So when we headed to Ludington on Saturday morning for the AJ Open, we knew it was more than just another disc golf tournament. This would likely be our final time playing those two courses exactly as we’ve known them for years. And somehow, by the end of the day, the trip turned into one of those random life days that feels much bigger in hindsight than it did while it was happening.

The Early Morning Drive North

Ethan and I got up early Saturday morning without much trouble. We’re both used to waking up around 4:30am for work anyway, so getting up early for a day of fun actually felt easy. We left Grand Rapids just after 6am in my F-150 with light rain falling most of the drive north. We had already checked the forecast the night before and knew there was a decent chance we’d be playing disc golf in the rain all morning, so we packed umbrellas, rain gear, and extra clothes just in case.

Thankfully, the weather had other plans.

The rain slowly faded as we got closer to Ludington, and by the time we arrived around 8am, it had stopped completely. The ground was still soaked, and the trees were dripping everywhere, but we never once had to open an umbrella the entire day. It ended up being pretty close to perfect tournament weather once things warmed up later in the afternoon.

Ethan controlled the music during the drive, which mostly meant Black Label Society blasting through the truck speakers the whole way north. Not exactly what I would have picked myself. I probably would’ve thrown on a podcast instead. But honestly, podcasts make conversation harder, and the drive was more about hanging out together than anything else anyway.

We made two stops along the way. The first was Walgreens because Ethan’s allergies had been brutal lately, and Allegra wasn’t doing much anymore. He decided to try generic Zyrtec instead, and I warned him that when I tried Zyrtec years ago, it worked great for allergies but also made me feel like I needed a nap by mid-morning. Sure enough, somewhere north of Whitehall, he started yawning nonstop while drinking coffee, trying to figure out whether he was actually tired or just getting hit by the allergy medicine. Either way, the important thing was that it worked. By the time we got to the courses, his allergies had calmed down a lot.

Our second stop was at a Wesco in Whitehall. I know that stretch of highway pretty well from years of truck driving, and I knew that was basically the last Wesco gas station right off US-31 before Ludington. The stop checked all the necessary northern Michigan road trip boxes at once: gas, bathroom break, coffee refill, and grabbing drinks for the lunch break between rounds. Wesco delivered exactly as expected.

Somewhere between Whitehall and Ludington, another vehicle passed us on the highway, and the driver gave us a wave after spotting the disc golf stickers on the back window of my truck. Sure enough, they had a Discraft sticker on their side window too. Neither of us knew each other, but we both instantly knew exactly where the other person was headed. That’s one of those tiny things that probably sounds meaningless to non-disc golfers, but honestly, it was kind of cool.

Traffic stayed surprisingly light for a Memorial Day weekend morning heading north. I kept the cruise control locked at exactly 75 mph most of the way, which turned out to be the right choice because there were multiple police cars parked in the median hunting for holiday weekend speeders. Leaving early enough so that you never feel rushed always seems to make trips better later.

The Final AJ Open on Beauty and Beast

The AJ Open is held every year at the Mason County Picnic Area in Ludington on two incredible disc golf courses called Beauty and Beast. Or at least… that’s what they’ve been called for years.

This tournament carried extra meaning because it’s the final official tournament being played on those layouts before major park renovations begin. The county is installing paved walking and biking trails throughout the park, which means several existing holes are being changed or removed. Instead of two separate 18-hole courses, the future layout will become a single combined course called Frankenstein, using portions of both Beauty and Beast.

So this likely marked the end of an era. The next time we play there, it won’t quite feel like the same place anymore.

I parked in my usual spot near the edge of the lot, mostly because I like having room to set up chairs during the lunch break between rounds. We checked in, used the restroom one more time, then headed out to warm up. Tournament mornings always have a certain atmosphere to them that’s hard to explain unless you’ve spent years around them. Practice putts hitting chains. Groups throwing warmup drives. Players pretending not to be nervous while quietly trying to convince themselves they’re throwing well.

After Ethan and I played a couple of practice holes together, we wished each other luck and split off toward our starting holes. It was a shotgun start tournament, meaning everybody begins simultaneously on different holes around the course. Ethan started on Beast hole 1 while I started on Beast hole 11, and we were also playing in different divisions that day.

Chasing a State Championship Berth

My main goal entering the tournament was earning a berth into the Michigan Amateur Disc Golf State Championship tournament on Labor Day Weekend.

Originally, I had signed up for the MA50 division for players age 50 and older. But the night before the tournament, we discovered that division would only award one berth, meaning I would basically need to win the division outright. So I switched into MA3 instead, where six berths would be awarded. There were 24 players in the division, and honestly, I liked my chances better there than needing to outright win MA50.

Beast was my first-round course, which is definitely the longer and more difficult course of the two, in my opinion. Temperatures were still in the low 50s when we teed off, and I wore a sweatshirt for most of the round. The damp air and wet woods gave everything that classic northern Michigan tournament feel, where your hands never quite feel warm or fully dry all morning.

But overall, I played smart. No out-of-bounds penalties. No hero shots. No trying to force anything that wasn’t there. Most importantly, I was making putts, and anybody who has played competitive disc golf knows how quickly missed short putts can destroy an otherwise solid round. On this particular day, everything within about 20 to 25 feet felt automatic.

I ended up shooting a 58, which was four over par. The leaders shot 56, meaning I finished round one only two strokes off the lead and would be on chase card for round two. I was thrilled, not necessarily because I thought I was going to win the tournament, but because I had put myself in a position to have a chance. That’s really all you can ask for after round one.

Bruce’s Bad Ass Barbeque and the Afternoon Push

Every time we play in Ludington, Bruce’s Bad Ass Barbeque is there serving lunch at ridiculously fair prices for tournament players. Five bucks got you your choice of giant homemade hot dogs, brats, smoked sloppy joes, or pulled pork sandwiches with homemade sauces.

Disc golfers appreciate food vendors more than they probably realize, especially after hiking through woods and hills carrying bags for several hours.

By lunchtime, temperatures had warmed into the upper 60s whenever the sun broke through the clouds, so I switched into shorts before round two and was glad I did. Beauty was my afternoon course, and compared to Beast, Beauty plays shorter but much more technical. More woods. More tight gaps. More situations where one tiny tree kick can completely change an entire hole.

But once again, my shots felt solid most of the afternoon. With four holes left, I realized I was only one stroke behind one of the leaders on my card. I had no clue what lead card was doing because cell service in that area is terrible, and several groups were keeping paper scorecards instead of live scoring online. Still, I knew I had a chance if I finished strong.

And somehow, by the end of the round, I had beaten that player by one stroke.

Then came the long walk back to tournament central to wait for final scores to get posted. Two players tied for first place at 109 total, and I finished tied for third at 110. One freaking stroke off from being tied for first!

Naturally, my brain immediately started replaying every small mistake from the day. That missed opportunity here. That slightly questionable decision there. That one putt. That one tree. Sports have a funny way of doing that to your brain even after a good performance.

Still, I had accomplished my real goal.

I earned a berth into the Michigan Amateur Disc Golf State Championship tournament, and honestly, tying for third out of 24 players in MA3 is probably one of the better tournament performances I’ve had in years. Especially because I actually felt calm and in control most of the day instead of mentally spiraling every time something went wrong.

Ethan, Disc Baron, and the End of the Tournament

Ethan didn’t have his best tournament, but definitely not his worst either. He finished 8th out of 30 players in MA2, which is still respectable in a strong field with a lot of solid players.

Both of us cashed in amateur payouts through Disc Baron, the tournament sponsor. I received $97 in store credit while Ethan earned $71. For non-disc golfers reading this, amateur players in sanctioned PDGA events can’t receive cash payouts, so winnings come in the form of merchandise credit instead. Honestly, most disc golfers are perfectly happy with that arrangement because we’re all just going to spend the money on more discs anyway.

After the tournament wrapped up, we hung around the pavilion talking with other players and watching state berths get awarded. We also spent some time catching up with Jacob, owner of Disc Baron. Both Ethan and I are part of Team Disc Baron, which basically means we represent the shop by wearing their gear, supporting them online, and helping promote them when we can. In return, we get discounts and a few perks, but more than anything, it just feels like being part of a really good local disc golf community.

And since Disc Baron is less than a mile from our house, it naturally became our home disc golf shop years ago.

Blackjack in Manistee

A little after 4pm, Ethan and I left Ludington and headed farther north toward Manistee and Little River Casino. Before leaving the disc golf course, I changed out of my shorts and into jeans and a sweatshirt, knowing we’d be indoors the rest of the night. Oddly enough, the sweatshirt I grabbed was an old Ludington State Park sweatshirt from a camping trip years ago. Kind of fitting for a day spent bouncing around the Ludington and Manistee area.

At that point, the trip quietly shifted from disc golf tournament mode into casino getaway mode.

Little River is one of the few casinos in Michigan that allows 18-year-olds to gamble, so Ethan had been excited to go back ever since his 18th birthday trip there last year. That birthday trip also accidentally created something else entirely: my weird year-long blackjack obsession.

At the time, I barely understood basic strategy. Since then, I’ve completely memorized it and spent the last year learning everything I can about blackjack strategy, probability, and ways to slightly improve the odds against the house. I’ve basically become knowledgeable enough to realize how much more there still is to learn, which honestly feels like how most hobbies eventually work.

The casino was absolutely packed when we arrived around 4:30pm. Being a holiday weekend in northern Michigan pretty much guaranteed that. We wandered around the slot machines for a while while I unsuccessfully tried identifying possible advantage-play situations on machines I only partially understood, which honestly probably looked ridiculous from the outside.

Eventually, we found ourselves at the blackjack tables.

The Dealers, The Cards, and the Buffet

The first blackjack dealer we played with was incredibly good at his job. Fast, sharp, conversational, and completely in control of the table the entire time. Unfortunately, he also seemed personally blessed by the gambling gods because he proceeded to deal himself what felt like nonstop 20s and 21s during the first couple of shoes.

Ethan and I each bought in for $200 at a $15 minimum blackjack table, which was the cheapest table available in the casino that afternoon. That seems to be pretty standard everywhere now, unless you’re gambling at three in the morning on a Tuesday somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

After a couple of shoes and a dealer change, I walked away down about $30 while Ethan had lost a little more than that. From there, we moved over to Three Card Poker for a while. At one point, Ethan accidentally folded A-2-3, which is a straight in Three Card Poker. The dealer immediately stopped the game, called over the pit boss, explained that Ethan was inexperienced, and somehow convinced them to let him keep the hand and collect the winnings anyway. But only once.

The pit boss gave him the kind of warning that basically says, “This is absolutely not happening again,” while still trying to stay professional about it. The dealer was incredibly cool throughout the whole thing though and kept telling us to ask questions anytime we weren’t sure about something. Good casino dealers really do make a huge difference in the overall experience.

By the time we left that table, I was down around $50 total while Ethan’s original $200 buy-in was slowly dwindling away across different games. Then we found the buffet, which immediately improved morale significantly.

Prime rib and Lobster were the featured entrees. Everything else was really good too. Admittedly, we both ate too much which is nearly impossible not to do at an all-you-can-eat buffet, that also included desserts.

This became Ethan’s delayed birthday dinner since his actual birthday landed in the middle of the work week this year. After dinner, Ethan explored some slots and video poker while I headed back toward blackjack for one final session before we left.

The Final Blackjack Run

I sat down with the $150 I had left in chips and slowly started grinding through shoes for the next hour or so. The dealers all had that extra level of energy you really only notice during busy casino weekends when everybody is chasing tips and trying to keep the atmosphere upbeat.

Then an older dealer took over the table, and suddenly, blackjack started going my way. Blackjacks started hitting. Double downs connected. Dealers busted repeatedly. The entire rhythm of the table completely shifted, and anybody who plays blackjack knows how quickly momentum can feel different even though mathematically nothing has really changed.

I don’t usually tip dealers by simply handing over chips directly. Instead, I’ll occasionally place small side bets for the dealer alongside my own hand, so if my hand wins, theirs wins too. It feels more fun that way, and honestly, most dealers seem to enjoy it more, too, because they get to actually root along with the hand.

Eventually, my stack climbed from $150 all the way up to $320. I figured that was probably my sign to leave. Because if there’s one thing blackjack players eventually learn, it’s that winning isn’t actually the hardest part. Walking away after winning is.

By the time we cashed out, I finished the day up about $120 overall at the casino. Ethan ended up losing the full $200 he had originally bought in with earlier in the night, but it happened gradually across several different games before the last of it disappeared during that final blackjack session sitting next to me. He was completely fine with it, though. He was there to gamble and have fun, not obsessively study blackjack strategy for the past year like I apparently decided to do.

The Drive Home and the Real Point of the Day

By 8pm, we still had more than a two-hour drive back to Grand Rapids ahead of us. The drive home felt quiet in a good way. More Black Label Society played through the speakers while Ethan and I recapped everything that happened throughout the day: the tournament, the casino, the dealers, the barbecue, the other players, the weird little moments along the way.

And somewhere during that drive, I realized something…

The actual activities aren’t the main thing you remember later. It’s the people. The random disc golfer waving on the highway. The barbecue crew feeding tired disc golfers between rounds. The casino dealers trying to keep tables loose and fun during packed holiday weekend chaos. The conversations. The interactions. Those are the things that quietly become the real story years later.

By the time we got home, Susie and Elena were sitting on the couch watching a movie. They paused it while Ethan and I unloaded the entire day back to them, piece by piece, while hearing about their day too. Before long, all of us were exhausted.

And after a full day of disc golf, driving, casinos, competition, gambling, walking, and nonstop activity, my achy 50-year-old body was more than ready for bed. As fun as the entire day had been, there’s still nothing quite like finally crawling into your own bed at the end of it.

We lived a pretty normal life in a pretty normal neighborhood just outside Grand Rapids, Michigan. We bought our lot in 2016, built our house in 2017, and like most people who end up in an HOA neighborhood… we agreed to follow the rules without thinking too hard about it.

At the time, it didn’t feel like a big deal.

Our HOA wasn’t what you’d picture in your head. No clubhouse. No pool. No shared spaces. The road was maintained by the county. There were no fees… not monthly, not yearly… nothing. As far as I could tell, the whole thing existed for one reason… to enforce a set of rules meant to protect property values.

The original landowner’s son lived on the street. His house was the first one built. He set everything up, became the president, and as far as I knew… he had always been the guy in charge.

And honestly… we didn’t mind.

Someone had to be the one dealing with awkward conversations when neighbors crossed a line, even if it was unintentional. He handled that. We trusted that someone was keeping things in order, and we never really stopped to ask what that actually meant behind the scenes.

After a couple of minor hiccups during the construction phase, things just… settled. We learned the rules and followed them. Trailers weren’t allowed in driveways, so if ours was home for more than a day or two, it went in the garage. Not a big deal.

For more than eight years, nothing came up.

Until one day… it did.

We had planned some outdoor improvements and went through what we thought was the proper approval process. There were conversations, there were texts, and everything seemed fine. We figured we were good to go.

Then the night before cement trucks were supposed to show up… we got a text.

Part of the project was suddenly not approved, and if we went forward anyway, it could end up costing us thousands to undo what had already been done. That didn’t sit right with me… or my wife.

We knew what we were doing didn’t violate any HOA rules or township ordinances, so we asked what felt like a pretty simple question… Which rule are we breaking?

The answer we got back wasn’t a rule. It was authority.

“It’s not approved, Matt. Bottom line. I started with that. If you pour it, you can’t park a car on it.”

Something about that just felt… off. It wasn’t tied to anything we could look up, and it didn’t point back to a document. It felt more like an opinion… backed by a title.

And that was the moment something shifted for me. Not in a dramatic way, just enough to make me stop and think… wait a second.

What authority did our HOA actually have?

At the time, I had no idea that question was about to send me down a rabbit hole that would completely change how I understood everything we’d been living under for years.

Why I Never Questioned Our HOA in the First Place

I never really questioned whether our HOA had authority. And honestly… why would I?

Like most people, I trusted the system simply because it existed. I didn’t stop to ask whether the HOA was legitimate, properly structured, or even legally intact. It never crossed my mind to question its authority… let alone its actual existence.

For a long time, there just wasn’t a reason to.

One of the things that made our HOA feel harmless was the fact that there were no dues. No monthly payments, no annual assessments, no shared bank account that homeowners were funding. There was no obvious financial motive, no aggressive enforcement, and for years… very little drama.

Nothing felt predatory or broken. If anything, it felt like a light-touch system quietly doing its job in the background.

Looking back, I can also see how trust in the structure itself played a role. The neighbor who created the HOA is a successful business owner… the CEO type. Knowing that, I think we all just assumed the hard parts had been handled. That lawyers had been involved when it was created. That the governing documents had been reviewed. That everything was being maintained and kept in good standing.

Because of those assumptions, I never felt any urgency to dig deeper. I hadn’t read the governing documents start to finish. I hadn’t checked state records. I hadn’t independently verified anything about the HOA’s status.

Not because I didn’t care… it just never crossed my mind that I needed to.

Why I Started Looking Into Our HOA (Without Trying to Start a Fight)

That night before the cement trucks were scheduled to arrive was rough.

