A Bucket List Weekend

It's funny how most of us see the weekends as a time to relax and to do things that you want to do versus things that you have to do. On the other hand, there are times when you are so busy on the weekend that going back to work is actually the real break. That would probably be the case with this past weekend. The good news is, I was able to tick a few things off of @mrsbozz's bucket list and any time you can do that for your wife, it's never a bad thing. I'm not even going to try to cover it all in one post. In fact, some of the things we did this weekend might need more than one post for you to fully appreciate them.

I just finished resizing something like 224 different photos so that they don't take forever for you to load them up when you are reading these posts. You're welcome!

I actually planned this trip sometime in 2025, with the hopes that the weather would cooperate by the time the first weekend of May rolled around. Thankfully, we had some pretty decent weather, though a touch cold, but what do you expect for the beginning of May?

Our trip took us over to the west side of Michigan where we visited a lantern festival, a tulip festival, a tunnel in a park, three bookstores, a movie theater, and some really great food. It was a pretty magical time and though it went far too quickly, it was nice to get away. We got back early Sunday morning with plenty of time for me to do a bit of yard work and I even had the chance to grill later in the evening.

After working a full day at work, we stopped home quickly since we work on the east coast of Michigan and prepared for the two hour drive over to Grand Rapids, MI. Once we got into a town called Kenton on the outskirts of Grand Rapids we stopped at a Trader Joe's to pick up few things we forgot to get when we were down in Ohio last weekend.

We don't have a Trader Joe's close to us, so anytime we can make it to one we try and stop. There are a few staples that we like to keep on hand which you can only get there.

After that, we decided to get something for dinner before we stopped at our hotel. I found this place just a bit away from the hotel called Vitale's Sports Bar. We actually stayed in Comstock Park which is just a bit north of Grand Rapids, but it's not too bad of a drive into town. We had to drive around the parking lot about seven times to find a parking spot. Given the fact that it is a pretty big parking lot, we figured this must be a quite popular place.

We almost gave up a few times, but eventually an older couple came out of the restaurant and we waited for them to leave then took their space. They told us it was going to be a fifteen to twenty minute wait for a table, but it actually ended up being only about five minutes.

We got some mozzarella sticks as an appetizer that we shared. We were both so hungry that I forgot to take a picture until they were almost gone. You can't really go wrong with fried cheese and these were no exception. They really hit the spot. Knowing how portions usually go in the US, we then decided it might be a good idea to share an entree. We decided on the stromboli, with ham, onions, black olives, and mushrooms.

It was absolutely amazing and paired really well with the amber ale that I had gotten to drink. Meanwhile, @mrsbozz stuck with her standard Captain Morgan spiced rum and Diet Coke. If I had to give one critique of the food, it would be the fact that they used canned mushrooms in the dish. For me that isn't a big deal because I like canned mushrooms, but I could see some people who are more picky than me taking issue with that.

You can see the mushrooms there in the photo above and it's pretty obvious they came from a can. Canned mushrooms just have a different texture and taste. Again, I don't mind, but if you aren't used to it, I can see how it could throw you a bit.

It was a good thing we decided to share because getting a full entree would have been way too much food. I forgot to mention that @mrsbozz also wanted to get a side salad to get her share of veggies for dinner. I'd definitely recommend this place if you are ever in the Comstock Park area of Michigan. The food is great and according to my wife, they had a heavy pour on the mixed drinks which is never usually a bad thing.

Pardon the pun, but that's just a taste of our weekend. I can't wait to share the rest of it with you starting on Wednesday. Tomorrow I will be continuing my musical road trip through the US.