Get inspired by the season.

Two winter posts in a weeeeek!? Who is she! I wasn’t actually planning on blogging, but it helps when you have fun winter adventures with your photog boyfriend who is so freaking good at taking photos, so here we are! It was super sunny out yesterday, still in the 20s, but… I knew we had to get out for a little bit to enjoy some winter scenery. So we headed out to Wetmore Landing to take a little walk through the woods and out to Lake Superior! It’s really wonderful to be having a legit winter this year.

I always love an ice-skating moment at the Ore Dock when Lake Superior freezes over! Conditions have been pretty ideal this year for it to happen. Subzero temperatures and not a lot of snow the last couple of days, which is exactly what we need! As soon as I saw people out there, I was like, it’s on! Thankfully Elliot had an extra pair of hockey skates I fit into… literally saved the day, so we got out there and skated around for a bit, ran into photog friends, and it was so funnnnn. ⛸️🧊

If you’re looking for a way to escape the ordinary and explore a scenic winter wonderland… consider a weekend getaway to the Keweenaw. From Fitzgerald’s cozy lodging and some of the best food in the U.P. to waterfalls and lighthouses, there was no shortage of activities to keep us adventuring around.

Just a quick post… with an outfit I wore to Big Bay! I just felt like getting out of the house, and I love a tradition of “Fish Fry Fridays” so I was like… I’ll take a drive to Big Bay, see what photo opps are along the way (always excited to spot a log stack!), golden hour at the beach, and then go to Thunder Bay Inn for fish fry!

On a sunny Saturday, I decided to trek around Marquette and hit a few miscellaneous things I haven’t visited yet… including a waterfall, beach, and roadside park. Of course, stopping for a favorite bagel sandwich and coffee along the way! Read on for a few random things to do in Marquette!

Little Presque Isle is now one of my favorite spots in town! To get to Little Presque, just head down 550/Big Bay Road… the same way you’d take to Sugarloaf or Wetmore Landing. Just 1.2 miles north of Wetmore’s entrance on the same side of the road, you’ll see signs for Little Presque.

If you’re driving into Marquette, you’ll likely spot a stone structure that looks like an igloo. These kilns used to burn wood into charcoal that powered furnaces that converted iron ore and limestone into pig iron! See you learn something new every time you read Selective Potential! 😂

What the last couple of Sundays have looked like… me just hanging at home, with coffee in hand, working on editing photos, or just catching up on Netflix. Normally I’m out and about all weekend long adventuring, but the slowness of a Sunday has appealed to me lately.

An overnight in Houghton included seeing the ice sculptures for Winter Carnival, tostada pizza from Ambassador, Finnish pancakes from Suomi, the Portage Canal Lift Bridge, and navigating very wintry/hazy conditions. Read on for my trip to Houghton… and I’ll be back, but in summer. 😂

Looking for fun winter things to do in the U.P.? Check out… Eben Ice Caves, Little Presque Isle, Bond Falls, Laughing Whitefish Falls and Kitch-Iti-Kipi. Stroll downtown MQT for shopping and hit up the igloos at Mount Shasta in Michigamme. Happy winter adventuring!

Ahhhh, lilac season in Marquette. Swoon city! What a beautiful sign that summer is here. I’ve been running down the bike path along the lakeshore recently… and always slow my pace down to pass one of these and just take a giant whiff. 😆 But this is one of my favorite times of the year… I mean, fall is forever my favorite, but this is a close second. Just those transitional seasons are the best. Beach vibes and lilacs!? Yes, please.

My favorite spring tradition! 🌷 I love visiting the tulip fields in Holland, Michigan. This is my 16th year taking photos here! It’s just so magical every year. Elliot and I made the stop here on our way down to Illinois for his sister’s college graduation, and I’m so glad we made the trip. We really lucked out with driving right into the parking lot of Windmill Island Gardens and finding a parking spot right near the entrance. We were in and out basically, snapped our photos, helped a few others snap theirs lol, and then hit the road! Next time maybe I’d stick around longer, but not for Tulip Time. 😂

One of my favorite trees to visit when I’m in West Michigan in May! (This is at the Monet Garden little pocket park in downtown Muskegon.) I usually come down every time this year, because the Upper Peninsula is slow to bloom and see spring… but everything is in full bloom downstate! I absolutely love coming to downtown Muskegon. Just… the history! The architecture! Things to do! This little park! It’s truly just such a cool downtown. But yeah, an annual must-see for me is this tree. It’s just so pretty! 🌸

Popping in with a short and sweet blog post today from Bum’s Beach! It’s still been quite chilly here in the Upper Peninsula, so I’ve been layering up a lot, rockin’ this 90s trucker jacket over everything in a pinch, but definitely ready to just wear my spring/summer outfits without always having to layer up! But I mean, it’s pretty much that way until the 4th of July, even beyond. Before I moved here, I used to joke you could still wear your heaviest sweater in summer in the UP. It’s true! 😆

Ahhhh, lilacs blooming in June in Marquette. 💜✨🌸 One of my favorite times of the year. I mean, fall is still my favorite, but this is definitely a close second. Along with… the end of August warm beach vibes, and the quiet, fresh snowfall-y day in winter. I mean, every season up here is a dream (well except maybe mud/bug season), but once the lilacs pop off… swooooon. You’ll catch your girl going out of her way running on the trail or walking outside to hit a fresh whiff of a lilac bush, that’s for sure.

Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, pronounced Sis-shwa, means "only choice". It was named by the French who found it was the only harbor of refuge in this part of Lake Michigan. This was my first time back here since living in the Upper Peninsula. I love revisiting places up here, I swear it just never gets old, I think it’s a good sign I was meant to live here, and not just be a visitor. So grateful life worked out in a way that one of my biggest life dreams could come true while I’m still young enough to enjoy a lifetime of it. Ugh, did I just tear up?! 🥺

Another year in the books at the tulip fields! 🌷 I ventured over to Veldheer Tulip Gardens this year, and timed it out just right. Yes, it makes for a pretty outfit backdrop, but it’s just become so much more meaningful than that. I love tradition, love seasonal activities, and this just checks the box in terms of… filling up my heart and soul cup! But yeah, beautiful as always, magical AF, what a dreamy location.

Spring is blooming in West Michigan! 🌸 I headed over to the Monet Garden, an adorable little pocket park in downtown Muskegon, inspired by France’s famous Giverny gardens. It was transformed from a vacant lot, and has a little replica of the famous Japanese bridge from Giverny, painted in its signature color. An adorable spot to check out the fish pond, sit on a bench or take some photos!

Ahhhh, spring. Or what we call in the Upper Peninsula… mud season. 🥾 It has been nice to see the snow melt, but now we’re left with some muddy trails and lingering dirty snow piles until everything really dries up. But I recently took a little drive out to Sugarloaf, was venturing up, and stopped early on to take some quick outfit pictures. Good for me to get out of my apartment and into the world with my camera!

Happy spring… from the Upper Peninsula. Aka… hunting for any pocket of this town that doesn’t have snow to snap an outfit pic. Not easy to do. 😆 But I went out to the old Carp River Kiln, snapped a few pictures on a Friday night post-cocktails with friends and pre solo-dinner out. I had to bust out my new denim trucker jacket… even though our weather isn’t entirely cooperating just yet. Anyway… read on!

How in the helly do I not already have a blog post titled McCarty’s Cove? The cove that… I’ve spent the last five years crying and healing at, lol. This was the first stop I made after settling into my Airbnb the first night of moving to Marquette. Speaking of which, my five-year Yoopiversary is coming up… and I’m already sentimental over it. I’m already sentimental anyway, let alone adding on an anniversary of something that’s been one of the most life-changing moves I could have made. I found home. That’s for sure.

Sunflower season! 🌻 One of my favorite August rituals is to take a mini weeknight road-trip over to Rock, Michigan to visit the sunflower field at Fall Farms. So stunning. They only last a few weeks… so it’s similar to tulip season, lilacs in bloom or fall colors popping off, when you hear they’ve hit peak, you run! An easy road-trip, only about an hour from Marquette, it’s well worth the trip.

The east facing cliffs of Presque Isle. You can access this spot via car when the drive is open, and if you park along the side just beyond where the lookout/boardwalk view is, you’ll find a tiny path, that’ll take you right to this spot. Stunning. Vast views of Lake Superior, the Presque Isle Breakwater Lighthouse, cliffs, and if you head there early enough, a sunrise view.

I headed over to the east side of the Upper Peninsula to capture some content for a video I’m working on, and it was a lovely excuse to spend an evening in Paradise and make my way up to Whitefish Point. I stayed at the Paradise Lakefront Lodge, walked over to dinner at The Inn, drank blackberry wine and ate wings, got their famous carrot cake to-go. Relaxed on the balcony with a view of Lake Superior, took a drive up to Whitefish Point to snap photos, windows down and music up on the way home, some of my favorite kind of moments.

What if… we tried some quick outfit shots?! Like 4-6 photos. A little quick post that doesn’t requite a ton of time commitment. It was nice on this night actually… I finished a full work day, worked on the program for Fresh Coast Film Festival, ate dinner at home, worked on my 15th blogiverary post, walked around the neighborhood quick, shot a few photos by Thill’s Fish House, went home, and still had time to… start a new show and catch up with some friends. A pretty OK solo evening.

In celebration of my 15th blogiversary, here's a new outfit post, paying homage to my first post with gray and finding a railroad track here in Marquette! On September 3, 2009, I took my first "outfit shots" on the tracks near my apartment in Grand Haven after discovering fashion blogs. What started as a fun, personal project led me on an amazing journey. I'm so grateful for the experience!

