We liked each other!

Part of why I went up to Michigan was to meet my niece's new fella. I was a little nervous about it, because I was underwhelmed by her first boyfriend, Jason, and hated her second one, Michael (I referred to him as "a sanctimonious pain in the ass if ever there was one" in a post written upon our first meeting).

But Mark! I liked him. And he liked me. We're both liberals, we both like cats, we both love my niece. If he only he loved the Cubs ... but alas, he's just not into sports.

Both he and my niece had to work until after 8:00 on Wednesday night, so I swam in the Best Western's pool and then unwound and watched the Cubs beat the White Sox on the big flat-screen TV. Really, is there any better way to spend an evening?

Then we got together and bonded over appetizers and I feel so much better about my niece's life. She's got plans for a new job, beginning in 2018. Instead of food service -- she's now a restaurant manager -- she'd like to try customer solutions at a restaurant supply company. Her plan is to try as many different aspects of the hospitality industry as she can before she settles into one job. As one who let my career just unfold, I'm impressed by her self-awareness and forethought.

Those shelves along the wall are all penny candy!

We spent the whole next day together in Holland, Michigan, where Mark grew up. A French bistro,  an Irish pub, lots of shopping in little stores, including one filled to the brim with old-school penny candies. Stops at a couple bookstores to indulge me -- even though I've promised myself not to buy books anymore for a while.

It was good to get away, it was good to spend time with them. Now I have Saturday and Sunday to spend, just chilling.