more of these! There’s so many places already and there’s still more coming in and I think it’s so awesome. Very lucky to be in a growing city! I love Grand Rapids, I really do. Until next time though!

FUN FACT: Grand Rapids is also know as Beer City in the United States! We have tons of breweries here, so I’ll introduce some of my favorite places to you guys soon!

SALLY ♡ T

First Time: Tubing.

Charcuterie board and tubing, that’s how we do it for birthdays.
There’s a place in Newaygo, Michigan where you can take your tubes or kayaks and just float along the Muskegon River. It’s about 4 fun hours in the sun if you just let yourself float naturally. I’ve actually never been tubing like that before and every time my friends go, I’m stuck working the whole day. I finally got the day off and let’s just say I took advantage of it haha. Let me tell you about my first tubing trip.

Hello, hi! I should start off with some facts about me, I don’t know how to swim, tread water, and struggle with floating, I am only 5 feet tall, and my skin sunburns very easily. This is Kona and I before we left to go tubing. (No dogs were harmed, Kona actually doggie smiled every time he got picked up) We’re alive, well, and sober. My friends also roasted the fuck out of me the rest of the day for dressing like a hooters girl LOL.

I would also like to add that my tube was very comfortable and I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to last minute find a tube. Where I live, river tubes are sold out everywhere and I was lucky to find this ducky tube on Amazon and have it shipped to me the day before the trip. Plus, who doesn’t like a big floating duck with sunglasses? Some cons of it being camo is that it gets hot in spots and the dragonflies on the river thought I was a tree so I was surrounded by them. I’m terrified of bugs, so trying not to abandon ship and drown was a challenge.

The river was a smooth ride besides some random big rocks and logs, but you could easily maneuver yourself around those. About half the time the water was shallow enough for you to get off your tube and swim or walk in the water. There was plenty of times that I could get off my tube.
My friends and I brought coolers just filled with food and drinks, we even packed a charcuterie board for the two birthdays that we were celebrating. Fanciest water food selection ever. It was just *chefs kiss*. Well I started to drink a little more than usual since the sun was beating down on me and guess where I decided to fall off my tube? Yep, a deeper part of the river. Only my luck LOL. I could touch the bottom, but the water was up to my neck and getting back on the tube was a struggle, if only it stopped there. Turns out I drank way too much and I ended up throwing up and falling asleep right after for the rest of the trip. I held on the my friends hand for the last 30 minutes as I was slowly waking up super drunk, but hungover. TYPICAL SALLY. Thankfully, my tube was big and I’m just small, so I was sleeping beauty on a river. I did get sunburn after just recovering from my Colorado one. I’m really surprised that I haven’t gotten sun sickness yet, these sunburns are pretty bad haha

When I was alive during the trip, I did get video footage and I’m working on making a video, another hobby that I’m trying out. At the end, I was able to gather myself up and pack the cars. We just all went back to my friend’s house and grilled up some hotdogs and hamburgers with asparagus, tried to sober up so I could be fine for work the next day. What a day it was. I absolutely love my friends and I would risk my life all over again to go with them ♡

Until the next adventure!
SALLY ♡ T

CHEERS TO 25.

CHEERS! I am now a quarter of a century old. I literally came down from the top of the world to turn 25. It’s crazy how old I am and still get asked if i’m a minor, just blessed I guess. I won’t complain about it when older, but until then… YES I PROMISE THIS IS NOT A FAKE ID!

I am no where near where I thought I would be at, but I’m perfectly okay with that. I’m in no rush to grow up and I’m pretty much just living my life the best I can. I just hope it stays like this a little longer. I’m in that ‘I can go anywhere to travel whenever I want’ phase in my life and it’s been such a dream. I also have the best group of friends and love them so much. They set up a charcuterie picnic for my birthday and it was perfect, not even covid could ruin it. ♡