I was texting back and forth with the HOA president, trying to land somewhere reasonable. At some point, he just stopped responding. We were left sitting there, not knowing what the morning would bring or whether we were about to make a very expensive mistake.

At 7:00 a.m. the next morning, the cement contractors showed up like nothing was wrong. We walked them through the situation, and after talking it through, it became pretty clear that pouring the cement was actually the cheaper option compared to undoing all the prep work and trying to restore a lawn that had already been torn up the day before.

Eventually, the conversation with the HOA president picked back up. We ended up with what we called a “compromise.” We could pour the cement, but we had to agree in writing, through text, that we wouldn’t park anything on the portion behind the house line. In front of the house was fine… behind it wasn’t.

None of it made any sense.

There was no rule to point to. Nothing in the bylaws. Nothing he could reference. It felt like something that had been decided in the moment, backed only by the fact that he was the one in charge.

At that point, though, we didn’t have a lot of options. We went along with it so the project could move forward.

And honestly, the money wasn’t the biggest thing.

It was the stress. Especially for my wife. She was way more upset than I was… just how we’re wired differently, and that night was really rough. Neither of us slept much. The whole situation felt heavier than it should have been.

What made it more complicated was the relationship side of it. Over the years, we had gotten to know the HOA president and his wife. We weren’t hanging out all the time, but we were friendly. Drinks here and there, casual conversations, that kind of thing. I didn’t want to blow that up, but I also couldn’t just pretend everything was fine.

My wife definitely wasn’t going to.

That night, we went back through the HOA bylaws and township ordinances ourselves, trying to find anything that justified what was happening. We couldn’t. And that gap between what was being enforced and what we could actually find in writing stuck with me.

A couple of weeks after the project wrapped up, I decided to start digging.

I wasn’t looking for a fight. I wasn’t trying to prove anyone wrong or stir anything up. I just wanted to understand whether what we experienced was actually normal, and whether there were clear legal guidelines for how something like this is supposed to work.

I started with a simple question about how HOA boards operate in the State of Michigan, fully expecting to find a small clarification or realize I had missed something obvious.

I had no idea how much that one question was about to change my understanding of everything that followed.

Trying to Figure Out How HOAs Actually Work

Once I decided to look for answers, I tried to be careful about it. I wasn’t trying to prove anyone wrong or rush to a conclusion. I just wanted to understand how HOAs are actually supposed to work, and whether what we experienced lined up with that.

I had already read through our HOA bylaws and checked township ordinances. That part was mostly straightforward, just time-consuming. The next step was figuring out how things work at the state level and how that oversight actually plays out in real life.

That’s where it started to get… a little messy.

I found myself bouncing between different sources, trying to piece together a full picture. Governing documents would reference laws. Those laws would point to other laws. State information lived in places I’d never used before, and the language wasn’t exactly written for someone like me.

Even when something looked clear at first, I kept stopping and asking myself… do I actually understand what this means?

So I slowed it down.

I asked the same questions in a few different ways. I double-checked things I thought I understood. I went back and re-read sections just to make sure I wasn’t missing something or jumping ahead of myself. If I was going to go down this path at all, I wanted to be sure I was getting it right.

One thing that stood out pretty quickly was how disconnected everything felt. The HOA bylaws were in one place. Township ordinances were somewhere else. State records and requirements lived on completely different systems. None of them really talked to each other, and there wasn’t a simple page that explained how it all fit together.

At the same time, I wasn’t discouraged.

If anything, I was expecting this to eventually come together and confirm that everything was being handled the way it should be, and that I had just misunderstood how it worked.

But there was also this quiet thought in the back of my mind… that maybe it wouldn’t.

I’m not a lawyer. I’m a blue-collar truck driver. I don’t have the kind of money sitting around to hire attorneys just to satisfy curiosity. If this ever turned into something legal, I knew I’d be at a disadvantage right away just because of cost.

That made it even more important to be honest with myself about what I was seeing.

I kept going because I needed to know. Part of it was just principle. I wasn’t going to let someone push things on me, my wife, or my neighbors based on authority that might not actually exist. Over the years, enough little things had happened that it finally felt like it was time for someone to really look into it.

At that point, I still thought it could go either way. Either everything would check out, and I’d realize this was all normal… or I’d find something that changed how I understood the whole situation.

I just didn’t expect how clear that answer was going to become.

When I Found Out Our HOA Was Listed as “Dissolved”

The first thing I learned was pretty simple… an HOA has to exist legally in order to have authority. At least in the State of Michigan, a homeowners’ association needs to be registered with the state and maintain an active status to actually operate.

So I went to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website… the state’s business registry. When I searched for the name of our HOA, I found it listed as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation, originally registered back in 2005.

So far… everything looked normal.

Then I saw the status.

It was listed as “Dissolved – Operation of Law.” And even more surprising, the page showed that its annual reporting had stopped in 2012.

I was doing this research in 2025.

My first reaction was just… confusion. Dissolved? That usually means something existed at one point… but doesn’t anymore. And the phrase “Operation of Law” wasn’t exactly something I used in everyday life, so I didn’t jump to conclusions right away. I figured there was a good chance I was misunderstanding something.

So instead of running with it, I tried to disprove it.

I searched for every variation of the HOA’s name I could think of. I checked state records, county records, and anything that might point to a different entity. I even looked into other businesses connected to the HOA president, just in case there was some separate structure behind the scenes that I wasn’t seeing.

I kept coming back to the same result.

Same name. Same entity. Same status.

At a certain point, it stopped feeling like a coincidence.

I was still being careful with it… but I could tell I had stumbled into something that mattered. I didn’t fully understand what it meant yet, and I definitely wasn’t ready to say anything out loud, but it didn’t feel like a minor detail or a technicality anymore.

It felt like something that could change the entire context of what we had been dealing with.

Naturally, my mind started going a few steps ahead.

If this was actually true… what did it mean for everything we’d been told? What did it mean for enforcement, for rules, for decisions that had already been made? And maybe more importantly… what was I supposed to do with that kind of information?

I didn’t have answers to any of that yet.

So I kept it contained.

I shared what I found with my wife… and that was it. No neighbors. No conversations. No reactions. I knew I needed to go a lot deeper before this turned into anything public.

If I was going to move forward at all, I needed to be absolutely sure I wasn’t missing something.

What “Dissolved” Actually Meant (And Why It Mattered)

Once I accepted that the status I was seeing was real, the next step was figuring out what it actually meant in plain English.

I spent some time digging into what “Dissolved – Operation of Law” means under Michigan law. Stripped down, it’s pretty simple… a nonprofit stops existing because it didn’t meet basic requirements, usually failing to file annual reports. It’s not a choice someone makes, and it’s not something you vote on. It just… happens.

The state shuts it down.

As I kept reading, the implications started to come into focus. A dissolved nonprofit corporation doesn’t have legal authority. It can’t act as a governing body, enforce bylaws, approve or deny requests, or impose restrictions. Legally speaking, it’s not there anymore.

That part was hard to ignore, but I still wanted to be sure I wasn’t jumping ahead of myself.

I also learned that dissolution doesn’t have to be permanent. An HOA like this can be reinstated, and from what I found, that process isn’t all that complicated. But until that actually happens, there’s no authority. And even after reinstatement, there are steps that have to be followed, like re-establishing a legitimate board in accordance with the bylaws.

Then I looked at the timeline.

The HOA had been dissolved in 2012. I was uncovering this in 2025. That’s roughly thirteen years where, legally speaking, the entity didn’t exist. Our house wasn’t even built until 2016–2017… years after the dissolution. And yet, when we bought the lot, we were required to sign documents agreeing to follow the HOA bylaws. Construction requirements were enforced. Restrictions were treated as if they were binding. Even the title company involved in the sale never flagged anything.

That’s when it really started to sink in.

I tried to stay level-headed about it. My first instinct wasn’t to assume anything bad… it was to assume this had to be some kind of oversight. Something administrative that slipped through the cracks. Given who was involved and his background, that felt like the most reasonable explanation.

But at the same time… the facts weren’t changing.

I went back over everything again. Searched for alternate entities. Looked for anything that would explain what I was seeing in a different way. Every time, I ended up in the same place.

At some point, it just clicked.

The issue with the cement project wasn’t a disagreement or a gray area. It wasn’t a matter of interpretation or someone reading the rules differently. Authority had been asserted by something that, legally speaking, didn’t exist.

That changes the entire context.

At that point, the question wasn’t whether it mattered… it was what I was supposed to do with it.

Figuring Out What to Do Once I Knew the Truth

Once everything fully clicked, the first thing I felt was… vindication.

Not in a dramatic way, just a steady sense that I wasn’t crazy for questioning it. I finally knew that I wasn’t breaking any HOA rules, bylaws, or township ordinances by parking a car on the new cement next to our garage. The authority that had been asserted simply wasn’t there. And having that clarity settled things down in my head pretty quickly.

At the same time, I was just as clear about what I didn’t want to do next.

I had no interest in turning this into a confrontation. Over the years, I had seen how interactions with the HOA president could go, and I didn’t want this to become a back-and-forth argument or something that put neighbors on opposite sides. That wasn’t going to lead anywhere good.

What I did know was that the other homeowners deserved to know. Just not in a rushed or half-explained way. If I were going to share something like this, it needed to be done carefully… with everything laid out clearly, backed up, and delivered to everyone at the same time.

The idea of talking to a lawyer crossed my mind, but it stayed in the background. If something escalated or turned into a legal situation, I would deal with it then. For now, that didn’t feel like the right move.

What did feel natural was writing.

I’m not someone who enjoys conflict. I’d rather think things through, organize them, and communicate in a way that gives people space to process it on their own. Shaming someone or stirring things up publicly just isn’t how I operate, and honestly, it wouldn’t have helped anyway.

So I kept coming back to the same approach.

Be clear.
Be accurate.
Be fair.

Not in a performative way… just in a way that anyone reading it could follow and verify for themselves.

After talking it through with my wife, Susie, I started organizing everything I had found. I gathered the documents, lined up the timeline, and began outlining how I wanted to present it. As I worked through it, I shared drafts with her and got her thoughts along the way.

She was fully on board.

If anything, she was more ready than I was to have everything out in the open. That whole situation had weighed on her, and she didn’t feel like there was any reason to hold back once the facts were clear.

At that point, I’ll admit… I was a little excited.

Not because of the situation itself, but because I like writing, and this felt like something that actually mattered. The facts were important, but the way they were shared felt just as important.

So instead of reacting, I slowed down and got to work.

Writing Everything Down So the Neighborhood Could Understand It

Once I had all the information in front of me, I realized something pretty quickly.

Knowing the truth and explaining the truth are two very different things.

Up to that point, everything I had uncovered lived in pieces. State records, legal terminology, HOA documents… bits of information that only made sense because I had spent hours connecting them together. But none of it was something I could casually explain to a neighbor standing in a driveway and expect it to land clearly.

If I was going to share this with the rest of the neighborhood, it had to be done carefully.

So I started writing.

I structured the letter in a way that felt natural and easy to follow. It was somewhat chronological, walking through what I found, what it meant, and then backing it up with proof. I made a conscious effort to keep the tone friendly and non-confrontational. No accusations. No opinions. Just facts.

That part mattered to me more than I expected.

I wanted anyone who read it to be able to follow the logic step by step and come to their own conclusion without feeling like they were being pushed in any direction. Not everyone was going to react the same way, and that was fine. I just wanted the information to be clear.

I also made sure everything I said could be verified.

I included a screenshot from the state website showing the entity’s dissolved status, along with simple instructions and links so anyone could look it up themselves. If someone wanted to double-check me, they could… and honestly, I wanted them to.

As I wrote, I kept refining it.

If something felt even slightly unclear, I rewrote it. If a sentence felt like it could be taken the wrong way, I softened it. Not because I was worried about legal risk, I knew I was stating facts, but because I wanted the entire message to feel fair, measured, and hard to misinterpret.

At the end of the day, my goal was pretty simple.

I just wanted to present the facts in a way that was both clear and non-confrontational.

And I knew that how this was delivered mattered just as much as what was being said.

This wasn’t something I wanted to turn into a face-to-face confrontation or a back-and-forth debate. Conversations can get emotional. People interrupt. Things get misunderstood. And once that happens, it’s hard to bring things back to a calm, fact-based place.

Writing gave me control over that.

It let me present everything in a structured, thoughtful way without pressure, without interruption, and without things escalating. Anyone could read it at their own pace, go back through it if they needed to, and verify things for themselves.

At some point during that process, I realized something else.

If I were going to go through the effort of putting this together, it shouldn’t just live in a single printed letter. It needed to be something people could come back to, reference later, and even question if they wanted to.

So I took it one step further.

Why a Letter Wasn’t Enough (So I Built a Website)

At some point while I was writing the letter, I realized… this didn’t really belong on a few sheets of paper.

Originally, the plan was simple. Write a clear, fact-based letter and send it out to everyone in the neighborhood. But as I kept refining it and thinking through how people might react… what questions they’d have, what they might misunderstand… it became obvious a letter alone wasn’t going to cut it.

There needed to be a central place where everything lived.

Somewhere people could go back to, reread, verify things for themselves, and take their time with it. Not a one-time read… more like a reference they could come back to when something didn’t quite click the first time.

So I built a website.

With my background in building websites and blogs, that part felt natural. It gave me a way to present everything cleanly, organize it in a way that actually made sense, and update things if needed, without printing and mailing more letters.

At that point, the plan shifted a bit.

The letter became the introduction. The website became the place where everything else lived.

There was one small detail that made the whole thing kind of interesting.

Out of curiosity, I checked to see if the exact name of the association was available as a .com domain.

It was!

So I bought it.

Just like that, I owned the .com domain that matched the exact name of the association. I added a simple disclaimer on the site, making it clear it wasn’t officially affiliated with the original entity registered with the State of Michigan… but the reality was that entity didn’t exist anymore anyway.

The site itself was simple on purpose.

The homepage contained the exact same letter that everyone received in the mail. That wasn’t an accident. I wanted it to feel familiar. When someone opened the website, they weren’t seeing a different version of the story… they were seeing the same thing, just easier to read and revisit. No surprises. No shifting tone.

Below that, I added an FAQ section.

Part of that was just practical. If one person had a question, there was a good chance others were thinking the same thing. It also gave me a place to address things that could be misunderstood… or pushed back on… without turning it into an argument.

And if new questions came up, I could update it.

Finally, I added a password-protected discussion page.

The goal there was simple. Give homeowners a place to talk without worrying about anything being public. I didn’t expect outside attention, but I didn’t want that part open to the internet either. The password was included in the letter, so only homeowners could access it.

I wasn’t sure how many people would actually use it and to what extent.

But that wasn’t really the point.

The goal was to have everything in one place… clear, organized, and easy to verify.

What I didn’t know yet was how people would actually respond once they saw it.

That part came next.

Sending the Letter to the Entire Neighborhood

At that point, everything was ready.

There were only ten homes in our association, including ours, so I had nine letters to send. I wrote out each name and address by hand on the envelopes, added a return address sticker, folded the five-page letter, and sealed each one.

Then I drove to the post office and dropped them off on a Tuesday.

It was one of those moments where you know there’s no turning back… and I was okay with that.

On the drive home and into that evening, my mindset was pretty simple. This could get interesting… let’s see what happens. There was some curiosity in there, and a little bit of hope that at least a few neighbors would appreciate what I was trying to show.

Based on timing, I figured most of the letters would land on Thursday.

Late Thursday evening, the first response came in. Not a call or a text… it showed up on the private discussion page. One of the homeowners had already read everything and decided to respond there, which was exactly how I hoped it would play out.

Then came Friday.

While I was at work that afternoon… Halloween… I got a text from the HOA president. The tone was clearly upset. He didn’t like how I had presented the information and said he would have appreciated a heads-up before I shared it with the entire neighborhood.

I didn’t respond.

A little while later, he joined the discussion page.

That’s where things got interesting.

In trying to defend his actions, he became more and more defensive… and in the process, ended up confirming more than I ever could have written myself. It felt a little like watching someone walk into a trap… except it wasn’t something I had set up intentionally. At one point, he openly admitted that he had allowed the HOA to expire on purpose to save money. He also made a few statements that didn’t really line up with what the bylaws… or the law itself… would allow.

And unlike a normal conversation that fades over time, this was all written out. It stayed right there on the page for anyone to read.

By that point, I had done what I set out to do.

I had gathered the facts, organized them, and delivered them in a way that was clear and fair to everyone at the same time. What people chose to do with that information was up to them.

Personally, I felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

Not because I had “won” anything… but because everything had been put back on the right track. What had started to drift into confusion and authority without a foundation was now grounded again in something people could actually see and understand.

What Happened After Everyone Read It

After that initial round of comments, things settled down pretty quickly.

There was some early activity on the discussion page, mostly from the former HOA president and a couple of other homeowners. But it never turned into an ongoing debate. What it did give me was a clearer picture of what people were questioning… and where things could be misunderstood.

So I went back to the website and expanded the FAQ.

Some of the claims being made didn’t line up with the bylaws or with state law. Instead of getting pulled into a back-and-forth, I handled it the same way I had from the start… by documenting it clearly. I added straightforward responses with references so anyone could read them, follow them, and verify them on their own.

