Pokagon State Park

On Tuesday, my father and I set off on an adventure.  We try to make a special daddy-daughter bonding trip every time I come home and this time we went to the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana.  My father went to Pokagon every summer growing up to go camping and as my sisters and I grew up we joined the tradition in returning to the park (although we traded tents for cabins and a lodge).  Pokagon sits on three lakes and has a variety of swimming/boating/hiking activities in the summer and tobogganing in the winter.  This trip my dad and I discovered a new restaurant that serves up home cooking and "fried biscuts" that are the closest thing to beignets since Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.

We took a night hike where we made some new friends.

The next morning I had a throwback to 7yearsold and went to the Arts and Crafts room and painted a ceramic turtle to join my sisters' chipmunk and ladybug in our indoor garden at home (of course it was complete with hot pink feet, tiffany blue nail polish, and glitter).  After craft time, I headed over to the stables and went horseback riding and the trail was absolutely beautiful.

When I was finished, my dad met me at the stables and we went for a picnic and then sticking our feet in the lake.  As Wednesday afternoon waned, we headed homeward, first stopping at a local outdoor mall and doing a bit of shopping.  New yoga pants, 3 new shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, a leopard print belt, comfy flats, and a sweatshirt cardigan that screams New England are the new additions to my wardrobe arsenal.  Now I just have to figure out how I am getting all of this back to school in two suitcases!

I had so much fun spending time with my dad.  It was a really great way to finish off the summer.  Now I am only a few days away from trudging through Hurricane Irene and beginning my junior year at Babson College!

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45 in 45: Day 1

Today started absolutely miserable.  It poured and poured and lightening-ed and thundered all night.  It woke me up several times and I’m determined I have a leak somewhere in the cabin, but I have yet to locate it.  I’m sure it will emerge in time.  It did not let up an ounce this morning.  I had pre-planned my outfit for “casual Friday” with jeans, but decided to dress them up with a cashmere sweater, bow headband and hot pink ballet flats.  But after waking up to a damp room with pouring rain, I reached for warm wool socks and leather boots which I use as fancy rain boots.  It finally stopped raining around 10am  and brightened up outside to the point that my office had a lunch excursion and ate by the lake.  I’ve decided to go home for the weekend to pick up some more essentials, so when I got back to my cabin I immediately adjusted my clothes for the warm weather, and am now wearing navy mesh shorts, a light blue button down, and a grey cardigan.  I promise it actually looks a lot cuter than it sounds, although the shorts and shirt are both pulled from my Culver uniform…

Road Trip: Day 3

Start point: Niagara Falls, Canada

End point:  Cornell University Ithaca, NY

Distance: 167 miles

Travel time: 3:30

Route: I-90 E

Stops: Thirsty Owl Winery (to see Dubie the Donkey)

Clothing:  Bass boots, Mossimo dress, Culver Girls Academy Blazer, Express belt, Four Winds necklace.

We left Niagara Falls to make the final leg of the trip to Cornell.  I went to Tim Horton's for breakfast and for the third time in a row, it's been pretty disappointing; but at least they have peppermint tea, which I am in love with.  On the way to Cornell, we stopped at one of the many wineries around the Finger Lakes to see the winery's (Thirsty Owl) pet donkey, Dubie.  Dubie apparently is famous at Cornell and I had to meet the infamous donkey.  He was surprisingly cute.  When we finally got to Cornell, we ran to my sister's award ceremony, which in typical Halpin fashion, we were late.  After we got settled into the lovely dorm-rooms-turned-hotels, we went out to dinner at Ithaca's famous Boatyard Grill, which was delicious.  Afterwards we went to an Irish Pub for drinks.  It was nice to have the entire family back together, it doesn't happen very often.

Road Trip: Day 2

Start point: Erie, PA

End point:  Niagara Falls, Canada

Distance: 116 miles

Travel time: 6:30

Route: I-90 E

Stops: Presque Isle Casino (blackjack and lunch), Seneca Casino Niagara (blackjack)

Clothing:  Bass loafers, Citizens of Humanity jeans, Ralph Lauren t-shirt, Zara grey cardigan

Today was my Dad's birthday, so we had a vacation day.  My dad loves playing BlackJack, so we stopped at 2 casinos on our way to Niagara Falls, where we went to 2 more casinos.  We love Niagara Falls because it's such a fun town (plus the drinking/gaming age is 19).  My dad, mom, and I drove from our home in Chicago and met my sister and her boyfriend in Niagara.  We went to Margaritaville for dinner because it was absolutely down pouring and the restaurant was right across from our hotel.  It was a pretty low-eye, very Halpin-esce birthday, but it was good. :)

Road Trip: Day 1

Start point: Olympia Fields, IL

End point:  Erie, PA

Distance: 445 miles

Travel time: 8:30

Route: I-90 E

Stops: Angola, IN (Lake George) for dinner

Clothing:  Bass loafers, Citizens of Humanity jeans, 344 neon tank, Truly Madly Deeply (Urban Outfitters) sweatshirt

The road trip to Cornell for my sister's graduation as begun. In usual fashion, we started 4:30 behind schedule. But that didn't stop our fun. In my family, we don't go on roadtrips, we have "adventures" that usually lead us to unexpected places like Tijuana, a store called "The Pickle Factory," or mostly frequently sneaking into casinos.  Today was pretty tame, but I look forward to tomorrow, destination: Niagra Falls for my dad's birthday.