Good morning! I hope you are all coming off of a great weekend.
Scott and I had an eventful one filled with friends and get togethers. I didn’t really get around to snapping too many photos (it has been great to unplug more on the weekends), so I thought it would be a great time to dive back in and finish a post I started drafting some time ago.
Mid-October marked our third year of living in Michigan! On October 12, 2012, Scott and I packed up our lives (and fur kids) in Orlando, Florida to head out on a one-way road trip Up North for our new lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan.
Around our move-iversary every year, I like to take a look back at what we’ve done and where we have explored since living in our new state. These recaps don’t include a lot of health and fitness content, but rather feature more of the fun I choose to share with you on the blog.
It’s neat for me to search through the archives and relive a lot of these experiences, so hopefully you will enjoy the flashback, too!
If you’d like to see what previous recaps look like, check out:
– 1 Year Michigan Move-iversary Highlights
– 2 Year Michigan Move-iversary Highlights
Here’s what has been going on up north since then!
3 Year Michigan Move-iversary: A Year of Highlights
Starting October 2014…
• I became an official Certified Personal Trainer!
• Visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn
• Raced my second half marathon with Alex that took us through Canada and back!
• Visited Canterbury Village in Lake Orion
• Went apple picking and picked out a pumpkin from a patch for the first time
• Shared my Ultimate NASM CPT Study Guide (I hope this helps those of you on your own journey to becoming a personal trainer)
• Spent quality time with Scott’s mom, Becky, who came in town for a visit!
• Celebrated Scott’s birthday with dinner at The Whitney (a haunted mansion)
• Shared my go-to workout gear for winter running
• Raced my third half marathon and got a new PR of 1:58:31!
• Shared some scenes from a weekend in Chicago (and finally visited The Bean!)
• Snuck in as many family runs as we could before the serious cold temperatures hit
• Attended our first U of M football game at The Big House
• Scott made his blogging debut (<- Ha. I think he needs to write again!)
• Enjoyed a visit from my mom (… check out more highlights) over Thanksgiving <3
• Announced that I started a new job as a personal trainer!
• Raced the Turkey Trot Drumstick Double with my mom in Downtown Detroit
• Shared a (long) list of FAQs and answers (I loved receiving these, by the way!)
• Got a new (leased) Jeep and named her Lillian
• Saw Straight No Chaser in concert and dined in Midtown Detroit with girlfriends
• Got into the Christmas Spirit with a night out at the Fox Theatre with friends
• Shared a new favorite DIY Last Minute Holiday Gift Idea
• Had a very low-key Christmas at home
• Saw our friend, Mary, who was in town visiting from Orlando
• Shared the most popular (non-food and fitness) posts from 2014
• Shared the most popular food and fitness posts from 2014
• Traveled to Ann Arbor to watch the Pistons Flight Crew perform at a U of M basketball game
• Dined at Café Zola in Ann Arbor
• Celebrated a New Year with a low-key game night at home with friends
• (Secretly) started drafting our journey towards trying to start a family
• Went wedding dress shopping with Alex, her mom, and sister in Fowler, Michigan
• Tried my first juice and raw foods cleanse (<- check out my thoughts and review)
• Went to the Detroit Auto Show & spent some quality time with our friend, Megan, who was in town working it
• Discovered Gold Cash Gold, one of our now favorite places to dine in Detroit
• Attended the Pistons vs. Magic game with some fellow former Orlando Magic Dancers!
• Shared my pledge to stay committed to winter running (ehhh, working on it…)
• Caught the tail end of the Fire & Ice Festival in Downtown Rochester
• Got snowed in with friends (but still ventured out) over Superbowl Weekend
• Said goodbye to Housewife Glamour! (ahhh, such a bittersweet post)
• Introduced Life In Leggings!
• Went to Houston to attend a fun Valentine’s Day themed wedding (Congrats Amy & Robert!)
• Went to Florida to spend some quality time with family <3
• Finally got (somewhat) used to running in the snow
• Hosted Scott’s nephew, Connor, and showed him the highlights of Downtown Detroit
• Went to WWE WrestleMania in Detroit
• Explored Downtown Ferndale (dinner at Local & drinks at The Oakland)
• Shared a 5K training plan for beginners (it’s quickly gaining popularity on Pinterest!)
• Attended Pistons games and explored more restaurants in Birmingham
• Shared 30 thoughts on turning 30
• Flew to Florida to say goodbye to my dear Grandaddy. (I love you!)
• Got a lot of you with an innocent April Fool’s joke that I’m moving back to Florida (whoops)
• Spent Easter Weekend with friends
• Stumbled upon Downtown Clawson (a neat little strip of restaurants and pubs)
• Went on a #DetroitDateNight to the Detroit Science Center and Green Dot Stables
• The girls from my small group surprised me with a birthday dinner and sleepover!