No opinions. No escalation. Just facts.

I also sent a private email directly to the former HOA president. And in the spirit of keeping everything out in the open, I posted that email, word for word, on the discussion page so every homeowner could see exactly what was said. Nothing behind the scenes.

From that point forward… there was no response.

Not to the email. Not on the website. Not in person.

And then, over time, things just… went back to normal.

It’s been about six months now. The HOA hasn’t been reinstated. There hasn’t been any follow-up communication, no attempt to re-establish authority, and no renewed discussion about any of it. Life just kept moving.

The only noticeable change was small, but kind of telling.

We started parking a car next to our garage, on our newly poured cement parking space. Another neighbor also continued to park a car next to their garage. It didn’t violate any township ordinances or any HOA bylaws, and at that point, there was no enforceable HOA authority to say otherwise.

No one said anything. No one tried to enforce anything.

Beyond that, the neighborhood felt the same as it always had. Winter came. People kept to themselves. The former HOA president spends part of that time in Florida, and for the most part, there hasn’t been much interaction at all. The overall vibe has been… business as usual.

There were a few light conversations here and there among some of the neighbors. At one point, we even joked about enforcing bylaws that couldn’t legally be enforced.

But nothing deeper than that.

Looking back, the outcome wasn’t dramatic.

There was no blow-up. No neighborhood divide. No legal battle.

Things didn’t spiral… they just corrected.

There’s still a possibility the HOA could be reinstated at some point. That option hasn’t gone away. But for now, things have stayed quiet… and in a lot of ways, more grounded than they were before.

The difference now is simple.

Everything is out in the open… and everyone has access to the same information.

The Most Surprising Part Wasn’t the HOA…

Looking back, the most surprising part of this entire experience wasn’t what I uncovered.

It was how I uncovered it.

Like most people who live under the authority of an HOA, I always assumed that if something ever got serious, the only real option would be to hire a lawyer. And not just for a quick conversation… I’m talking about thousands of dollars, potential legal back-and-forth, and a situation that could drag on for months.

That assumption alone is enough to keep most people from ever questioning anything.

And honestly… I thought the same thing.

Even while I was going through the process, there were moments where I caught myself thinking… most people would never do this. Not because they couldn’t, but because they wouldn’t know where to start. And once you add in the idea of lawyers, legal costs, and things getting out of hand… it feels like stepping into something way bigger than you.

But what surprised me the most was how quickly things started to come together once I actually began digging.

I was able to take pieces of information from different places… HOA documents, state records, township ordinances… and start making sense of them. Not just individually, but together. I could cross-reference things, verify what I was seeing, and actually understand it in a way that felt clear.

That part changed everything.

Because once you can understand something clearly… it stops feeling intimidating.

And once it stops feeling intimidating… you start asking better questions.

The more I worked through it, the more I realized something that hadn’t really occurred to me before.

The barrier here isn’t intelligence.

It’s access. It’s structure. It’s knowing where to start… and how to connect the dots once you do.

And that’s when it really hit me.

The most surprising part wasn’t what I found… it was that I was able to figure all of this out without hiring a lawyer or spending thousands of dollars.

How I Figured All of This Out Without a Lawyer

At this point, you might be wondering how I was able to do all of this without hiring a lawyer.

The answer is probably not what you’d expect.

I didn’t have any special access. I didn’t know anyone in the legal field. And I definitely didn’t suddenly become an expert in HOA law overnight.

What I did have was a tool that most people either haven’t used yet… or haven’t used this way.

I used AI.

More specifically, I used it as a research assistant.

Not as a decision-maker, and definitely not as a source of absolute truth. Just something that helped me ask better questions, move faster, and make sense of things that would have taken me a lot longer on my own.

I would take sections of the HOA documents and ask questions about them. I would look something up on the state website, then bring that back and compare it. If something didn’t make sense, I’d keep asking until it did.

It wasn’t one question and one answer.

It was more like a back-and-forth.

One question would lead to another. One answer would open up something I hadn’t thought about yet. And over time, it started to come together into something that actually made sense.

One of the biggest things it helped with was breaking down the legal language. Instead of trying to interpret everything on my own, I could ask for a plain-English version as I went.

That made a huge difference.

Because once I understood what I was looking at… I could actually verify it.

And that part mattered.

I didn’t just take what I was told and run with it. I double-checked everything. I went back to the original sources. I made sure what I was seeing actually lined up.

The tool helped guide the process… but the responsibility was still on me to make sure it was accurate.

If you’ve never used AI before, this might sound more complicated than it really is.

In reality, it’s pretty simple. It’s a lot closer to typing questions into a search box than anything technical. No coding, no setup, nothing like that.

But using it this way, the way I did here, takes a little more than just asking a random question or two.

It’s knowing how to follow up.
It’s knowing when something doesn’t quite add up.
It’s knowing how to connect the dots once you start finding them.

And that’s the part most people never get to.

Why This Could Happen in Any HOA Neighborhood

If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there’s a good chance parts of this already feel familiar.

Not the exact situation… hopefully your HOA actually exists… but the feeling of just going along with whatever the rules are, assuming it’s all been handled the right way somewhere behind the scenes.

That’s where I was.

I had skimmed the bylaws when we moved in. I had looked things up when something came up. But I had never sat down and read the whole thing start to finish, and I definitely hadn’t gone looking at state records to see how any of it was set up. I trusted that it was legitimate because… why wouldn’t it be?

If you’ve ever bought a house in an HOA, you probably did something similar.

You sign the paperwork. You trust the process. You assume someone checked everything along the way. Then life moves on, and the HOA just becomes part of the background until something brings it to the surface.

Since all of this happened, I’ve spent time reading through HOA discussions online… Reddit, Facebook groups, random forums… and the same patterns keep showing up.

People aren’t usually trying to break rules. Most of the time, they just don’t fully understand them. And on the other side, the people enforcing those rules don’t always understand them as well as they think they do.

That’s where things start to get messy.

You end up with situations where something doesn’t feel right, but it also doesn’t feel worth fighting. And once the idea of “this could turn into something legal” enters the picture, most people shut it down right there.

Because what are you supposed to do at that point?

Hire a lawyer. Spend a bunch of money. Turn a small situation into something bigger than it needs to be.

For most people, that’s not realistic. So they adjust, move on, and never really know whether the decision they were given was actually valid.

I probably would have done the same thing.

If I hadn’t taken the time to dig into this, I would have assumed what we were told was final. I would have made the change, lived with it, and never questioned whether there was anything behind it.

That’s the part that stuck with me.

Situations like this aren’t rare. Maybe not every HOA is dissolved like ours was, but unclear authority, inconsistent enforcement, and misunderstood rules show up way more often than people realize.

The difference is, most homeowners never get far enough to see it clearly… so they just keep operating inside it.

This Wasn’t Just About Our HOA Anymore

After everything had settled down and life went back to normal, I found myself thinking about this more than I expected.

Not about the HOA itself… more about the process.

What started as a one-off situation in our neighborhood started to feel… repeatable. Not in the sense that every HOA is dissolved or operating incorrectly, but in the sense that the path I took to get clarity could apply almost anywhere.

And if you’re in an HOA, that’s the part that matters.

The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. Most people are never going to do what I did. Not because they aren’t capable, but because they don’t have the time, the patience, or even a clear starting point. They don’t know what to look for, where to look, or how to connect everything once they find it.

And without that, everything just feels complicated and out of reach.

If you’ve ever had something not sit right… a rule that felt off, a decision that didn’t quite make sense… you probably felt that same gap.

That’s what makes situations like this frustrating. Not necessarily the rules themselves, but how far removed understanding them feels from normal, everyday life.

At some point, I started wondering what this would look like if it were simplified.

If, instead of figuring it out from scratch, step by step, someone could follow a clear path. Something structured. Something that takes what I went through and turns it into a process that actually makes sense from the beginning.

Something you could actually use without feeling like you’re stepping into a legal battle.

That’s where the idea started to take shape.

I didn’t sit down one day and decide to build something. It was more gradual than that. Just a series of thoughts that kept coming back.

There has to be a simpler way to do this.

There has to be a way to make this easier for someone else.

Over time, that idea turned into something I’ve started calling the Smart HOA Playbook.

It’s not something I originally set out to create. It’s something that came out of the experience itself.

And if you ever find yourself in a situation where something doesn’t quite add up… this is the kind of thing I wish I had from the start.

If you’re curious about what I’m putting together, you can learn more here:

It All Started With a Simple Question

When I think back to how all of this started, it’s kind of wild.

It wasn’t some big mission or long-term plan. It was a simple situation that didn’t sit right… a question that didn’t get a clear answer… a moment where something felt off. And instead of letting it go, I decided to look into it.

That decision led to everything that followed. The research, the late nights, the writing, the conversations… and eventually a completely different understanding of something I had lived under for years without ever questioning.

If you’re in an HOA, there’s a good chance you’ve had a moment like that, too. Maybe it was small. Maybe you brushed it off. Maybe it didn’t feel worth the effort to dig into it.

I get that.

But this experience changed how I look at those moments.

If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from all of this, it’s this… things that feel complicated or intimidating aren’t always as out of reach as they seem. A lot of the time, they just need the right approach… and a willingness to dig a little deeper than most people are used to.

Not everyone is going to go as far down the rabbit hole as I did. That’s not really the point.

The point is that you don’t have to assume everything is out of your hands.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of slowing down, asking a better question, and following it a little further than you normally would.

Because every once in a while… that’s all it takes to uncover something much bigger than you expected.

Lately, things at FedEx Freight had been pretty smooth. Easy runs, getting out between 4:30 and 5:30, nothing too crazy. But not this day. The Greenville route popped up, the one I usually get when that driver is off, and it turned into one of those longer days with extra stops out in the middle of nowhere. By the time I got home, it was just after 7, and we didn’t hit the road for Pontiac until around 8:20.

I was already worn down from the day and fighting off a slight chest cold, so when Susie offered to drive, I didn’t hesitate. I even tried to claim the backseat so I could relax, but Elena wanted it, so I ended up riding shotgun while Susie took the wheel. And honestly, that ended up being one of the better parts of the night, because something kind of unexpected happened on that drive.

We talked the entire way.

Usually, when I’m driving, everyone else is in their own world with earbuds in, scrolling or watching something, and I’ve got a podcast on just to pass the time. It’s fine, but there’s always that thought in the back of my mind that we don’t actually talk much during those drives. This time, with Susie driving and Elena in the back, it flipped, and we just had a normal conversation the whole way. Life, people, random stuff… the kind of conversation that somehow feels rare during the week, even though we’re all together every day.

The drive was smooth with no stops, and we pulled into the Marriott in Pontiac around 10:45. Same hotel we stayed at back in February, but this time it felt just a little different in a way that’s hard to explain.

Marriott Gold Status… and Feeling Like It Matters

We’ve been leaning into the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program lately, and Susie handles all of that. It’s technically in her name, but it’s ours, and we’ve been using the credit card for travel and paying it off every month. The points have been stacking up faster than I expected, and this was our first stay as Gold members.

I’m not going to act like it’s life-changing, but it did feel like we leveled up a little bit. We locked in a 2 pm checkout for Sunday, which ended up being huge with volleyball scheduling, and there’s just something about knowing upgrades are at least possible that makes it feel different. I joked about it, like what does the next level get us… are we talking penthouse suites now?

Probably not, but still… it felt like progress.

The only hiccup when we got to the room was that there was no bedding for the pullout sofa, which I had already volunteered to take, so I wouldn’t risk getting Susie sick. The room phone didn’t work either, so I ended up riding the elevator down to the lobby to handle it in person. They had bedding up within ten minutes, no big deal, and we were all in bed around 11:30 with the alarm set for 5:45.

Early Morning Volleyball and a Strong Start

That first alarm hit pretty hard – like a slap in the face.

Normally, I’m fine getting up early, but with the late night and the cold, it definitely took a minute to get going. I made some coffee, got moving, and we were out the door just before 7. Elena needed to be there right at 7:00, and we pulled in pretty much exactly on time.

Rise started the day the way they tend to, a little slow out of the gate, spotting the other team some early points before settling in. Once they found their rhythm, though, they pulled out the first match in three sets and handled the second one in two. It felt like one of those mornings where they were building momentum as the day went on instead of peaking early.

We had a couple-hour break after that, and Susie and I found a quiet table upstairs away from the courts. That’s where I started jotting down notes for this post, just kind of capturing things as they were happening. Meanwhile, back home, Ethan and Eli were both at the Kentwood Classic disc golf tournament, so I had the PDGA app open, checking scores and texting back and forth.

Eli struggled in his first round, which surprised me a little for that course, and Ethan was there caddying for him. Then they’d flip roles the next day, which is kind of cool in its own way. It felt like we were split between two completely different weekends at the same time, one happening in a gym and one out on a course.

A Quiet Afternoon and a Dinner That Kept Going

We wrapped up Saturday’s play around 1:30 and headed back to the hotel, and that afternoon turned into exactly what we needed. Susie and I both ended up taking naps, which I definitely needed, and Elena went to the mall with some teammates. Nothing big, nothing planned, just a reset after a short night and a long morning.

By early evening, we headed down to the hotel restaurant and grabbed a table that started as eight people and slowly grew to twelve. More parents showed up, more players filtered in, and before long, we had this full group just hanging out and talking. We ended up sitting there for almost four hours, and it honestly didn’t feel like it at all.

That’s probably one of the best parts about this group of volleyball parents. It doesn’t feel forced, or like we’re just there because our kids are on the same team. We actually enjoy being around each other, and that makes a long dinner feel like it flew by.

The food was great again, just like the last time we stayed there. I went with the hot honey chicken sandwich and truffle fries, mostly because I already had my eye on the key lime pie with raspberry sauce. Susie started with an espresso martini, and I stuck with Diet Pepsi most of the night since I still wasn’t feeling great. At one point, I tried to join in with a Stella Artois, but that didn’t go very far, and I barely touched it.

At least it looked like I was participating.

The girls went off to the pool at some point while we stayed back and kept talking, and around 9:30, we finally called it a night and headed upstairs. Another early alarm waiting for us, because that’s just how these weekends go.

Sunday Morning, the Matchup, and Reality

Sunday started with some real anticipation, mostly because of what could happen if things fell into place. Rise had made the Gold bracket, and if they won their first match, they’d face Legacy 1. That meant Elena would be playing against my cousin Molly’s daughter, Tessa, which added a little extra storyline to the whole thing.

We don’t see each other all that often, maybe once every few years, so it’s not like the girls really know each other. But for us parents, it was one of those moments where you realize how small the world can feel sometimes.

First things first, though, Rise had to beat Legacy 3.

They did, and once they got going, it wasn’t particularly close. Two sets, solid win, and suddenly that matchup we had been talking about was actually happening. Legacy 1 turned out to be exactly what everyone said they were, with strong hitters, solid defense, and just a really complete team overall.

Rise held their own early and even had a lead in the first set, but against a team like that, everything has to go right. You have to play your absolute best and hope they’re just a little off, and that just wasn’t the case. Legacy 1 won in two sets and eventually went on to win the whole thing.

Finishing Strong and Heading Home

The part I liked was how Rise responded after that loss.

They came back out and played Legacy 2 for third place, the same team that had beaten them on Saturday, and this time it was different. Rise controlled the match, won in two sets, and locked in third place, which felt like a really solid finish after everything.

After it all wrapped up, we said our goodbyes and started gathering our stuff, ready to head out. Right as we were about to leave, Elena asked if we could stay a little longer because her friend Jaylyn was about to start her match. She wanted to watch, so we stayed for a set before finally heading out.

As we usually do, we stopped at Art & Jake’s on the way home, which has kind of become our go-to on these trips. It’s just one of those reliable stops where the food is good, the service is solid, and it feels like the last piece of the weekend before heading home.

The drive back was easy, no traffic or delays, just a smooth two hours back to Grand Rapids. And just like that, another volleyball weekend was over, blending right into the next one like they all seem to do lately.

A Couple of Small Moments That Stick

Some of the things I’ll remember most from this weekend aren’t even the matches themselves, which is kind of funny when you think about it. It’s the drive where we actually talked the whole way instead of just existing in the same car. It’s sitting at that dinner table for four hours and not realizing how much time had passed.

It’s also watching Elena want to stay and support her friend before we left, which says a lot more than anything that happened on the court.

And then there was one small thing I noticed on Saturday that stuck with me more than I expected.

Susie was wearing the necklace I gave her on our wedding night, and I realized I hadn’t seen her wear it in a long time. It’s a simple white gold necklace with two connected hearts, nothing flashy, but it carries a lot of memory with it. I remember her wearing it on our honeymoon, lying her head on my leg in an airport while we waited for a flight to Las Vegas.

And there she was, years later, wearing it again at a volleyball tournament in Pontiac, Michigan, like nothing had changed and everything had at the same time. It’s funny how life works like that, where things slow down just enough for a second, and you notice something small that ends up meaning a lot more than you expected.

It means the trip is over. It means the beach days are behind you. It means you are heading straight back into real life, whether you are ready for it or not.

That is exactly where we found ourselves on Saturday morning, pulling out of Gulf Shores, Alabama, with a full car, a week of memories behind us, and a long drive back to Grand Rapids ahead.