Recently I took a weeknight adventure in the UP to Hall Farms to see their sunflower field… which is the most magical sunflower field I’ve ever seen. I went last year, but it was just past peak, so I knew this year… I needed to pounce as soon as I heard it was ready. I made it just in time for that late golden hour light. So beautiful. 🌻

I love that I can have weeknight adventures like this in the UP… chasing that golden hour light to a field of sunflowers! I drove from Marquette to Rock, which is about an hour, where Hall Farms is located… and includes this massive sunflower field that’s available to the public! Definitely worth a visit. It’s magical. 🌻

Summer is truckin’ along! I’ve been getting out to golden hour lots (which is such a healing thing for me) and one of my favorite spots is Wetmore Landing. (Except it was muggy AF this day and my hair was *not* happy. 😂)

Last week when I was still in Grand Rapids, I got a little dressed up to head out for drinks and nachos with one of my favorite humans! I picked up this top from Target without even trying it on, because I was like so cute!! Anyway, hi there, welcome to my scattered brain for a minute here, hahaha.

Fifth year… at the 510 Bridge in autumn! I decided to head out here midday, which I never do. I always wait til golden hour, and honestly, it was glorious because nobody was around and I was easily able to take photos and I didn’t miss peak colors! Yayyyy! But yeah, this spot is one of my absolute favorites in autumn, it’s easy to access, nearby parking, you can get views from the top of the new bridge and below on the old bridge, and if you haven’t been before in autumn, you just gotta goooo! 🍂

Living in the Upper Peninsula for five years now (what!), I’m becoming a location repeater, just because… I have my favorite spots up here in different seasons now! This bridge, well not even technically a bridge, but it’s a snowmobile bridge over the Yellow Dog River near Big Bay, but it’s just a vibeeeee! I ventured out here on a weeknight, was racing to make sure I hit that golden hour light, and wore a bit different of an outfit! We finally have some chillier temperatures up here, so I can layer, and I just love autumn style and colors. It’s the best. 🍁

Autumn is HERE, guys. 🍂 Trying to at least hit my usual haunts this year again… which include a few trips out to Big Bay, which is just… a town I have such a special place in my heart for. I spent a long time reading outside drinking a chaider (chai/cider!), before making the drive out there, grabbing a bite at Thunder Bay Inn, and heading down to the beach to take a quick peek, and ended up just staying there for golden hour, because it was legit so beautiful, warm, breezy, and just… magical.

We’re kicking off the autumn posts a little bit early this year… but our fall color in the Upper Peninsula is already poppin’ off! I feel like… I wasn’t fully prepared! I haven’t even switched my wardrobe over from summer to autumn! But Harlow Lake is always my first spot for that early fall color… so I headed out there last week, and it was beautiful! I was excited to put together this monochromatic outfit… and am trying to utilize more of my wardrobe and get a little more creative this fall! I mean, it’s the best season for personal style, in my opinion! 🍂

November in Paradise is truly paradise—quiet, peaceful, and perfect for slowing down. With no crowds or tourist buzz, it’s just you and nature. Bugsy and I spent a couple of days soaking it all in at Tahquamenon Lodging, catching a sunrise at Whitefish Point, exploring Tahquamenon Falls, and cozying up with cribbage, wine, The Twilight Zone, and breakfast bake. Read on for a slow November weekend in Paradise! 🌊

Took a Friday night walk up Thomas Rock to soak in the last bits of fall color and got treated to a beautiful blush-pink sunset. Even with the leaves past peak, it was all kinds of moody and pretty. Layered up in my favorite flannel and hoodie combo, Carhartt beanie, and new Levi’s for a laid-back night in nature. October’s wrapping up fast—savoring these crisp evenings before the slower November vibes kick in!

Marquette is in full peak fall color, and I couldn’t resist a golden hour trip to the top of Mt. Marquette—absolutely magical! 🍂 Trying to soak up every moment of October and autumn while it lasts. Also, I’ve been obsessed with these new wedgie-fit Levi’s and this crop bra tank under an oversized flannel lately. Perfect fall weekend vibes all around!

I recently took a spontaneous trip to Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains to catch the peak fall colors, and it was absolutely magical! The easy hike to the top was rewarded with vibrant autumn views and a beautiful sunset glow. I kept things cozy with monochromatic greens and my trusty Blundstone boots, perfect for a casual, comfortable evening in one of my favorite spots in the Upper Peninsula.

This week, I took a beautiful fall color drive with my friend Alex as the Upper Peninsula hit its peak! We made a quick stop at Teal Lake to snap some fun photos. Despite a little car sickness, we ended the adventure with wings and lots of laughs. I brought back some old-school Selective Potential vibes with my cut-off denim shorts, tights, and a thrifted green wool coat—fall layering at its best! Now, I’m gearing up for the Fresh Coast Film Festival and soaking in every last bit of autumn. 🍂

Every fall, I visit the Dead River Bridge to soak in the beautiful autumnal colors! This time, I wore my go-to wedgie-fit jeans, a new black button-up sweater, and my trusty wood block heels for a cozy fall look. Afterward, I headed to Jackson's Pit in Negaunee for dinner. I’m excited for more autumn adventures! October really is the best month. 🍂