• Scott surprised me with a trip to see my middle school bestie, Lauren, in New York City for my 30th Birthday!
(Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV)
• Shared why I choose to eat (mostly) gluten-free
• Dined at Camp Ticonderoga & visited Stoney Creek Metropark (<- love that park!)
• Ran my first color run in Downtown Detroit
• Attended the SMASH48 Women’s Retreat with my small group in Spring Hill
• Spent Memorial Day Weekend with HOOPER and friends
• Shared some Pro NBA/NFL Dance Audition tips (Food & Fitness Guide & What To Wear)
• Went to the New Kids on the Block Concert (<- awesome!) and ran the Hope Water Project 5K
• Tried new restaurants in Birmingham and attended U of M Movie Night with friends
• Celebrated Amanda’s Cinderella-themed Bridal Shower
• Visited the Bass Pro Shops Headquarters and Explored Downtown Springfield, Missouri
• Revisited where Scott proposed in Downtown Historic Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• Spent the Day in Silver Dollar City (theme park) and Branson, Missouri
• Stopped into St. Louis, Missouri to tour the Anheuser-Busch Factory
• Celebrated Amanda’s Bachelorette Party!
• Enjoyed a quick visit from mom and lunch with family in Frakenmuth
• Celebrated Fourth of July weekend boating in Holly with friends from out of town
• Spent a weekend Up North hiking Pyramid Point & visiting Leland, Michigan with friends
• Shared a Q&A interview with fitness icon Gabby Reece!
• Attended the 2015 IDEA World Fitness Convention & BlogFest (Day 1 & Day 2) in Los Angeles, California
• Spent a day in Hollywood & Hermosa Beach, California, with my friend Kylee
• Shared a letter to my husband and celebrated our 4 Year Wedding Anniversary
• Celebrated the 100th week of Friday Favorites (thank you so much for participating!)
• Highlighted our summer trip to Chicago (yes, we love visiting this city, ha!)
• Shared what’s currently going on in our lives…
• Watched the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise
• Covered my first rock climbing experience!
• Visited Eastern Market (Downtown Detroit) & Stoney Creek Park Metropark
• Attended the 2015 Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly Township
• Shared a heartfelt letter to friends (also) dealing with pregnancy envy <3
• Enjoyed a visit from Meggan (who now lives in Birmingham, AL) and took her to Birmingham, MI
• Celebrated Alex’s Bachelorette Party in Chicago! (Part I & Part II)
• Shared some (Q&A) tips on surviving your first winter Up North
• Traveled to Ohio for Cedar Point Halloweekends, Round 2!
• Took advantage of Detroit Restaurant Week with a double date night downtown
• Shared some thoughts (with love) to my pregnant and new-mommy friends
• Took my first Pure Barre Class in Michigan!
• Explored Northville and a new (winery &) cider mill
• Celebrated Alex’s Bridal Shower
What a year! Whenever this time of the year approaches, I have a hard time believing that an entire twelve months have come and gone.
Some of the biggest highlights for me last year include getting hired for my first job as a personal trainer, debuting Life In Leggings, and taking as many weekends as we can to travel and catch up with friends.
As many of you know, we are at a point in our lives where life could change very drastically!
I can’t wait to see what the next year of highlights look like for us. Thank you so much for taking the time to check in and support this blog year after year! <3
Questions of the Day
• What are some of the biggest highlights of your last year?
• What cities have you lived in?
• What cities do you wish to live in?
When it comes to moving, Scott and I are truly up for anything right now. I don’t have many updates to share, and I promise to keep you all in the loop if a move is approaching. Ideally, I would love to end up a little more south with less snowy days and more days closer to a beach. We have talked about many places we would potentially like to live one day, and some of the front runners are <enter city in> (basically anywhere in) California, Austin, Boston, (just outside of) New York City, Charlotte, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Nashville.
Only time will tell!
![[in our elementary school era] 🚌😭
Skyler did great walking into KINDERGARTEN with a big smile on his face this morning. I, however, was a bit of a mess on our walk home. 🥹
It’s wild how fast these 5 years with him have gone … 7 since we moved to NYC and into our apartment, dreaming of the day our kids would someday go to the *awesome* school right down our block. 🏫
That day is today, and I still don’t believe it — feeling allll of the emotions and thanking God for placing us here and for being able to trust His timing through the journey. 🫶🏼 #hbshinnyc
SO proud of you, SK - you are going to rock your first year at your “big boy school” - WE LOVE YOU !! 🩵👑](https://lifeinleggings.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
That is one thing I love about blogging, the ability to look back through times you had… I recently just moved to Georgia 2 and a half months ago and I am so excited to look back over my journey and good times here in a year!