We still had a day and a half together on the road. And like most of this trip, it ended up being more than just getting from point A to point B.

Leaving Gulf Shores and Not Quite Ready To

We checked out of our condo right at 10 am and got on the road almost immediately. There was not much lingering. We knew the drive ahead was long, and the sooner we got moving, the better.

Still, there is always that feeling when you leave a place like Gulf Shores. You take one last look around, knowing it will be a while before you are back, and it is hard not to think about how fast the week went.

All great vacations come to an end. Well, almost all of them…

As Christians, we hold onto the promise of something better – an eternity in paradise with Jesus Christ. The kind of “vacation” that never ends. That thought crossed my mind as we pulled away, a reminder that even though this trip was over, there is something far greater ahead.

But in the moment, we were just focused on getting home.

The Buc-ee’s Plan and a Fuel Decision

We knew one thing for sure. We were stopping at Buc-ee’s.

Ethan had spotted a camouflage cooler on the way down and decided to wait until the trip home to buy it. That gave us a built-in stop to look forward to, and honestly, nobody in our family complains about stopping at Buc-ee’s.

The question was whether we had enough fuel to comfortably make it to the next one. At one point, I was doing the math in my head—distance to empty versus miles to Buc-ee’s—and it was close. Close enough that I was not fully comfortable with it.

I even pulled up ChatGPT on my phone to double-check how much I could trust the distance-to-empty reading on my Expedition. The answer confirmed what I already suspected. It is a good estimate, until it is not.

Add in the hills on I-65, and that comfortable buffer starts to shrink quickly. After thinking it through, I made the call to pull off at a Love’s and get gas. It was not worth the risk.

Running out of fuel on the side of the interstate is one of those situations that goes from inconvenient to dangerous in a hurry. It has never happened to me, and it never will.

We filled up, skipped the restrooms, and got right back on the road, knowing Buc-ee’s was still coming soon.

Buc-ee’s Done the Right Way

About 45 minutes later, we made it to Buc-ee’s. This time, we were not pulling in on fumes or watching the dashboard. We were relaxed, which is exactly how a Buc-ee’s stop should be.

We went in, used the clean restrooms, very intentionally on my part, and grabbed some snacks and drinks for the road. Somehow, we only spent $24, which definitely is a record for our family (for the least amount spent at a Buc-ee’s).

It was a quick stop, but a good one. Then it was back to I-65, heading north.

Bowling Green, Kentucky, and a Waffle House Night

By the time we made it to Bowling Green, Kentucky, it was a little after 8:30 pm local time. We checked into a Fairfield Inn, brought our bags up to the room, and then headed back out to find food.

We had not really eaten a full meal all day, just snacks here and there while driving. Eli made the call. Waffle House.

We do not have Waffle House in Michigan, and it had been a few years since we had all been to one together. That was all the convincing we needed.

When we pulled into the parking lot, Ethan spotted something right away that stopped me in my tracks. A perfect-condition General Lee!

A 1969 Dodge Charger, painted exactly like the one from The Dukes of Hazzard, sitting up on a flatbed trailer. It looked like it had just been dropped into the Waffle House parking lot.

I was a huge fan of that show when I was a kid, and I do not think I have ever been that close to a real General Lee before. I had to get pictures.

I ended up taking a selfie with it, the car behind me, and the glowing Waffle House in the background. It turned into one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip.

After taking that in, I finally went inside and joined the family.

A Simple Meal and an Unexpected Vibe

We sat side-by-side at the counter around 9:30 pm and ordered our food. It showed up in less than ten minutes, which felt fast compared to some of the waits we had earlier in the week.

Waffle House food is exactly what you expect. Nothing fancy. Nothing over the top. But it gets the job done. And that night, it did.

The bill came out to $69 for all of us, including a generous tip, which felt like a win. But what stood out more than the food or the price was the atmosphere inside.

The staff was friendly and talkative, genuinely interested in where we were coming from. Other customers joined in as well. It turned into one of those places where conversations just happen naturally, like everyone is on the same wavelength for a little while. We left with full bellies and smiles on our faces.

Podcasts, Driving and an Unexpected Moment with Eli

I drove the entire way from Gulf Shores to Bowling Green. For most of that time, everyone else had headphones in, doing their own thing. I had podcasts playing almost the entire drive.

At some point, without me even realizing it at first, Eli had taken his headphones off and started listening along. A Dr. John Delony podcast caught his attention, and before long, he was asking questions about it.

Then it turned into Ramsey Show clips, more questions, more conversation. It was not planned. It just happened.

Those are the kinds of moments you do not forget, sitting in the driver’s seat somewhere on a long stretch of highway, having a real conversation you did not see coming.

Sunday Morning and the Final Stretch

Sunday morning, we hit the road again with just over seven hours left to go. Same setup. I was driving again, and we settled into the rhythm of the road quickly. We made a quick rest stop in the morning, then kept moving until it was time for fuel again.

I started looking for a Love’s, mostly because I knew exactly what I was getting there. Clean restrooms, a good setup, and an easy place to take a break.

When I pulled off the exit and into the parking lot, something looked familiar. It did not take long to realize this was the exact same Love’s we had stopped at on the way down. Totally unplanned. But it worked.

The Same Love’s and a Familiar Stop

It was right around noon, so we decided to fuel up and grab lunch at the Arby’s attached to the Love’s. We went inside and sat down, which was a nice break from the car. I ordered a classic – beef and cheddar, curly fries, and a jamocha shake. Exactly what I needed at that point in the trip.

Then one of those random moments happened when I went into the men’s room to drop a deuce.

I realized I was in the exact same restroom, and yes, the exact same stall, as nine days earlier on the way down. Same place. Same stop. Same scenario. I could not help but laugh. Sometimes road trips come full circle in the strangest ways.

The Final Miles and Letting Eli Drive

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Somewhere in Indiana, we made a quick stop for a bathroom break, and I grabbed a Black Rifle cold coffee with 200mg of caffeine to help push through the last stretch.

By the time we reached Michigan, you could feel that we were getting close. About an hour from home, Eli asked if he could drive. After everything up to that point, it felt right to let him take the last leg. So he did.

After nearly the entire trip home behind the wheel, I handed it over and let him bring us home.

Back Home and Back to Reality

We pulled into the driveway around 6 pm Sunday evening. Trip complete.

Susie never drove the entire trip. She did not even ride up front once, which is unusual because she had previously dealt with motion sickness in the back seat. This time, she had no issues at all. That alone was a small win.

We unpacked, settled back in, and started shifting mentally toward what was coming next… Work. School. Sports. Everything that fills up our normal days.

In less than 12 hours, we would be right back in it. But this time, we were rested.

We had a full week of memories behind us. Beach days, unexpected moments, long drives, and simple conversations that ended up meaning more than we expected.

And just like that, the trip was over.

After months of gray skies, freezing temperatures, and everything that comes with a Midwest winter, spring break felt like a reset button. We weren’t chasing anything crazy. No packed itinerary. No strict plans. Just warmer weather, time together as a family, and maybe a little bit of doing absolutely nothing.

But like most trips, it didn’t play out exactly how we imagined.

There were beach days… the kind where you sit in a chair for hours, listen to the waves, and lose track of time. There were also moments that caught us completely off guard… like driving nearly an hour to play a disc golf course only to get turned away at a military base, or watching Ethan collect what felt like an endless supply of starfish along the shoreline.

Some days were simple. Some were frustrating. Some ended up being better than we expected for reasons we didn’t see coming.

And somewhere in the middle of all of it… between the beach, the disc golf, the random conversations, and the quiet moments on the balcony… this trip turned into something more than just a getaway from Michigan.

It became a week we didn’t really want to end.

Easter Sunday in Gulf Shores Didn’t Feel Like Easter

After two long days on the road getting down to Gulf Shores, Easter Sunday was our first full day of the trip… and it didn’t feel like Easter at all.

There was no rushing around in the morning, no getting dressed up for church, no big family gathering. Instead, everyone slept in, moved at their own pace, and eased into the day like we had nowhere to be… because we didn’t.

It was different than what we were used to… but in a strange way, it felt exactly like what we needed to start the week.

A Different Kind of Easter Morning

Sunday morning, April 5th, 2026, didn’t feel like a typical Easter Sunday morning. Everybody slept in until whenever they wanted. Our kids are older now. Ethan is 18, almost 19. Eli is 15, almost 16. Elena is 13. We don’t exactly have to hide Easter eggs anymore.

Susie still likes to spoil the kids with Easter gifts, though. This year, the Easter baskets were more like gift bags, each filled with a few small things for each of us… including me.

She hid the gift bags throughout the condo and made each of us find our own. Susie always jokingly refers to me as her fourth kid, and sometimes I get to lean into that a little bit and just enjoy it.

My bag was filled with candy, a large jar of Starburst jelly beans, which are my favorite kind of jelly bean, and four different varieties of M&M’s, including one of my favorites – Caramel M&M’s! Everybody knows M&M’s is my favorite candy. I’m never without them… and now I had a full lineup to enjoy throughout the week.

Rainy Beach Day (But Not for Michiganders)

The weather wasn’t ideal. We knew going in that Sunday was supposed to be rainy and cooler, and the forecast didn’t miss. From our seventh-floor balcony, we could see people out on the beach, walking along the shoreline, and even swimming in the Gulf of America despite the rain and temperatures in the high 60’s.

I remember thinking… this is absolutely beach weather for us Michiganders.

After months of cold, gray weather back home, this felt more than good enough.

Balcony Time, Books, and Slowing Down

Much of the day was spent just hanging out around the condo and out on the balcony. One of the best parts about our setup was that the balcony was covered, so even with the rain coming and going throughout the day, everything stayed mostly dry.

The Polywood balcony furniture was comfortable, the temperature was perfect, and the sound of the waves in the background made it easy to just sit and relax.

I spent a good chunk of time on my Chromebook working on blog stuff and writing. And when I say working… it’s not really work. This kind of thing is something I enjoy doing. It’s something I want to do, not something I have to do.

I also spent time reading my book, Advantage Players by Michael Kaplan. Having the time to just sit, read, and not feel rushed was something I hadn’t realized I needed as much as I did.

First Steps on the Beach

At some point late in the morning, after Susie and Elena left to go grocery shopping at Walmart, Ethan and I headed down to the beach with a couple of his disc golf catch discs.

These aren’t your typical beach Frisbees. Between the two of us, we can play catch from 200 to 300 feet apart, which is pretty fun when most people nearby are tossing a Frisbee back and forth from maybe 40 or 50 feet.

Yeah… we felt pretty cool.

After tossing for a while, we walked along the shoreline and put our feet in the water. The first thing I noticed was how warm the Gulf felt. Even in early April, it was warmer than Lake Michigan ever gets in the middle of summer back home.

That definitely caught me off guard.

Groceries, Home Cooking, and Easter Dinner

Susie and Elena came back from Walmart with over $300 worth of groceries for the week. The plan from the start was to eat most of our meals in the condo to save some money, and honestly, it’s a nice change of pace.

We eat out a lot during the year with all the travel for sports, so having home-cooked meals while on vacation was something we were actually looking forward to.

That fully stocked kitchen in the condo made it easy.

For Easter dinner, Susie made a pot roast. She brought the meat from home and picked up potatoes, vegetables, and biscuits to go with it. It was a simple meal, but it felt right for the day.

A Quiet End to the First Day

That evening, Susie and I walked next door to visit some neighbors from back home. There was a small group of adults gathered, all from our hometown and school district. We had a drink, talked for a bit, and then eventually made our way back to our condo.

I watched the end of the Houston Rockets versus Golden State Warriors game with Eli before heading to bed.

It wasn’t a picture-perfect beach day, at least not weather-wise. But it was a great first day of rest and relaxation.

And based on the forecast for the rest of the week… we knew the best beach days were still ahead.

Monday Was for Disc Golf and First Real Exploring

After a slow and relaxing start on Easter Sunday, Monday felt like the first day where we were actually getting out and exploring a little bit. The weather still wasn’t perfect for a full beach day, but it was good enough to get out and do something… and for us, that meant disc golf.

It also turned into one of those days where nothing really went exactly as expected… but by the end of it, we had a few moments that we’ll probably remember more than anything we had actually planned.

A Slow Start and Coffee on the Balcony

The morning started the same way most of our mornings would start throughout the week… coffee on the balcony overlooking the Gulf of America.

Ethan was already out there when I woke up, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. I joined him with my Chromebook, and we just sat there for a while, taking it all in.

That balcony setup was hard to beat. Being able to sit there, drink coffee, do a little writing, and look out over the water… that’s the kind of thing I could get used to.

And again… I say “writing” or “working,” but it doesn’t feel like work. This is the kind of stuff I enjoy doing. It’s part of the vacation for me, not something taking away from it.

Heading to Graham Creek

Ethan and I had plans to check out some local disc golf courses, and with cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 60’s, it felt like a perfect day to go play.

Eli decided to sit this one out, so it was just Ethan and me making the short 25-minute drive over to Graham Creek. We had seen that there were multiple courses in the same area, which made it an easy choice.

We didn’t know exactly what to expect… but we were excited to check out something new.

The Prairie Course (A Strong Start)

The first course we played was called Graham Creek – The Prairie, and right away, we both liked it.

It was mostly open, with scattered trees on most holes, but plenty of space to pick a line and actually throw the shot you wanted. It felt fair. Challenging, but fair.

Ethan and I went back and forth the whole round. I ended up shooting a respectable -3, while Ethan edged me out with a -4. Not bad for playing a brand new course blind.

That said… we both knew we left a few strokes out there. I had some pretty rough putting moments, and Ethan had a couple of bogeys he wasn’t happy about either.

Still, it was a great start, and we both agreed that if we came back to play any course twice during the week, this one would be near the top of the list.

“Beware of Dangerous Wildlife”

Near the end of The Prairie course, we spotted another course nearby and decided to move the car over to check it out.

As we made our way toward the first tee, we had to walk past a sign that read… “Beware of dangerous wildlife.”

Being from Michigan, that’s not exactly something we’re used to seeing on a disc golf course.

We looked at each other and immediately started wondering… are there alligators out here?

Ethan pulled out his phone and Googled it, and sure enough, alligators are present in Alabama. Now, we didn’t know if they were actually in that specific park or not… but the sign didn’t exactly make us feel better about it.

Pitcher Plant Plantation (Not So Fun)

The second course was called Graham Creek – Pitcher Plant Plantation, and it was completely different from the first one.

It felt like someone had taken a brush hog and carved a narrow path through a thick wall of plants, bushes, and trees. The fairways were tight, and the rough on both sides was tall, thick, and full of prickers.

The first five holes were all very similar… narrow, unforgiving, and not all that fun.

It did open up a little bit after that, with more traditional wooded holes and less of the thick, punishing rough. It became a bit more playable, but it still didn’t compare to The Prairie.

We stuck it out and finished the round anyway. This time, I came out on top, shooting a +6 while Ethan struggled to a +10 and was pretty annoyed with how he played.

First Day Takeaway

Even with the mixed experience between the two courses, it was a solid first day of disc golf in Alabama.

The courses weren’t crowded at all, which was nice. We only had to let one local guy play through us the entire time, and we were able to move at our own pace.

By the time we finished both rounds, we had played a lot of golf in a short amount of time, and we were ready to head back to the condo and relax for the evening.

Beach Walk and Starfish Discovery

After dinner, the plan was simple… head down to the beach and take a walk.

A friend of ours who was also in Gulf Shores that week had mentioned that he likes to look for scallop shells along the shoreline. Up until that point, I didn’t even know what a scallop shell looked like… but now I was on a mission to find one.

Susie had already gone for a walk earlier in the day and found a few, so we decided to head in the opposite direction and see what we could find.

Elena was the first to score, finding a really nice scallop shell with a dark red and pink tint. That was a win.

And then… Ethan spotted something in the water just a few feet from shore.

A starfish.

At first, we weren’t even sure what to do. Ethan grabbed a small plastic shovel that I had picked up on the beach and asked for it. I told him to just grab it… but he wasn’t sure if it could bite or do anything.

Eventually, he went for it and picked it up with his bare hands.

We were all pretty excited. It felt like a rare find.

Then we saw another one.

And another.

And another.

Before long, Ethan was walking down the beach collecting starfish like they were seashells. Some were right on the shore, partially buried in the sand. Others were just a few feet into the water, easy enough to reach.

By the time we headed back up to the condo, Ethan had collected around ten of them.

We laid them out on a cookie tray in the room, and it was only then that Ethan decided to Google whether or not we probably should have been pulling them out of the ocean.

Maybe not our best decision… but at the time, it felt like the right move.

Michigan Wins the National Championship

The night wrapped up with something we had been looking forward to all day… the Michigan versus UConn national championship game.

The game tipped off around 8 pm local time, and from the start, Michigan looked like the better team. They controlled most of the game, even though UConn kept fighting and never really went away.

It never quite felt like Michigan was in danger of losing, though. They stayed in control, closed it out, and won their first national championship since 1989.

I was in seventh grade the last time they won it all, and I still remember that game. It was one of those moments that stuck with me and helped cement me as a lifelong Michigan fan.

To see them finally win it again, all these years later, was pretty special.

