Shell-o family and friends! I apologize for the great delay in this month's blogs. Life comes at ya pretty fast sometimes! I'm going to do my best recap the last month before my vivid memories fade. It was a month of incredible ups and a few downs - but I am thankful nonetheless. Let's go to Frankenmuth, Michigan, shall we?
BUT WAIT! Before we stopped in Frankenmuth, we made a quick trip to Eagle, MI (right by Lansing) to visit a special kiddo named Ryan. He was born prematurely at only 1 pound and 7 ounces and was in the NICU for a very long time. He had many issues as an infant and has overcome so much and is now a very healthy 14-year-old kid! I love opportunities where the NUTmobile brings us closer to people like Ryan and his family. They welcomed us with open arms and were SO excited we were there. We could tell it positively impacted Ryan and his mom - and his grandpa loved Mr. Peanut!
After our trip, we grabbed dinner at El Azteco and I got to introduce Katie and Ryan to their incredible cheese dip, which we all devoured. We got into some open and understanding conversations over dinner and it made me feel very fortunate to have them as my teammates this year. We are all receptive to one another's feedback and very conscious and respectful of each other's feelings. I got so lucky to have them as my nut crew!
The next morning, it was off to Michigan's Little Bavaria!
I have been to Frankenmuth more than I can remember - but this was a special trip. I was in charge of planning events for this week so I knew I wanted to take it to one of my favorite spots from childhood. Every time I visited it felt so magical to me. Something about the themed buildings, cute little shops, 4-course chicken dinners, and the World's Largest Christmas Store all in one place creates an energy I can only describe as ✨German Disneyland✨.
Once we got to Frankenmuth, we had a day to explore. I took on the role of Ryan and Katie's guide throughout all the shops. I was able to buy some little things because my parents were coming to visit soon and I knew I could pass it off to them. Ryan added to his hat collection, and I got a sticker for my laptop and of course, a postcard. (Sign up to be on my postcard mailing list here!) We had dinner at Tiffany's and then went to bed.
The weekend was spent at Grandpa Tiny's Farm, right next to Bronners. We loaded in right around noon and met with Wendy, the organizer of the Flower Festival happening that weekend. She was so excited we were there and gave us a spot front and center by the entrance to the farm. We interact with a LOT of event planners in our job, and it's so nice when an event organizer just GETS it. Sometimes people are like "The NUTmobile? What is that? Uhhhhh okay??" But when I reached out to Wendy to set this up, she responded "We'd be peaNUTS not to invite you to the festival!" 🥜
When people respond that way, you know they are going to be fun to work with. And Wendy exceeded our expectations!
Friday was slow, so we were able to take Mr. P out to the sunflower field and pick flowers with him. When we got out, he ran up to a sunflower and ripped it right out the ground. Katie and I were laughing so hard and in shock at his strength. He did stain his white gloves a bit though. We got some incredible pictures that I'll probably cherish forever lol. There's something about Mr. Peanut that is so cute I don't even fully understand my love for him but he's just so likeable.
We still had energy left, so we decided to take Mr. Peanut to Bronners (the World's Largest Christmas Wonderland) to hide some NUTmobile ornaments around the store. (I highly doubt there are still any there, but you can always try to look!) Everyone at Bronners could not get enough of Mr. Peanut, and I had a blast soaking up the Christmas spirit in August. We put Mr. Peanut to bed, and then Ryan, Katie, and I went back into Bronners to hunt down a peanut-themed ornament. It didn't take long before we found exactly what we were looking for!
Saturday was much busier, and Wendy let us know that she hired a hot air balloon company to give tethered rides over the sunflower field. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be coming until after we were set to end our shift at the farm, but we asked if it was possible to maybe come back for a ride after. With the windy weather in the forecast, it was all a big maybe, but we had hope!
While we were working, I spotted a group of gals a few yards away. One of them looked to be holding a metal rod with... garlic?...oh my god... PEANUTS tied to the end of it. I immediately called out to her and said "Are those peanuts?!?!" and she said "YES!!" She told us that her mom had surprised her with the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile for her birthday years ago, and once they saw the NUTmobile was going to be in Michigan, they drove 2 hours to come see it in real life. They didn't tell their mom what they were going to see either - so it was a surprise when they walked up to our giant peanut on wheels! She made the "Knutting (Knighting) Stick" in theme with the NUTmobile and Frankenmuth. There were no questions, I had to be officially "Knutted" - and the ceremony did not disappoint.
After that, my parents and Aunt Beth came by! With Ryan and Katie holding down the fort with the Nut, my family and I got to go out to the fields, take photos, and spend some quality time together. My Aunt Beth bought the NUTmobile crew matching sunflower headbands which we all wore with delight. It's funny, when I took this job, I thought I would end up seeing my family less. In reality, I think I've seen my family more this summer than I have in this past 3 years! I'm very grateful for every moment I get with family right now, especially because once we head south I'm not sure how consistent it will be.
We left the farm around 4:00 and Wendy let us know they were running behind with the hot air balloon :( We were still in high spirits though - we got a delicious dinner at Prost! and then did an escape room at Great Lakes Escape which was conveniently located right next to our hotel. The room was called "The Heist" and I highly recommend it! Katie and Ryan were excellent escape room participants (which I think is always a green flag to someone's character as a whole) and we made it out of the room in only 43 minutes!
I decided to shoot one more text to Wendy to ask about the hot air balloon ride, and by the magic of Frankenmuth, she said they were up and running and that we were welcome to come by! We originally wanted to bring Mr. Peanut, but quickly realized his hat would probably 🔥catch on fire🔥 and decided against it. Instead, we opted for Mini P, a stuffed plushie version of Mr. Peanut that my Aunt Carol rescued from a dog's mouth only days prior. Mini P made its way to us at the NUTmobile through my parents that morning, so it was kismet that we could bring him up!
Seeing the hot air balloon in the distance, and knowing that we were about to be inside the basket was one of the most exciting moments of our year so far. Wendy was so kind to let us take a complimentary ride and the views and pictures we got were incredible! Katie, Ryan, and I were just laughing and smiling the whole time - another moment where we felt so grateful for the opportunities our nutty job gives us. What lucky lives!
Sunday, I got to visit my grandparents at their new condo and see my Aunt Beth and Uncle Ernie. My grandparents just got two new kittens named Daphne and Anthony (can you guess what show they are named after?) and they absolutely stole my heart. Being around kittens reminded me of my time fostering cats back in college - and only further solidified that I cannot wait to get a kitten of my own when I settle back down in Chicago.
Before we left, my Uncle Ernie came to pick up Beth in his fixed-up Model T, and being the guy he is, offered to take us for a spin. My life is suddenly full of cool cars! Very grateful to have such fun family members who are always looking for ways to share joy.
(Added Aug 31st): I wasn't planning on mentioning this in the blog, but I feel that it is necessary as I am trying to document this trip as honestly as I can. When we visited my grandparents house (mentioned above) on August 4th, I could feel in my bones that my grandma's health was at its worst, and it was likely that we would lose her soon. 20 days later, my Grandma Anita passed away after a long battle with cancer. I have intensely felt the effects of this impending loss since August 4th, but even more so now that she is truly gone. My grandmother was a beautiful artist, caregiver, and family-oriented woman. I was able to speak with her only a few days before she passed, and she told me to "write to her whenever I want". Keeping up with hobbies and tasks, such as this blog, has been difficult this past month - I have felt my motivations plummet. But my grandmother encouraged me to write, so I am going to do my very best to listen to her. 💗
Thank you for supporting me from all across the country so far. I am excited to write to each of you and my Grandma Anita for the rest of my year across the country.
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