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Two of my good friends from high school are getting married (to each other) and it will be a chance to not only see them and a bunch of friends I haven't seen in a long time, but also a chance to see family and get back to my roots. I will only be there for three days, but it'll be good to get back. So far, I've made it home at least once every summer. The last time I was home, some of my best friends went hiking and cliff diving up at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I didn't get a chance to go, and I'm still upset that I missed the trip. I'm afraid I won't be home long enough to go up there myself, but I will get to get out on the big lake, which I'm really excited about.

I used to sea kayak out on Lake Michigan (though more often than not, on the small inland lake that my family lives on), and it's one of my absolute favorite things to do. It's been a long time.

Now, I know you're thinking that I live on the ocean now and I could totally go sea kayaking anytime I wanted out here. But you know what? There are sharks in the ocean. Also, many other things that would like nothing more than to eat me. No, thank you.

Right now, I'm trying to plan out a schedule for how I'm going to accomplish everything I want to do while I'm home. You see, I'm flying into Chicago at about 7pm on a Thursday. From there, my good friend Carolyn is going to pick me up from the airport, we're going to do drinks with my friend Sara (who moved from LA to Chicago about six months ago) and then Carolyn and I will begin the 7ish-hour drive around the south-western shore of Lake Michigan, to the north-eastern coast where our hometown is located.

It's going to be a long, probably sucky drive (as when you reach mid-Michigan, you run out of freeway (or expressway, as they call it there) and have to drive the rest of the way on a two-lane highway with a 55mph speed limit). We'll probably get home early Friday morning. Luckily, I'll have jet-lag working in my favor with the time difference, and shouldn't be terribly exhausted.

From here it gets tricky. The wedding is Saturday at 4pm and we won't be done celebrating until sometime early Sunday. Then, Carolyn and I ship out so I can catch my 7pm flight in Chicago back to LA. So, I have all of Friday and most of Saturday to:

1) Visit as many family members as possible. This includes: Mom, Dad, Step-Dad, two sets of grandparents, sixish aunts and uncles, three cousins, and I know I'm forgetting someone, so, them.

2) Kayak, sail, hopefully get a little fishing in, hike up in Wildwood, and possibly mountain-bike with my Dad.

3) Drop by my former place of employment and say hello to all of the waitstaff, cooks, housekeeping, front desk people, and ghosts.

4) Visit the graves of my grandparents and dog.

5) Eat as much homecooking as possible, and also try to finaggle someone into taking me to the deli in town to eat the sandwich I have been craving for the last year.

6) Get to the local gourmet foods store to stock up on as many cherry products as I possibly can fit into my suitcase.

7) Get over to the cookie shop for the best damn cookies ever made by anyone, ever.

8) Whatever it is that I can't think of that I'll feel guilty for missing when I get back to LA.

If anyone has any ideas for time management, let me know.

Though on bright side of things, I found the perfect dress, with matching purse. Awesome.

"One nice thing about Wilson, Foley knew, was that he didn't screw around on time issues. For him, 'right now' meant right the hell now." -- Tom Clancy, Rainbow 6