What made it even better was how they did it. No one superstar. Just a deep roster, great coaching, and a group of players who didn’t care about individual stats… only winning.

And it showed.

We went to bed that night knowing we had a full week ahead of us… and feeling like the trip was just starting to hit its stride.

Tuesday Finally Delivered the Beach Day We Came For

Up until this point, the trip had been good… but Tuesday felt like the day we had really been waiting for. The weather finally lined up, the sun was out, and it was time to fully lean into the reason we drove all the way down to Gulf Shores in the first place.

After months of winter in Michigan, this was the kind of day that reminds you why spring break exists.

The First True Beach Day

It finally arrived… the day we traveled so far south for.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the cooler temps back home. But after several months of harsh winter, there’s something about getting that first real dose of sun that just hits different.

I had one goal in mind… fix the farmer’s tan and get rid of the perma-socks on my pale white ankles that hadn’t seen sunlight since last summer.

Splitting Up: Beach vs Go-Karts

Not everyone in our family is wired the same when it comes to the beach.

Ethan and Eli aren’t exactly beach bums. They had their sights set on something a little more action-packed… a place called The Track, which has go-karts, mini golf, and an arcade.

So we split up.

The boys headed off to do their thing, while Susie, Elena, and I made our way down to the beach.

The Beach Setup (Worth It)

One of the underrated perks of the condo we rented was the beach setup that came with it.

Every day, the beach attendant would set up two chairs and an umbrella for us… and tear it down at the end of the day. From what we heard, it usually costs around $150 for four days, but ours was included with the condo.

Even better… we had a reserved spot. Same place every day.

On this particular day, we got down there a little after noon and didn’t head back up until around 6:30 in the evening.

That’s a long time to just sit on the beach… and it was exactly what we needed.

Hours of Doing Nothing (In a Good Way)

There wasn’t anything complicated about the day.

We sat. We relaxed. We took short naps in the sun. We went for a few walks along the shoreline. We listened to music on our Bose speaker. I spent some time reading.

There were stretches of time where we didn’t really do anything at all… and those ended up being some of the best parts of the day.

Sometimes that’s the whole point of a trip like this.

The Only Annoyance: Competing Speakers

Not everything was perfect, though. The group set up directly in front of us had their speaker going pretty loud, pointed right in our direction. Not ideal, but manageable.

Then another couple set up in front of them… with an even bigger speaker, blasting bass, also pointed directly at us. Now we had two completely different types of music playing at the same time, both aimed right at our chairs.

We were trying to be respectful with our speaker, keeping it low enough that only we could hear it up close. At that point, we just turned it off and dealt with it.

One speaker is fine. Two at the same time… not so much.

Simple Dinner and a Quiet Night

We headed back up to the condo in the evening and kept things simple for dinner. We had cheesy broccoli soup that we brought from home… a specialty from The Onion Crock, where Ethan works. It hit the spot.

After dinner, the whole family went down for a sunset walk along the beach. Susie was hoping to find some starfish like Ethan had the night before, but we got started a little too late.

By the time we were out there, it was already getting dark, and we didn’t have flashlights with us. No starfish this time… but it was still a great walk.

We made our way back up, watched a little TV, and called it a night.

Nothing crazy. Nothing unexpected. Just a really solid beach day… exactly what we came for.

Wednesday Didn’t Go As Planned (But Ended Up Being One of the Best Days)

Wednesday started with a plan… and it didn’t take long for that plan to fall apart.

What was supposed to be a simple drive to check out a highly rated disc golf course turned into a complete turnaround, a little confusion, and one of those moments where you just kind of look at each other and think… well, now what?

But like a lot of things on this trip, what started off as a setback ended up turning into one of the more memorable days of the week.

The Plan: Blue Angel Park

The plan for the day was to head east, drive through Orange Beach, cross into Florida, and check out a course at Blue Angel Park near Pensacola.

It looked great online. Good reviews, cool layout, something different than what we had already played.

After taking our time in the morning… coffee, breakfast, and just kind of easing into the day… we hit the road. GPS said about 50 minutes, mostly because of heavier traffic with all the spring break crowds in the area.

Eli wanted more driving time, so he took the wheel, and we set off, looking forward to checking out a new course.

Are Those the Blue Angels?

About 20 minutes out from the park, we started seeing them.

Jets.

At first, we weren’t totally sure what we were looking at, but as we got closer, it became pretty clear… these had to be the Blue Angels.

They were flying in formation, climbing straight up into the sky, splitting off, looping back around, and then regrouping. And they were loud. Really loud.

Depending on where we were on the road, we’d lose sight of them behind trees, then they’d reappear again a few seconds later.

It was one of those things that’s probably pretty normal in that area… but for us, coming from Michigan, it was something you don’t see every day.

The Military Base Surprise

As we got closer to the park, we started to realize something felt a little different. We were entering what looked like a military base.

At first, we didn’t think much of it. Some bases are more open, almost like their own towns. But then we saw the gate… and the guard shack.

We pulled up, rolled down the window, and I asked if we needed to pay to get in. The lady looked at us and said… “I just need to see your military ID.”

I kind of laughed at first and said I didn’t have one. She followed up with… “I just need to see your spouse’s or a family member’s military ID.” We had none.

I tried explaining that we had just driven 45 minutes to play disc golf at the park, but it didn’t matter. She politely told us the park was only open to military personnel and their families.

And just like that… we were turned away.

We sat there for a second, kind of stunned. Then Ethan pulled up the course on UDisc and sure enough… buried in the “Before You Go” section… Military ID required. That’s not exactly something we usually check.

Pivoting Back to Graham Creek

So we turned around. We looked for other courses nearby, but there really wasn’t anything worth driving further east for. A few options had pretty rough ratings, and at that point, it didn’t feel worth it.

So we headed back west toward familiar territory… Graham Creek. At least we knew what we were getting there.

The Red Dirt Road (Welcome to Mars)

As we made our way to a different section of the park, we turned onto a dirt road. But not just any dirt road… a red dirt road. Like something straight out of a country song.

I snapped a picture and sent it to our family group text, telling Susie and Elena that we had officially made it to Mars. They were back at the beach, soaking up the sun… and we were out exploring another planet.

The Preserve (Designed by Eric McCabe)

The course we ended up playing was Graham Creek – The Preserve.

When I pulled it up on UDisc, I noticed something in the description… the course was designed by Eric McCabe, the 2010 PDGA World Champion. That got Ethan’s attention right away. And the course absolutely lived up to it.

It was a great mix of open and wooded holes, with thoughtful design, interesting layouts, and fair but challenging lines. The rough wasn’t overly punishing, and it was easy enough to find discs even on errant shots.

It was easily one of the best courses we played all week.

Eli’s First Round Back (And He Wins)

This was Eli’s first round of disc golf since last summer… and you wouldn’t have known it. After just a couple of holes, he was feeling it.

At one point, he even asked if I wanted to put money on the round. I shut that down pretty quickly. I’ve seen how that can go when things don’t go well, and I wasn’t about to let a bet ruin the day.

Good thing I didn’t… because Eli ended up beating me by four strokes. He shot a -1. I shot a +3. Ethan also shot a -1 from the long tees, which is very respectable.

Eli was pumped. First round back in nine months, and he shoots under par. Safe to say… he was back.

Meanwhile… The Girls Get Roasted

While we were out playing disc golf, Susie and Elena spent the entire day on the beach. And they paid for it.

Elena had never really experienced a sunburn before. She’s usually one of those people who just tans… but not this time. After a full day in the sun, especially this early in the year, it caught up to her. Susie wasn’t far behind.

They were both pretty red… but that wasn’t going to stop them from heading back out there again the next day.

The Track and Seafood Night

That evening, we all headed out together to The Track. We hit the main go-kart track, The Woody, which spirals up multiple levels before dropping back down. It’s one of those tracks that looks a little crazy from the outside… and it was just as fun as it looked.

After that, the kids spent some time in the arcade, trying their luck at claw machines and various games.

Then it was time for our one planned “eat out” meal of the trip. We had Susie put our name on the waitlist while we were still at The Track. By the time we got to De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen, we were second in line and seated within minutes. Perfect timing.

Everyone ordered some version of seafood… except Elena, who went with chicken tenders. Classic Elena.

I had a couple of Stella Artois beers with dinner. I don’t drink much anymore, and even a few beers can sometimes give me a headache these days… but everything went down smooth, and it just added to the experience.

We left full, relaxed, and ready to head back and call it a night. Not exactly how we planned the day… but it turned out pretty great anyway.

Thursday Was Frustrating… Until It Wasn’t

By Thursday, we were starting to settle into a rhythm for the week. The girls were fully committed to beach days, and us guys were still chasing disc golf. But after Wednesday, I could feel that internal tug a little more. The trip was starting to wind down, and I knew every hour mattered.

This ended up being one of those days where things didn’t go great for a while… until they suddenly did.

One More Course: Pecan Hollow

The plan for the day was to head back to Graham Creek and play the fourth and final course we hadn’t tried yet… Pecan Hollow. Based on everything we saw on UDisc, we knew going in that this would likely be the toughest course of the bunch. It was long, heavily wooded, and designed to challenge you on just about every shot.

We didn’t leave the condo until around 10:30 that morning, and I already had a feeling this round was going to take up most of the day. Part of me was thinking ahead… knowing that meant very little beach time left afterward.

A Long, Tough Round

Before heading to the course, we made a quick stop back at The Track to use up the remaining credits on our card. We ran a quick race on the Slick Track, had some fun with that, and then made our way over to Graham Creek.

Pecan Hollow turned out to be exactly what we expected… and maybe a little worse. Ethan liked it and said it felt like a true championship-level course. Eli didn’t mind it either, mostly because he was still playing really well. Me… I wasn’t having a great time.

Nothing was going right. Even when I threw what felt like a good shot, it would hit a tree and drop straight down or kick into the rough. It felt like every hole had something waiting to humble you. On top of that, the round dragged on for three hours and thirty-four minutes, which only added to the frustration.

Eli Stays Hot

While I was struggling, Eli just kept doing his thing. This was only his second round back after not playing for nine months, and he was playing like he hadn’t missed a beat. He stayed steady the entire round and ended up beating both Ethan and me again.

Eli shot a +1, Ethan came in at +6, and I limped in with a +16. And then came the moment of the day. On the par-5 18th hole, Eli stepped up and nailed a 134-foot throw-in for birdie. It was one of those shots where you just stop and watch it go, and when it hits, you almost can’t believe it.

Even with how frustrated I was with my own round, that was pretty cool to see.

The Lost E-Bike Mystery

There was also one of those random moments early in the round that you don’t expect.

We had just thrown our tee shots on hole one when an older lady on an electric bike rode up to us from a nearby dirt road and asked if we had seen her husband’s e-bike. We had just gotten there, so we had no idea what she was talking about.

She explained that he had gone into the woods looking for a geocache and somehow lost track of where he had left his bike. We exchanged phone numbers just in case we came across it, but a few holes later, they both rode up and told us they found it. Apparently, he had just forgotten where he left it. Those bikes looked like they cost a couple of thousand dollars each, so that could have gone a lot worse.

The Honest UDisc Review

At the end of every round, I log my scores in UDisc, and it gives you the option to rate the course and leave a review. I don’t usually write full reviews, but this time I felt like it was necessary.

Here’s exactly what I wrote:

“If you’re a pro, you might like this course. If not, you’ll hit trees on every single hole and get eaten up by pricker bushes while looking for discs in the rough. If you play the marked OB’s, it’s pretty much impossible to shoot par or under. Mando’s are marked on almost every hole, but no drop zones for if you miss the Mando. Zero signage and way finding would be very difficult without UDisc. Play this course with caution. I would recommend playing the much better Preserve course on the other side of the parking lot.”

That pretty much sums it up.

Back to the Beach (And “Happy Mom”)

After the round, we headed straight back to the condo, and I didn’t waste any time. I changed into my swimsuit, grabbed a quick sandwich, and made my way down to the beach to find Susie and Elena.

The night before, we had picked up a 12-pack of a local hard seltzer called Happy Dad. The version we got had “Dad” crossed out and replaced with “Mom,” like it was handwritten as part of their branding. By the time I got down there, Susie was fully embracing that “Happy Mom” version and was in full vacation mode.

I had one of those, then switched over to the Michelob Ultra Lime beers I had picked up earlier in the week. I wasn’t trying to keep up, but I figured I could at least join in a little.

Volleyball with Kentucky (Unexpected Highlight)

Not long after I got down there, Elena wanted to play volleyball, so we headed over to the net. Before long, another group asked if we wanted to play, and it turned out to be a family from Kentucky who was also there enjoying the beach for spring break.

Once Ethan and Eli made their way down and joined in, it turned into a full family matchup. We ended up playing six or seven games, and it was one of those perfect mixes of competitive and fun. The games were close, nobody really pulled away, and I think we each won about the same number.

It didn’t matter who won. It was just one of those moments that made the day.

A Quick Escape Upstairs

At some point during all of that, Susie had slipped back up to the condo to check on dinner, which was in the crockpot. What I didn’t realize at the time was that she had texted me saying she “needed help with dinner.”

When I saw the message… I knew exactly what she meant.

I managed to sneak away for a bit, telling the kids I’d be back to help carry stuff up from the beach. From the balcony, we could see all three of them still down there playing and hanging out, completely unaware.

In that moment, everything slowed down a bit. All week, we had been moving from one thing to the next, even on vacation. But this was different. It was just us, a quiet moment away from everything else, and it felt like something we both needed more than we probably realized.

It’s hard to explain without saying too much, but I’ll just say this… that moment ended up being my favorite part of the entire day. Honestly, it might have been the best part of the whole trip for me. Not because it was planned or anything elaborate, but because it was real… and it reminded me that the best parts of a trip aren’t always the things you plan.

Ending the Night

Dinner that night was homemade French dip sandwiches with au jus. After eating, a few of us headed out to check out some of the nearby souvenir and t-shirt shops, hoping to find something worth bringing home.

We went to five different places and didn’t buy a single thing. All of the shops had pretty much the same stuff, and while it looks good in the moment, it’s the kind of thing you know you won’t actually wear once you get back home.

So we headed back to the condo, relaxed for a bit, and eventually called it a night. It wasn’t the best day of disc golf, but it still turned into a really good day overall.

Friday Was About Soaking It All In Before It Ended

By Friday, there was no denying it… the trip was coming to an end. We still had one full day left, but everyone could feel it. Nobody wanted to leave, and we were already joking about what it would take to stay another week and just skip school and work altogether. Of course, that wasn’t happening, but it was fun to think about for a minute. So instead, we decided to make the most of what we had left.

The forecast for the following week was calling for temperatures in the 80’s, which somehow made it even harder to accept that we were heading back to Michigan. It felt like we were leaving just as the weather was about to get even better. Still, we had one more full day, and we were going to enjoy it.

Choosing the Beach Over Disc Golf

Ethan and Eli had plans to head back out to Graham Creek and play The Prairie course again. It was the first course Ethan and I played earlier in the week, and it was still my favorite of the four.

But after Thursday, I made a different decision. Between my poor play and how long that round took, I had no interest in spending another full afternoon away from the beach. I decided to stay back and spend the day with Susie and Elena instead, and looking back on it, that was easily the right call.

A Walk with Susie (Reconnecting)

The morning started the same way most mornings did… coffee on the balcony overlooking the Gulf of America, along with a little more reading. It had become part of the routine, and honestly, one of my favorite parts of the day.

After a while, Susie and I decided to head down and take a walk along the shoreline. We walked west, keeping an eye out for scallop shells, starfish, and maybe even hoping to spot a few dolphins out in the water. But more than anything, it just turned into a really good walk together.

At some point along the way, I told her that this trip felt like we were reconnecting a bit. Life back home gets busy… work, school, sports… everything just kind of piles up, and before you know it, you’re just trying to keep up with it all. We’re both working hard all the time, doing everything we can to help our kids succeed, but it’s draining. This trip felt like a reset, like we were finally able to slow down and just be for a little while.

On the way back, we found ourselves holding hands, which is something we don’t do very often anymore. It was simple, but it meant something.

The Proposal Reflection

A few nights earlier, while walking the beach as a family, we had watched a guy propose to his girlfriend right there along the Gulf. It was one of those picture-perfect moments… sunset, beach, everything lined up just right.

And it got me thinking about my own proposal to Susie more than 20 years ago.

I’ll be honest… it was nothing like that. Not even close. In fact, it was pretty bad. I actually apologized to her for it that night. It’s one of those things you can’t really go back and redo, but if I had the chance, I definitely would have done it differently.

So if there’s one takeaway there… if you’re planning to propose someday, don’t wing it. Do it right. Give her a moment she’ll be proud to talk about for the rest of your lives.

One Last Perfect Beach Day

Around noon, Susie, Elena, and I made our way down to the beach. The beach attendant already had our chairs and umbrella set up, and on this day, they were only about eight feet from the shoreline. We settled in and stayed there for the next several hours.

For a long stretch of time, we didn’t swim, didn’t play volleyball, and didn’t do much of anything at all. We just sat there, soaked up the sun, listened to music, talked, and relaxed. It was one of those rare stretches where doing nothing actually felt like exactly what we were supposed to be doing.