Hilary recently posted…Weekend in snap shots
I agree! Ahhh, I bet you will love looking back at your life adventures. Moving is terrifying, but so exciting at the same time!
Always love your honesty and positivity, and can’t wait to see where life takes you next!
Teddi recently posted…FRIDAY FASHION/FITNESS/FOOD 4
Thanks so much for reading, Teddi!
I only started reading a few months ago so it was fun to catch up with your life through this post – wow you are a busy lady! Looks like things in MI are good – hope this next year is everything you want it to be 🙂
Torry @ A World Without Wheat recently posted…Work + Fun = Weekending
Hi Torry, thank you for reading! I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I’m looking forward to seeing what next year brings too 😉 Have a great week!
What a jam-packed year! I’m not much of a commenter when it comes to blog. I just wanted to thank you for your brave, honest posts about some of the not-so-fun things life has thrown your way. My husband and I got married six months ago, and two months before that he lost his job. He finally found a new job in a new city (Chicago!), so we moved, and I found a new job too. Talk about lots of life changes in a short amount of time–and life changes that put off any plans we may have had for starting a family, despite my baby fever. Anyway, I can relate to some of your recent experiences, and I appreciate reading your perspective. Be kind to yourself as you navigate through all this. I wish you and Scott all the best!
Hi Marissa, thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment! Gosh, I’m sorry to hear about your circumstances. It looks like we have a lot in common there! How are you liking Chicago? We love visiting the city and have definitely taken advantage of only living 5 hours from it. <3
We are loving Chicago! There’s never a dull moment here, that’s for sure. If you guys moved here, you wouldn’t be escaping the snow, but at least you can hop on trains to get around instead of braving the roads yourself!
I’ve lived in NY my whole life but I really want to move to Tampa. Maybe one day I’ll finally get to move!
Krystal // The Krystal Diaries recently posted…Pray for Paris
That’s funny, I lived in Tampa for 4 years while I attended the University of South Florida. I loved it! It’s like Orlando, but on the bay. 😉
This last winter in MI was brutal! I’m about to experience my 6th and FINAL Michigan winter! It sucks because I’ve been in maryland the last 5 months and we’re only headed back to MI for the first 10 weeks of the new year but those are the worst weeks of winter :'( I can do it…
Meagan Leanne recently posted…Confession time and a New Challenge
If I can do it, you can! If it makes you feel better, it’s been surprisingly mild so far. It was snowing around this time last year, and it’s in the 60s today! 🙂
Happy move-iversary! Hoping this winter is a bit less insane compared to the last few! Also, I’m impressed you were able to visit the Bean with that little of a crowd!
Alexandra @ My Urban Family recently posted…Free Quote Printables #3
Right? Me too! I remember it being pretty chilly the day we visited, but I was also surprised it wasn’t crazy crowded. Plus, we met a very nice photographer who offered to snap our photo. Win!
Happy three years in Michigan! Florida sounds a whole lot warmer though 🙂
Kristin recently posted…Heartbroken
Haha, tell me about it. I hear that reminder almost daily when I talk to anyone from home! 😉
I enjoyed this recap! Its fun to see all that you have done and experienced this last year. I am Canadian and I have lived in 5 different provinces! British Columbia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and now, Alberta! I pray your year brings you many blessings and lots of happiness!
Thanks Brit! Wow, it sounds like you’ve truly explored Canada! I’ve only been to Windsor, so I would love to travel and see more areas!
Wow, Florida to Michigan, talk about a climate change! Seriously, I don’t know how manage, but then again I live in San Diego and can barely handle any chill factor (self-imposed wimp).
I keep thinking about you guys and your next steps, and it’s great that you’re open to so many places and changes! Hoping for good things! As far as your year of highlights — WOW, you had a lot of fun!! So many awesome posts, pictures and memories for you. 🙂
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West recently posted…A concert, the weekend and my weekly workout report
I’ve lived in Gaylord, MI (wayyy too much snow compared to “down south” in Lansing) and Honolulu, HI. I would LOVE to live in Washington, D.C. or Chicago.
Allison K. recently posted…Yes, but is it FREE?
That’s quite a year with lots of good memories and lots to reflect on.
My biggest highlight and change was moving with my husband from scotland to Australia 3 months ago – it was the scariest thing I have ever done but so worth it! We are loving life right now on the other side of the world!
Jen @ Chase the Red Grape recently posted…Week in Review! (16 Nov)