Oh, hello.

I’m writing you from the TYK North Campus in Rockford, Michigan. (Never once have I called my blog “TYK,” but it rolls off the tongue and should serve me nicely when I become the Dooce for the Quarterlife-Crisis set.)

Ma, Pa, and I are headed further north tomorrow to Traverse City, which is…well…

I actually don’t even know if that’s geographically accurate.

Anyway, ALLS I know is, there will be a Festival celebrating The Cherry, which, according to the website, is sure to be

AWESOMELY AWESOME!

Spending the Independence Day holiday in Traverse City is becoming something of a tradition within my extended family, who travel from all over the country for togetherness and cherries and fireworks.

Meanwhile, tonight, at Chez Jenn:

My mom had dinner ready upon my return home, which was fantastic —  though it contained beef, which is something she refuses to believe I am giving up. (There’s a special brand of denial Midwestern mothers display when you tell them you’re mainly pescetarian. “That’s nice, Jenny. Here, I packed you a bologna sandwich.”) As we sat out on the porch to enjoy the cool of the evening, I was suddenly reminded what it was like to live in the woods. All is quiet except for the gentle rustle of leaves. Birds chirping. Chipmunks barking at the squirrels. The buzzzzzz of hummingbirds divebombing over your head. (YES. MY CHILDHOOD HOME. A PLACE A MAGIC AND WONDER.)

Jenn: So what’s the itinerary for this weekend?

Mom: Well, what do you want to do?

Jenn: I -

Dad: She wants to go look at the water and be drunk all day.

What can I say, the man knows me. However, I feel like I should have some clear-cut goals before delving into my Holiday. I give you:

JENN’S TOP TEN: TRAVERSE CITY EDITION

1. Visit a winery.
2. Read.
3. Squeeze in a workout around the Bay, total McConaughey style.
4. Take pictures. (Bonus points for holding Dad’s Nikon D200 hostage and shooting with that.)
5. Eat cherries until my lips get stained.
6. SLEEP. (Have you been reading my tweets? Insomnia central.)
7. Blog at least once per day.
8. Get tipsy with my cousins. At least once per day.
9. Buy a tacky souvenir to bring home to my roommate.
10. SALT. WATER. TAFFY.

Wow. That is a really tame list. I feel like there should be something more challenging on there.

Ideas? Throw ‘em in the comments.

In the meantime, I’m going to go yell at my mom again for converting my childhood bedroom into her Scrapbooking Sanctuary.