At one point, Elena and I walked over to a couple of food trucks that were set up right next to our condo building. They looked like they were there permanently, and it felt like the perfect beach day stop. We grabbed two chocolate-covered frozen bananas for Susie and me, and Elena got a strawberry mango smoothie. Simple, but perfect for the moment.

The weather was in the high 70’s with a steady breeze, which made it feel even better. For us, coming from Michigan, it was about as perfect as beach weather gets.

The Volleyball Rematch (Michigan vs Kentucky)

The boys got back from disc golf around 4 pm, and Ethan made his way down to the beach to join us. Not long after that, our friends from Kentucky were back at the volleyball net and ready for a rematch.

This time, they came prepared. They had their best lineup, including a third guy who they told us had played Division 1 volleyball back in the day. He said he was 51… I’m 50… so we were basically reliving our glory days out there.

We joked that it was Michigan versus Kentucky for the Gulf Shores Beach World Championship, and decided to play a best-of-five series with games to 15. The matches were competitive right from the start. We took the first game, they came back and won the second, and the third game was tight the whole way.

Right in the middle of that third game, one of the wives told them they had to stop for family pictures. We took advantage of the break, grabbed some water, caught our breath, and came back ready. We ended up pulling out the third game to take a 2-1 lead, and then closed it out in the fourth with a 15-13 win.

Michigan wins the championship.

We all laughed, shook hands, and thanked each other for the games. It was competitive, but in the best possible way.

One More Dinner Out (Bahama Bob’s)

That night, we decided to go out to eat one more time. We hadn’t planned on it, but it just felt like the right way to wrap up the trip.

We didn’t even take the car. It was about a mile walk to Bahama Bob’s, which Eli had found on his phone. There was about a 45-minute wait, so while Susie stayed back and enjoyed a Bloody Mary, the kids and I walked over to Alvin’s to check out some more t-shirts.

Once we got seated, we ended up with a great older lady as our waitress, and the food was fantastic. Everyone had a great meal, and it felt like a perfect way to close things out.

Susie and Elena both ended up buying long-sleeve Bahama Bob’s t-shirts, which was kind of funny because they were better than anything we had seen in all the souvenir shops earlier in the week. Sometimes the best finds aren’t where you expect them.

The Walk Back and Reality Setting In

After dinner, we made the walk back to the condo, and that’s when it really started to sink in.

We still had one more night, but the trip was basically over. We had to be out of the condo by 10 am the next morning, which meant packing everything up, loading the car, and starting the drive back to Michigan.

And just like that… the week in Gulf Shores was coming to an end.

Final Thoughts: A Week That Was More Than Just a Beach Trip

When we first planned this trip, it was pretty simple… get out of Michigan, find some warmer weather, and spend a week at the beach. And we did all of that.

We had the beach days. We had the sun. We had the time to sit in a chair, listen to the waves, and forget about everything back home for a while. That alone would have made it a successful trip.

But looking back on it now… that’s not really what stands out the most. It’s the moments we didn’t plan for.

It’s Ethan collecting starfish like they were seashells and then realizing maybe we shouldn’t have been taking them out of the water. It’s driving nearly an hour to play a disc golf course, only to get turned away at a military base because we didn’t have the right ID. It’s Eli stepping back onto a course after nine months away and somehow playing like he never left… even beating both of us more than once.

It’s the random volleyball games with people we had never met before, turning into a full-on “Michigan vs Kentucky” battle that we’ll probably talk about for years. It’s the quiet mornings on the balcony with a cup of coffee and a book, with nothing pressing to get to and nowhere we needed to be.

And for me… it’s the moments that probably don’t show up in pictures. It’s the walk on the beach with Susie, talking about life and realizing how much we both needed a break from the constant pace back home. It’s the small, unexpected moments where we were able to slow down, reconnect, and just be together without distractions. Those are the things that stick.

We went to Gulf Shores for a spring break beach trip… but it turned into something a little more than that. It was a chance to step away from the routine, spend time together as a family, and appreciate the kind of moments that are easy to miss when life gets busy. And now it’s over.

We’re back to real life… work, school, schedules, and everything that comes with it. But this was a good reminder that sometimes, you don’t need anything complicated to create a great trip.

Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery… a little bit of time… and being open to whatever moments come your way. Even the ones you didn’t expect.

What we didn’t expect was that one of the most memorable moments of the trip would involve downtown Birmingham, a missed highway split, and Ethan disappearing into a set of bushes at a red light.

But we’ll get to that.

Day 1: Leaving Grand Rapids and Hitting the Road

The alarm went off at 6:00 am after a late night of packing. Short work week, short school week, and now it was go time. It’s Susie and me, along with all three kids…Ethan, Eli, and Elena.

We ended up leaving right at 10:00 am on the dot. Not bad, all things considered. Susie, as usual, was overpacked and overprepared. It takes longer in the moment, and it can be a little frustrating, but it never goes unnoticed that we’re never without something we might need.

We loaded everything into Susie’s 2019 Ford Expedition. Between the roof topper and the hitch-mounted storage box, we had plenty of room inside. From the outside, though, we looked like the Griswolds heading out on an epic National Lampoon’s vacation.

Choosing the Route (and Why It Matters More Than You’d Think)

Google Maps gave us two options to get to Franklin, Tennessee, for the first night. The more direct route was I-196 to US 31, taking 31 all the way to Indianapolis before picking up I-65. The other option was I-96 to I-69 through Lansing, then I-69 all the way down to Indy.

The US 31 route is shorter and a bit faster, but I’ve never loved that stretch…especially between South Bend and Indianapolis. Too many cross streets, traffic lights, and changing speed limits.

We took it anyway. It saved us about 20 minutes and a little bit of gas, but it’s still not my favorite drive.

Settling Into the Drive

I drove the first four hours while Ethan rode shotgun. Normally, Susie would be up front, but she was fighting a cold and took advantage of the back seat to get some rest.

We pulled into a Love’s Travel Stop for fuel and bathrooms. Love’s is about as reliable as it gets on a road trip. Clean restrooms, plenty of space, and everything you need.

It was a good first stop and a chance to reset before the next stretch.

Eli Takes the Wheel (and Everyone Feels It)

After Love’s, Eli took over driving. He’s 15, turning 16 soon, and this was his first extended stretch of highway driving. I moved to the passenger seat to ride along with him, since he needs an adult up front with his Michigan driving permit.

I thought he did a solid job overall, especially for his first real extended highway experience. Susie and Ethan were a little less impressed. Lane changes were a bit jerky, and he was driving faster than they were comfortable with…though that was by my instruction to keep up with the flow of traffic.

At one point, traffic in front of us slowed quickly, and I had to yell, “BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE!” He hit them hard and avoided rear-ending the car in front of us. That moment didn’t help anyone’s nerves.

Still, he drove for about three hours. We survived, and no one crashed.

The Buc-ee’s Experience (Stop #1)

Not long after leaving Love’s, we started seeing them…the Buc-ee’s billboards. And they don’t stop. You see them from over 100 miles away, one after another, building anticipation the whole way.

We stopped at Buc-ee’s in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, and of course, we were going in. Our family loves Buc-ee’s, and we don’t care if people say it’s a cult.

The place is massive. Over 200 gas pumps, spotless restrooms, and more food and shopping options than most stores. We topped off the tank, even though we didn’t really need to, and I went looking for a squeegee to clean the windshield.

There weren’t any at the pumps. That was the one annoyance. I had to track one down near the air station after asking an employee.

Inside, everyone did their thing. Elena found a Buc-ee’s bikini top, Ethan grabbed a hat, Eli picked out a long-sleeve shirt, and we loaded up on food…wraps, burritos, chips, drinks, and a variety box of fudge.

I grabbed an iced coffee and a banana pudding cup for later. We walked out spending just over $150, which honestly felt normal.

The highlight? The Buc-ee mascot was there, and the kids got pictures with him.

The Final Stretch to Franklin, TN

I took over driving for the last hour and a half. We cruised down I-65, passed through Nashville, and made our way to Franklin.

We checked into a SpringHill Suites by Marriott. Just a place to sleep, shower, and reset for the next day. Clean, modern, exactly what you expect from a newer Marriott property.

Ethan wanted to find a local course and throw some glow discs, but by the time we got settled, it was already around 9:00 pm. No one had the energy to go back out.

We called it a night. I had my banana pudding from Buc-ee’s, and it was even better than expected.

Day 2: A Slower Start and a Long Road Ahead

I woke up before everyone else, made some in-room coffee, and sat down with my Chromebook to start journaling. Quiet start, no rush.

One thing worth noting…because of a family discount we have with Marriott, we can often book rooms for $50 to $70 per night. When all five of us travel, we’ll sometimes book two rooms just for the extra space and second shower.

It makes a huge difference.

By the time we enjoyed the complimentary hotel breakfast, got ready, and packed up, it was about 10:00 am when we hit the road again. The goal was simple: get to Gulf Shores in time to get settled before the Michigan vs. Arizona Final Four game.

Ethan Drives and I Finally Relax

Ethan took the first stretch on Saturday, and I was more than happy to ride shotgun without playing driving instructor.

I spent the time reading, working through blackjack basic strategy on my phone, and messing around with a deck of cards I keep in my bag.

It was a much more relaxed start compared to the day before.

A Random Detour Into Edge Sorting (and a 20-Year-Old Surprise)

In the book I was reading, Advantage Players by Michael Kaplan, I came across a section about edge sorting…something I had never heard of before.

It’s a strategy used by Phil Ivey and Kelly Sun to win millions from casinos by spotting tiny asymmetries on the backs of cards.

I didn’t fully understand it at first, so I pulled up ChatGPT and had it explain it in detail.

Then I grabbed the deck of cards I had with me in the car. A casino deck from Treasure Island in Las Vegas, probably over 20 years old.

And sure enough… the pattern on the back was asymmetrical.

Once I knew what to look for, I saw it immediately. One edge had slightly larger shapes than the other. I couldn’t believe it. A deck I’ve had for years, and I never noticed.

It was one of those random, unexpected moments that made the drive more interesting.

Birmingham, Alabama: One Wrong Turn and One Emergency Stop

As we approached Birmingham, we started looking for a place to stop for lunch. Ethan had been drinking iced coffee and was getting to the point where he really needed a bathroom.

We picked a Whataburger just south of downtown and kept moving.

Then the highway split.

The main lanes continued on I-65, while the left lanes peeled off onto I-20. Ethan was running with the faster traffic on the left and assumed those were the main lanes.

They weren’t.

Suddenly, we were heading the wrong direction, and I was scrambling on Google Maps to get us turned around.

We exited into downtown streets, hit a red light… then another… then another. Every block was a stop.

Ethan said, “Does this city not know how to time their lights?”

At this point, the situation had escalated.

He REALLY had to go.

No gas stations. No restrooms. Just college buildings everywhere and nowhere to stop. The GPS said we were still 12 minutes from Whataburger.

That wasn’t going to work.

We stopped at another red light. Ethan looked at me and said, “Can you take over?”

Before I could say anything, he opened the door and jumped out of the car.

I scrambled over the center console into the driver’s seat as he slammed the door…right into my head.

The light turned green.

I waited for traffic, made a quick turn, and followed him toward a patch of bushes near a brick building. He disappeared for a minute or two and came back with a huge smile on his face.

We were all dying laughing.

Crisis avoided.

Whataburger and a Taste of Southern Hospitality

We made it to Whataburger and grabbed lunch. Nothing spectacular, just a solid fast food meal you can’t get back home in Michigan.

The highlight was a friendly conversation with another customer, an older black gentleman, who noticed our Michigan gear. He struck up a conversation about the game, wished us well, and sent us on our way.

That’s southern hospitality.

Snacks, Gas, and One More Buc-ee’s

I drove the next stretch before we stopped again at a Speedway for gas and bathrooms. We raided the $1 table…protein cookies, Corn Nuts, a pecan Snickers. Solid finds.

With about three hours left, we knew we’d need one more stop.

Behold, there was one more Buc-ee’s before our final destination!

This time, we kept it simple. Bathrooms and food only. We spent about $50, and I joked with the cashier that it was the least we’ve ever spent at a Buc-ee’s.

First Impressions of Gulf Shores

As we got closer, the vibe changed fast.

Traffic picked up. Music got louder. People were everywhere.

Gulf Shores was absolutely packed.

High-rise condos lined the beach, cars filled the roads, and the whole place felt more like a full-blown spring break destination than we expected. It had a Miami Beach kind of energy…at least how I imagine it.

It caught all of us off guard.

Checking In and Just Making Tip-Off

We found our way to the Seawind Condominiums and checked into our place on the 7th floor of a 19-story building.

We barely took time to look around before turning on the TV and getting the Michigan game on.

By the time we got settled, it was just starting.

Michigan jumped out to a 10…1 lead and never looked back. They dominated Arizona and punched their ticket to the national championship game.

Perfect timing.

Ending the Day: Settling In

We unpacked, settled into the condo, and finally relaxed.

After two long days of driving, we had made it.

Easter Morning Reflections

The next morning, I sat out on the balcony with my Chromebook, looking out over the Gulf. It was raining at first, then it slowly started to clear. People began trickling back onto the beach.

We didn’t have any real plans for the day. Just groceries at some point and whatever else came up.

It’s easy to get caught up in the trip itself…the drive, the destination, the experience. But sitting there on Easter morning, it was a good reminder of what the day actually represents.

Jesus died on a Friday and rose again on Sunday. Over 2,000 years later, we’re still talking about it, still celebrating it, and still trying to understand what it means in our own lives.

We drove across the country to enjoy a week at the beach. A small slice of paradise.

And yet, as Christians, we believe something far greater is waiting beyond this life.

Just something to think about.

And Just Like That…

The road trip was over.

The week in Gulf Shores was just beginning.

It was just me, Susie, and Elena on this trip. Elena’s team, Rise Academy, was playing in the Nike Mideast Qualifier in St. Louis, Missouri, a three-day tournament running Friday through Sunday. Susie and I took a couple of days off work, Elena missed a couple of days of school, and Thursday was set aside as a no-rush travel day. We left around 11:00 am with no real pressure other than getting there.

The Drive to St. Louis and the Chicago Reality Check

Traffic was exactly what you’d expect heading southwest out of Michigan. I-94 through northern Indiana was heavy, and I-80 around the south side of Chicago had its usual slowdowns. Not quite stop-and-go, but slow enough to test your patience.

Once we merged onto I-55 heading south, everything changed. Traffic lightened, speeds picked up, and the drive became much more enjoyable. We stopped at a rest area about two hours out, and Susie took over driving so I could get some work done on my Chromebook. We weren’t in a rush, and it felt good to just let the day unfold.

Welcome to St. Louis (Tent City and 80 Degrees)

The first thing we saw when we exited the highway toward our hotel was a full tent city right off the ramp. Not just a couple of tents, but an entire setup with tarps, scattered belongings, garbage, and a single port-a-john sitting in the middle of it all.

Welcome to St. Louis!

I joked with Elena that I didn’t realize St. Louis had campgrounds and that we should have brought a tent. She thought I was serious at first, not quite understanding that people actually live like that.

What was also immediately noticeable was the weather. It was 38 degrees when we left Grand Rapids. When we arrived in St. Louis, it was mid-70s and climbing, with 80s in the forecast for the weekend. That alone made the trip feel like a win.

Parking Luck and the Stay-To-Play Problem

Our hotel was just a few blocks from the exit, and we circled once, trying to figure out where to park. The front was full, but we spotted one open street spot nearby and grabbed it. That turned out to be huge. We later learned that parking spaces in the area ranged from $25 to $75 per day, and free street parking was rare.

We made the decision right then that the car was not moving all weekend.

This tournament was a stay-to-play, which means you are required to book through certain hotels just to participate. The whole stay-to-play scheme is entirely bullshit. It is pretty obvious there are deals being made behind the scenes, and families end up paying more for worse options.

We normally stay at Marriott properties where we get a discount and earn points. Not this time. We were at a Radisson that had recently taken over a former Holiday Inn and was right in the middle of renovations.

And it showed.

First Night Food: Sauce on the Side and the Costanza

After checking in and grabbing our spectator bracelets at $50 each, we went looking for food. The first place we saw was a burger and milkshake spot that looked good but was packed and more of a quick-service setup.

So we kept walking.

A few blocks later, we found Sauce on the Side, a place that specializes almost entirely in calzones. There was a big menu board, tons of options, and the ability to customize whatever you want. You order at the counter, grab your drinks, find a seat, and they bring the food out when it is ready.

With it being our first warm day of the year, we grabbed an outdoor table.

I ordered the Costanza.

Yes, named after George Costanza from Seinfeld, who famously loved calzones. I did not expect much beyond thinking it should be good, but it ended up being the best calzone I have ever had in my life. Not even close. Everything about it was perfect, and it instantly became one of the highlights of the trip.

Friday Volleyball and a Free Afternoon

Friday morning came early with an 8:00 am start and players reporting by 7:15. The walk to the convention center was short, which was a huge advantage.

The place was massive, and we found out our court was inside the dome, the same one where the St. Louis Rams used to play. It was pretty cool looking up into the stands and imagining what it must have been like during those NFL games.

The Rise girls played great. Their pool only had three teams, so they played both opponents in three-set matches. They won all six sets and were done before noon.

Just like that, we had the entire afternoon free.

The Casino Session: Learning the 6 to 5 Lesson

With the afternoon wide open and temperatures pushing 80, Susie and Elena headed to a teammate’s hotel to relax by a rooftop pool. I had plans to check out the Horseshoe Casino across the street.

Walking in, the first thing I noticed was the smoke. Indoor smoking is still allowed there, which felt like stepping back in time compared to Michigan.

The casino itself was not huge, but it had everything. I checked the blackjack tables first. There were two $15 tables and one $25 double-deck. With my $515 bankroll, $25 minimums were not realistic, and even $15 was pushing it.

I spent some time on video poker first. I lost $20. Then another $20. Not ideal, but at least with video poker, there is some decision-making involved – as opposed to slot machines.

Eventually, I got a seat at a $15 blackjack table and bought in for $200. For the first few shoes, I hovered around even. What stood out was that I did not get a single blackjack until halfway through my fourth shoe.

When I finally did, it paid $18 on a $15 bet. I thought I was mispaid, and I was about to speak up.

That is when I realized it was 6 to 5 blackjack. It clearly stated so on the printed felt, and I hadn’t even bothered to look. Furthermore, I didn’t notice when other players were getting paid 6 to 5 on their blackjacks.

6 to 5 blackjack. I knew better. Every serious player knows to avoid it. But I was already there, and the shoe was getting hot. I pressed my bets slightly and managed to climb back from a low point near $100 to finishing at $260.

A $20 profit from the casino, overall.

Not much, but I walked out ahead, and that counts.

Friday Night: Sports & Social and a Surprise Pep Rally

Dinner that night was at Sports & Social near Busch Stadium with several volleyball families. After eating, we moved outside to a large open area with games, music, and a great atmosphere.

The kids were playing pickup basketball, there were cornhole boards set up, and a DJ was playing music. It was already a great environment, and then it suddenly turned into something else.

Out of nowhere, we found ourselves in the middle of a full-on Mizzou pep rally.

There were cheerleaders, a pep band, a stage, and energy everywhere. We were sitting right next to it without even realizing what was about to happen. We are not Mizzou fans, but it was one of those moments where you just take it in and enjoy the experience.

NCAA Tournament Atmosphere Everywhere

The NCAA tournament was everywhere all weekend. Every restaurant, every bar, every TV. Fans were wearing their team colors, there was energy in the air, and games were being played right there in St. Louis.

On Saturday, I proudly wore my Michigan gear as they took on St. Louis University and handled them easily. It added another layer to the weekend, being surrounded by that kind of atmosphere while also following Elena’s tournament.

It felt like we were part of something bigger than just volleyball.

Saturday Volleyball and High-Tech Mini Golf

Saturday was another strong day. The girls went 2-1 in matches, all going to three sets. Their only loss meant no bye during bracket play the next day, but they still made the Gold bracket, which is the highest level for their division.

They were likely the lowest seed, but they were in.

With the afternoon free, we tried something different and went to Putt Shack. It is indoor mini golf, but nothing like the traditional version. Each hole had interactive elements, and the balls had chips in them that tracked scoring automatically.

It was actually really fun and something I would definitely do again.

Dinner that night was at Cardinal Nation with most of the team families. Good food, good conversation, and a great way to wrap up the day.

Sunday Bracket Play: One and Done

Sunday morning was Gold bracket play. Single elimination. Win and move on, lose and go home.

Our opponent looked intimidating right away. Bigger players, serious demeanor, and undefeated up to that point. Rise came out strong and led early, but the other team stayed composed and came back to win the first set.

The second set was not as close.

Just like that, it was over.

We were proud of the girls. They played great all weekend and proved they belonged at that level. You cannot win them all, and there was something nice about being able to hit the road early.

The Hotel Experience… Not Great

Before leaving, it is worth circling back to the hotel.

Because it never got better.

The carpets were worn and needed to be replaced. Housekeeping was basically nonexistent. We had to ask multiple times for towels, coffee, and toilet paper, and half the time, it never showed up. We never saw a single housekeeping cart the entire weekend.

One night, we were woken up at 12:30 am by loud neighbors, and the front desk said they could not leave their post to handle it. When I asked for late checkout on Sunday morning, the answer was simply, “no,” with no explanation.

At checkout, one staff member listened to everything Susie explained and ended up comping one of our three nights and removing the tax. That helped, but it did not change the overall experience.

The Drive Home and the Weather Reality Check

We hit the road on Sunday and stopped for gas about 30 minutes out of St. Louis. A couple of hours later, we made a planned stop at Wally’s, which is basically a smaller version of Buc-ee’s. Clean bathrooms, tons of food, and exactly what you want on a road trip.

I grabbed a giant fish sandwich and a 300mg Black Rifle iced coffee for the rest of the drive.

The weather shift was immediate. Mid-80s and sunny in St. Louis turned into 58 and cloudy just a few hours north. I changed back into jeans and a sweatshirt and settled in for the rest of the drive.

We pulled into Grand Rapids around 6:30 pm to 45-degree weather.

Back to reality.

Final Thoughts

Three days of warm weather, volleyball, NCAA tournament energy everywhere, a random pep rally, a smoky casino session, and one incredible calzone.

It felt like a mini spring break wrapped around a tournament weekend.

And honestly, we would probably do it all over again.

But lately I have been hearing something interesting.

Apparently, some people claim there are ways to beat the casino. Not by getting lucky for a night, but by actually having some kind of edge. I have been seeing more and more videos online from people who claim they make a living doing exactly that.

Now, I have no idea whether any of that is actually true. But I will admit something. The idea has been sitting in the back of my mind for a while now, and curiosity finally got the better of me.

So on Sunday afternoon, my brother-in-law Scott and I made the short 35-minute drive down to Gun Lake Casino to see what we could find out.

The Idea That Started This Trip

This whole little experiment started with a few videos I stumbled across on YouTube. One channel in particular that caught my attention was a guy named Jay Fructose. The guy is a little bit of a nut and honestly kind of annoying at first, but after watching a few videos, I had to admit they were pretty entertaining.

The basic idea behind a lot of these videos is that casinos might not be quite as unbeatable as most people think. Most people already know blackjack can technically be beaten if someone knows what they’re doing. But what surprised me was hearing people claim that certain slot machines can also be beaten under the right conditions.

I have been watching blackjack advantage play videos for about ten months now, mostly out of curiosity. The slot machine stuff is much newer to me. I only started going down that rabbit hole a couple of weeks ago after hearing people claim they make a living playing certain machines.

On the drive down to Gun Lake Casino, I was explaining some of this to my brother-in-law Scott. Most people have at least heard that blackjack can be beaten, but the idea that slot machines might sometimes be in a beatable state was completely new to him. He listened with curiosity while I tried to explain what little I understood so far.

My casino bankroll at the start of this trip was a modest $390, thanks to a $250 win on Super Bowl squares at work earlier this year. I keep my casino money completely separate from everything else, and with blackjack tables often starting at $15 minimum bets, that bankroll doesn’t exactly leave a lot of room for error.

So the plan was simple. I wanted to play some blackjack, but I also wanted to walk the casino floor and see if I could spot any of the machines I had been studying. I had actually learned how to identify three specific machines that are supposed to become favorable under certain conditions.

After walking the entire casino floor, though, I ran into one small problem.

I didn’t see a single one of them.

Walking the Casino Floor

After parking in the garage, we walked inside, made a quick restroom stop, and grabbed a couple of free sodas at the self-serve beverage station. With our drinks in hand, we started walking the casino floor just to see what we could find. I had a few machines in mind that I thought might be worth looking for, but honestly, I was still pretty new to all of this and wasn’t exactly sure what I was hoping to spot.

Scott didn’t really know what I was looking for either. At one point, we did find a machine with a visible progressive jackpot that had a “must hit by” number displayed on the screen. I was able to show him how that worked, but none of the jackpots were anywhere close to the number where they had to hit. It was interesting to see, but it certainly wasn’t an opportunity.

We walked the entire casino floor, just getting our bearings and seeing where everything was located. At one point, we even wandered into the high-limit slot room just to take a look around. Toward the back of the casino, we also found a whole section of video poker machines. I’ve heard some of those games can be beaten, too, but that’s a whole different rabbit hole that I haven’t gone down yet.

The place was extremely busy for a Sunday afternoon. Slot machines were packed with players, and most of the table games had full tables as well. Whatever the secret to beating a casino might be, it definitely wasn’t going to be obvious just from walking in the door.

Eventually, Scott sat down at a machine along the back wall of the casino that caught his attention and put in $100. Within about ten or fifteen minutes, he had his balance up to $150 and quickly cashed out the ticket before giving it all back to the same machine. He walked over, grinning, and announced that he was buying drinks.

Scott grabbed himself a beer while I stuck with my Diet Coke. While he moved on to another machine, I wandered over to one of the newer graphic-heavy slot machines and decided to give it a try myself. I had no idea what I was doing, and if there was any sort of advantage there, I certainly wasn’t aware of it. I was just another guy feeding money into a machine and hoping something interesting would happen.

It didn’t.

My $100 slowly drained down to $60 without even a hint of a decent win. After watching Scott play for a bit, I tried one more machine, this time an old-fashioned three-reel slot with sevens and classic symbols spinning around. That experiment lasted about ten minutes before the remaining $60 disappeared as well.

At that point, I felt a little stupid. I had come to the casino hoping to look for some kind of edge, and instead I had just gambled away $100 like every other fool in the casino.

So I decided it was time to go play some blackjack.

Meanwhile, Scott cashed out of his machine again, this time holding a ticket worth more than $240 from his original $100 buy-in.

Settling in at the Blackjack Table

Gun Lake has a couple of different card pits on the main floor that sit fairly close to each other. Before sitting down anywhere, I circled both pits just to see what kind of games were being offered. Three of the blackjack tables were running $15 minimum bets, while two of them were already at $25 minimums.

If I’m being honest, I would much rather play $10 minimum blackjack if I can find it. Those games seem harder and harder to come by these days though. Even $15 minimums can eat through a small bankroll pretty quickly if things go the wrong direction.

My bankroll going into this trip was $390, thanks mostly to that $250 win from Super Bowl squares at work earlier this year. Unfortunately, I had just handed $100 of that money to a slot machine about twenty minutes earlier. That left me with $290 to work with, so I bought in at a $15 table for $200 and hoped for the best.

As it turned out, I sat down at exactly the right moment. The dealer was just about to start a brand new shoe when the pit boss walked up and announced that this would be the final shoe at $15 before the table went up to $25 minimums. That meant I had exactly one shoe to play before the stakes jumped to a level I didn’t want to touch.

Luckily, that shoe got hot almost immediately.

The dealer’s name was Debbie, an older lady who definitely wasn’t the fastest dealer in the casino. What she lacked in speed, she made up for with personality. Several of the players at the table clearly knew her, and they were playfully heckling each other while the cards were flying. The whole table had that rare mix of good energy and good cards.

After losing my first three hands, things suddenly turned around in a big way. I went on a streak where it felt like I couldn’t lose. The chips in front of me kept growing, so I gradually increased my bets from $15 to $20, then $25, then a few hands at $30. At one point, I even pushed out a couple of $50 bets while the table kept winning hand after hand.

By the end of the shoe I had completely erased the $100 I lost on the slot machines and added another $25 on top of it. When the dealer finished the last hand, and the table minimum officially jumped to $25, almost the entire table colored up and left. Most of us had no interest in sticking around at that level.

I took my $325 in chips from the original $200 buy-in and walked over to the other card pit. Over there, I found another $15 table with only three players, and they were just beginning a brand new shoe as I sat down.

This second table didn’t have quite the same energy as Debbie’s table, but it was still a fun group to play with. I played two full shoes there. After the first one, I was down a little bit, but things turned around in the second shoe, and I slowly built my stack back up.

I like to stack my chips in groups I can easily keep track of. Ten $5 chips in a stack make $50, which makes the math easy while playing. When I looked down and realized I had built up about $100 in profit at that table, I decided it was a good time to color up and call it a day.

Leaving the Casino Ahead

When I colored up at the second blackjack table, the dealer counted out $425 in chips in front of me. I also still had $90 in cash in my pocket. Considering I had walked into the casino with a $390 bankroll and had already handed $100 of it to a couple of slot machines earlier in the afternoon, I was pretty happy with where things ended up.

My casino bankroll was now sitting at $515, which meant I had managed to dig myself out of that early hole and finish the trip ahead by $125.

Scott had spent most of the afternoon playing slot machines while I was working the blackjack tables. Every time I walked past him, he seemed to be doing pretty well, and when we finally decided it was time to leave, he was still ahead too. I don’t remember the exact amount, but I’m pretty sure he walked out of the casino up around $100 himself.

Not bad for a quick Sunday afternoon trip.

The funny thing is, the whole reason we went to the casino in the first place had nothing to do with blackjack. I had gone there hoping to see if I could spot any of the slot machines I had been studying over the past couple of weeks. As it turned out, I didn’t find a single one of them anywhere on the floor.

Instead, the only real success I had came from the blackjack tables.

Now, I’m not claiming to be some kind of casino expert. But after spending the past ten months watching videos and learning more about how blackjack actually works, I will say this. It definitely feels a lot less like pure luck than most people probably think.

Let’s just say I might know a little something about the game.

As for the slot machines, the jury is still out. I’ve heard enough stories and seen enough interesting explanations lately to make me curious, but I still have a lot to learn before I would feel comfortable saying I know what I’m doing there.

One thing is certain, though.

This probably won’t be my last little casino experiment.

Something tells me I’ll be making that 35-minute drive to Gun Lake Casino again soon.

I have been driving a semi-truck for more than twenty years, and for about the last fifteen years, I have also been experimenting with blogging, internet businesses, digital products, and whatever other ideas happen to wander into my head. Some things work. Some things fail. Most of it is just one long experiment.

Rambling Fever is where all of that ends up.

The tagline of this blog is “a blog about nothing.” That is a small tribute to Seinfeld, which was famously described as a show about nothing. But if you ever watched the show, you know it was never really about nothing. It was always about something. Just not one specific thing.

That is the idea behind this blog.

Rambling Fever works a little like an old-fashioned newspaper, just in digital form. Different topics live in different sections depending on what I happen to be writing about at the time. Some articles are about travel. Others are about money, business experiments, products I like, family life, or the occasional opinion about something happening in the world.

Writing has always been the one type of content I truly enjoy creating, so this blog gives me the freedom to do exactly that. Ramble.

If you enjoy reading about travel, money, online business experiments, everyday life, and the occasional random thought from a truck driver who probably spends too much time thinking about things, you will probably enjoy Rambling Fever.

And if not, there are plenty of other corners of the internet.

Why the Name Rambling Fever?

Rambling Fever is the name of this blog, but the story behind it actually goes back quite a few years.

Believe it or not, ramblingfever.com was the very first domain name I ever purchased. That was sometime around 2011 when I first started experimenting with the idea of building things on the internet.

Since then, I have bought a ridiculous number of domain names. I could not even guess the exact number, but it might be pushing a hundred by now. Some turned into real projects. Some turned into half-finished experiments. And some were probably terrible ideas that sounded brilliant for about twenty minutes.

But after all those years of wandering around the internet trying different things, I somehow ended up right back where I started… writing on ramblingfever.com.

Over the years, the blog has gone through several different phases. I published on it for a while, then stopped. Later, I came back to it again, wrote some more, and then let it sit quiet for another stretch of time. Eventually, I decided to rebuild it and turn it into what it is today.

The name itself came from two different ideas that seemed to fit together perfectly.

First, I have always been a big fan of Merle Haggard. One of his songs is called Ramblin’ Fever, and that title always stuck with me. The idea of having a bit of a restless spirit and wanting to keep moving just resonated with me.

Second, the word rambling also describes something else pretty well. Talking or writing at length about whatever happens to be on your mind.

Put those two ideas together, and Rambling Fever felt like the perfect name for a blog.

The tagline of this blog is “a blog about nothing.” It is a small tribute to one of my favorite sitcoms of all time, Seinfeld.

But anyone who watched the show knows it was never really about nothing. It was about everyday life. Observations. Small situations that everyone can relate to. Random conversations that somehow end up connecting together.

That is the spirit I try to capture here.

Rambling Fever works a little like an old-fashioned newspaper, just in digital form. Different topics live in different sections depending on what I happen to be writing about. Some articles are about travel. Others are about money, business experiments, products I like, or everyday life.

In other words, this blog really is about nothing in particular. But at the same time, it is always about something.

Meet Matt

I was born and raised in Michigan, specifically in Grand Rapids in West Michigan, and I have lived here almost my entire life.

The only time I really left was for a couple of years when I attended college at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. I did not finish college. I am a proud college dropout.

Grand Rapids is a great place to live. I have always lived in the northern suburbs, but the overall feel of the city is what I like to think of as a small big city. There is plenty going on, but it still feels manageable and familiar.

Becoming a truck driver was never part of some carefully planned career path. It mostly happened because I discovered that I genuinely enjoyed being on the road.

While I was attending college in Sault Ste. Marie, the five-hour drive between there and Grand Rapids became something I actually looked forward to. Around that same time, my college girlfriend’s dad and stepdad were both truck drivers. That helped break the stereotype I had in my head about what truck drivers were like. They were just regular guys who happened to drive trucks for a living.

After dropping out of college, I worked on a shipping dock at a factory and made a point to talk with truck drivers whenever I had the chance. Eventually, I enrolled in a five-week truck driver training program at Lansing Community College to earn my CDL.

Ironically, that program gave me 14 college credits, which left me only a few credits short of earning an associate degree. I did not care about the degree, though. I just wanted to drive a truck.

Not long after that, I started what has now been more than two decades of working as a professional truck driver.

The internet entrepreneur side of my life started much later, and it began in a very simple way.

I had bought a new computer and had heard that people were somehow making money online. One day I literally typed the phrase “how to make money online” into Google. That simple search ended up sending me down a rabbit hole that changed the direction of my spare time for the next fifteen years.

I experimented with all kinds of ideas over the years. I tried writing articles for websites that paid tiny amounts of money based on page views. That eventually led me to blogging. Blogging led me to WordPress. WordPress opened up a world of possibilities that I had never imagined.

I built content websites, experimented with affiliate marketing, worked with advertising models, and even launched my own physical product on Amazon through the Amazon FBA program.

My most successful venture was a software business that I co founded with a partner. We built a WordPress plugin called AmaLinks Pro that helped website owners insert Amazon affiliate links into their WordPress sites more easily. We grew the business to several thousand dollars in monthly recurring revenue before eventually selling it for a low six-figure exit.

Even after trying many different types of online projects, I always seemed to come back to one thing. Writing.

Blogging today is not quite what it was ten or fifteen years ago, but I still enjoy it just as much. Writing has always been the form of content that feels most natural to me.

Outside of work and the internet, most of my time revolves around family life. If I am not doing dishes or laundry around the house, I am usually driving kids to practices or attending one of their sporting events.

Two of my kids play travel sports, which means we spend a lot of time on the road following Elena’s volleyball tournaments and Eli’s lacrosse events around the country.

My son Ethan and I also share a pretty serious disc golf hobby. We spend as much time as we can practicing on courses around Michigan so we can compete in PDGA sanctioned disc golf tournaments.

More recently, I have developed another unusual hobby. On Ethan’s eighteenth birthday, I took him to Little River Casino in Manistee, Michigan. That is one of the casinos in the state where you can play at age eighteen. That trip sparked a new curiosity for me.

Since then, I have been studying how advantage players try to gain an edge on casinos. I have been learning how to count cards in blackjack and even studying how certain slot machines can occasionally enter advantageous states.

In other words, I am slowly working my way into the strange and fascinating world of casino advantage play.

So if you ever see a truck driver quietly counting cards in the corner of a casino somewhere, it might just be me.

My Entrepreneurial Experiments on the Internet

My journey into internet business started sometime around 2010.

I remember the moment pretty clearly because my second son, Eli, had just been born. While sitting around the hospital for hours, I found myself reading article after article on my phone about people making money online. Eventually, I did the most obvious thing someone could do.

I Googled the phrase “how to make money online.”

That search sent me down a rabbit hole that I have been exploring ever since.

At first, I tried writing articles for websites that paid based on page views. Those paid pennies for thousands of views, but they introduced me to the idea that publishing content on the internet could actually turn into money.

That led me to blogging.

Blogging led me to WordPress.

And once I discovered WordPress, a whole world of possibilities opened up.

Over the years, I experimented with all kinds of different online business ideas. I built niche websites. I sold keyword research packages. I experimented with SEO strategies that worked for a while and then stopped working. I tried Amazon FBA and even imported my own physical product from China to sell through Amazon’s warehouses.

Like most people who spend enough time in the internet marketing world, I also accumulated a ridiculous number of domain names along the way.

Most of these ideas followed a pretty familiar pattern. They sounded like a great opportunity when I first discovered them. I would spend months building something. And eventually, I would either lose interest or realize the idea was not quite as good as I originally thought.

In other words, most of my internet business ideas have failed.

But every once in a while, something actually works.

The most successful project I have been involved in was a software business called AmaLinks Pro. A business partner and I created a WordPress plugin that helped website owners insert Amazon affiliate links into their content more easily.

My partner handled the coding and development. I handled the marketing, website, tutorials, and everything on the business side.

We launched the plugin in 2018.

The first launch produced almost nothing. Just a handful of sales.

But we kept working on it, improving the product, and building an audience around it. Over time, the business grew into several thousand dollars per month in recurring revenue before we eventually sold it in the summer of 2022 for a low six-figure exit.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from that experience is that most online businesses take far longer than people expect.

Ideas fail all the time, but you learn something every time you try something new. The projects that succeed usually come from sticking with something long enough to give it a real chance.

In the case of AmaLinks Pro, having a business partner helped with that. We held each other accountable and kept pushing forward even when things moved more slowly than we hoped.

Over the last fifteen years, I have probably tried dozens of different online business ideas. Most of them never went anywhere.

But I keep experimenting anyway.

More recently, I even taught myself how to “vibe code” and built a working web app called Vibe Tips. I had absolutely zero coding experience when I started. I mostly built it just to prove to myself that I could figure it out.

Whether any of these experiments turn into something big someday is still an open question.

For now, I am still doing what I have always done.

Trying ideas. Learning from the failures. And occasionally stumbling into something that works.

Life Outside the Internet

For as much time as I have spent experimenting with online business ideas, most of my life still revolves around pretty normal everyday things.

I am a husband and a dad first.

A lot of my time outside of work is spent doing the same things most families do. There are always dishes to wash, laundry to fold, errands to run, and kids to drive somewhere.

Two of my younger kids play travel sports, which means a good portion of our calendar revolves around tournaments and practices. My daughter Elena plays travel volleyball, and my son Eli plays travel lacrosse. Those sports have taken us on quite a few trips around the country over the past few years.

In addition to the sports travel, our family also enjoys taking regular trips whenever we get the chance. We usually try to head south for spring break most years, and we like to take at least one longer family vacation during the summer. We have also taken plenty of smaller road trips around Michigan and the surrounding states.

Spending time on the road has always felt natural to me, which probably makes sense considering my day job.

Another hobby that takes up a fair amount of my free time is disc golf. My oldest son, Ethan, and I are both pretty serious about it. We play casual rounds, participate in local leagues, and compete in PDGA-sanctioned tournaments whenever we can. A lot of our weekends involve visiting different disc golf courses around Michigan and trying to improve our games.

And then there are the occasional side curiosities that pop up along the way.

On Ethan’s eighteenth birthday, I took him to Little River Casino in Manistee, Michigan. It is one of the casinos in the state where you can legally gamble at age eighteen. That trip ended up sparking a new interest for me.

Since then, I have spent some time learning about the world of casino advantage play. Things like counting cards in blackjack and understanding how certain games can occasionally give players a small edge over the house.

It is more of a curiosity and hobby than anything else, but I have enjoyed learning about it.

For the most part, though, life outside the internet is fairly simple. Family, sports, travel, hobbies, and the occasional new interest that catches my attention.

And of course, plenty of time spent thinking about the next idea I might try building on the internet.

The “Millionaire Truck Driver” Thing

One topic that shows up on this blog from time to time is money.

More specifically, the slightly strange idea that I am technically a millionaire… even though my life probably looks pretty normal from the outside.

When most people hear the word millionaire, they picture luxury cars, beach houses, and champagne on a yacht somewhere. The reality is much less exciting.

In my case, it looks like a guy who still drives to work every day, mows his own lawn, fixes things around the house, and occasionally argues with his wife about how long someone was in the shower.

The truth is that becoming a millionaire for me had nothing to do with startups, crypto, or hitting some lucky investment at the perfect time.

I worked.

I saved.

And I invested.

For most of my adult life, I have simply contributed to retirement accounts like my 401K and IRAs, invested in boring index funds, and tried to avoid doing anything too stupid with money.

There were no clever tricks involved. Just consistency and time.

Somewhere along the way, after a few decades of doing that and making one solid real estate decision, the math eventually crossed the million-dollar mark.

Even then, it did not feel very dramatic.

Most of that wealth lives inside retirement accounts and home equity, which means it is not exactly money you can casually spend. In fact, there were moments when my wife and I joked about being “broke millionaires” because we still felt like we were juggling bills like everyone else.

But the longer I stick with the process, the more I realize the real value is not the number itself.

The real benefit is options.

Financial stability. The ability to handle surprises without panic. The freedom to think about the future without constantly worrying about money.

In other words, the goal was never to look rich.

The goal was simply to build a life with a little breathing room.

If you spend enough time on this blog, you will occasionally see me write about investing, retirement accounts, and the slow process of building wealth over time.

But don’t expect flashy financial advice.

Most of my philosophy can be summed up in three words.

Start early.
Stay consistent.
And try not to mess it up.

Why I Still Love Blogging

After all the different experiments I have tried on the internet over the past fifteen years, one thing has remained constant.

I always come back to writing.

I have tried making videos. I have experimented with audio. I have watched plenty of other creators build huge audiences doing those things. But for whatever reason, those formats just never clicked for me.

Writing does.

When you write, you get the luxury of thinking before speaking. You can ramble a little. You can hit the backspace key. You can rewrite a sentence five times until it finally says what you meant to say in the first place.

That suits me perfectly.

It also explains why Rambling Fever eventually became what it is today.

Instead of trying to force myself into one niche or build a website around a single topic, I decided to lean into the freedom of writing about whatever happens to be on my mind at the moment.

Travel.
Money.
Online business experiments.
Products I like.
Family life.
The occasional opinion about something happening in the world.

Or sometimes just a random thought that popped into my head while driving a truck down the highway somewhere in Michigan.

The tagline of this blog is “a blog about nothing,” which is a small tribute to Seinfeld. But just like the show, it is never really about nothing.

It is about everyday life. Observations. Stories. Experiments. The little things that happen along the way that are interesting enough to write down.

And if a few people happen to read those stories and enjoy them, that is a pretty good bonus.

At the end of the day, Rambling Fever is simply my corner of the internet. A place where a truck driver who has spent far too many hours thinking about things can sit down and ramble about them.

Sometimes the rambling turns into useful ideas.

Sometimes it turns into business experiments.

And sometimes it just turns into another story.

Either way, the Rambling Fever lives on.

This time it was Pontiac, Michigan. Only about two hours from Grand Rapids, which almost felt local compared to last weekend.

A Rare Friday Night at Home

We originally had a Friday night hotel booked, because that is just what you do with travel sports. You assume you will be leaving right after work and driving across the state in the dark.

Then we found out the girls did not play until Saturday afternoon.

That changed everything.

We canceled the hotel, stayed home, and ate homemade pizza that Ethan and Susie made from scratch. After enough weekends of eating out, you start to really appreciate a home-cooked meal. Eating out is fun until it becomes routine. Then pizza at your own table feels like a luxury.

Sleeping in our own beds Friday night meant a slow Saturday morning. Coffee in my own mug. Sitting at my desktop computer instead of balancing a Chromebook on a tiny hotel desk. No rush. Just knowing we had to leave around 11 and that was it.

The Drive East to Our Next Marriott Experience

The drive to Pontiac was almost suspiciously smooth. One quick rest area stop, then cruising around 80 miles per hour most of the way. No traffic backups. No heavy congestion. Nothing to complain about.

We arrived at the Marriott around 1:20. Elena needed to be at the UWM Sports Complex by 2:30, so we had plenty of time to check in, haul our bags upstairs, and grab a quick lunch at El Toro across the parking lot.

This Marriott was bigger than most we have stayed at so far. Eleven stories tall, three elevators all working, which felt like a small miracle after last weekend. The lobby had an old-fashioned elegance to it. You could tell the building had been around for decades, probably late 70s or early 80s, but it was clean and well-maintained.

Our room, on the sixth floor, was fully updated and modern. Two full-size beds this time. Susie and I shared one, and Elena got her own. That alone felt like a win.

Michiana Power League and Playing Up

This tournament was part of the Michiana Power League, which runs differently from a typical weekend event. Earlier weekends served as a way to measure teams against each other. Now this one was entirely bracket play, with guaranteed games both days.

Rise Academy is a top-tier program in West Michigan, so our 13-year-olds often end up playing against 14-year-old teams. That has become normal for us.

Grace was out with a fractured foot, and Kate was sick, which left Rise with only seven girls for the weekend. Elena stepped into Grace’s middle position. No easing into it. Just jump in and go.

Saturday ended with a 2-1 record. The loss came in three sets. We won the first set and maybe felt a little too comfortable. The other team turned up the heat, and we simply did not have enough in the tank to respond.

Still, 2-1 while short-handed and playing up is not terrible.

Earplugs, Earbuds, and Multi-Tasking

If you have never been inside one of these massive volleyball facilities, it is hard to explain the noise. Dozens of courts going at once. Whistles. Coaches and players yelling. Parents cheering. All of it echoing inside an enclosed space.

I bring earplugs now. The serenity that a simple pair of earplugs provides in that environment is unreal.

But at 6:30, Michigan versus Duke tipped off in Washington D.C. Michigan ranked #1 and Duke ranked #3 in the country. A non-conference game this late in the season between two top teams is rare. I have been a Michigan fan for as long as I can remember, so I wore my maize and blue to the gym.

As tipoff got closer, you could see dads all around the facility quietly pulling out their phones. One guy had a laptop open. The phone signal inside the building was terrible, but once I connected to the posted WiFi password, YouTube TV streamed perfectly.

I switched from earplugs to a new pair of over-the-ear style earbuds I got for Christmas. In theory, they were perfect. In reality, over-the-ear does not block out dozens of volleyball courts. I could barely hear the broadcast over the whistles and cheering.

Still, I heard enough. And I could still hear what I needed to hear for volleyball. That is what I call multitasking.

A Hotel Bar and a Tough Loss

Rise’s last Saturday game ended right around halftime. We hustled back to the hotel and grabbed seats in the lobby restaurant to catch the end of the game.

The restaurant surprised all of us. Large menu. Food that was genuinely good. Service that felt like a five-star experience. I never caught our waitress’s name, but she was outstanding.

We pushed four tables together. Parents at one end, some of the girls at the other end. A few of them migrated to a different table where some boys their age were sitting. It was one of those organic travel sports evenings where everyone just sort of blends together.

Charlie’s friend Marcus joined us. He and Charlie had been friends since high school and still keep in touch. Marcus stopped by to watch the final volleyball matches and ended up staying for dinner and drinks.

The Michigan game itself was close most of the night. Back and forth. Lead changes. In the end, Duke pulled away and handed Michigan just its second loss of the season, dropping them to 25-2.

As Michigan fans, we quickly reframed it as a wake-up call. Better to lose now than in March.

Silver Bracket Sunday

Sunday morning came early. The girls needed to be at the sports complex by 7:30.

Their Saturday finish placed them in the Silver bracket. They lost their first match in three sets, which eliminated any chance at a championship. They did not fold, though. They won their next two matches and secured third place in the Silver bracket.

Overall, 2-1 on Saturday and 2-1 on Sunday. Not their best weekend. Not their worst. Considering they were short-handed and playing older teams, nobody was disappointed.

An Olympic Interruption

The coolest moment of the entire weekend had nothing to do with volleyball.

When we walked into the sports complex on Sunday morning, coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal hockey game was about to begin. USA versus Canada.

Even if you do not follow hockey closely, USA versus Canada for a gold medal is a big deal. The lobby had a couple of large TVs, and between matches, there was a steady crowd of volleyball parents, clearly more interested in hockey than anything happening on the courts.

The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Sudden death overtime. Next goal wins gold.

I kept bouncing between the gym and the lobby, checking on the match before Elena’s and then slipping back out to see the hockey game. As I rounded the corner heading toward the lobby one more time, the small crowd erupted.

USA scored!

I missed seeing the live goal by a few seconds, but I still felt the moment. I watched the NBC coverage showing the USA players celebrating. The Canadians were absolutely crushed. It took several minutes before they finally showed a replay.

Then it was back into the gym to watch our girls finish strong.

Art and Jake’s and East Lansing Traffic Math

After wrapping up the weekend, we decided to not coordinate dinner with anyone on the way home. We enjoy the other volleyball families, but after two straight weekends together, sometimes it is nice to just do our own thing.

We stopped at an Art & Jake’s along I-75 for a quiet meal. While we were finishing up, Michigan State versus Ohio State was on TV. The game was in East Lansing, and we needed to pass right through there on I-96 on our way home.

A quick mental calculation told me we would hit East Lansing right around the time the game was ending.

Sure enough, traffic thickened for a few miles near East Lansing. Nothing major. Just enough to confirm that sports traffic math is a real thing.

We stopped in Portland at Speedway for gas and coffee. I could have made it home without stopping, but Speedway has those bean-to-cup machines and Irish Cream creamer. That alone justified the stop.

The girls did not need the restroom, which was fortunate because the indoor restrooms were out of order. I used the porta-jon outside. No big deal for me.

We filled up Susie’s Expedition so she would be set for the week, grabbed coffee, and finished the drive home.

Another volleyball weekend complete.

At this point, they are starting to blur together. Just tell me where to be and at what time, and we will make it happen. Already looking forward to the next one.