Night Night

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Twisty twirly avenue

Here's what we're doing in Kalamazoo :)
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On the road again!

I can't believe how fast this all has gone by and how much we did in such a short time. We are leaving now (on time, thank you very much) and our ETA is probably about 10 PM. We'll keep ya posted :)
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I got up early just for you!

But I'm sure some of you have beat me here already this morning ;) Because of our surprise extended stay in Mackinac I was left without a charger for the Blackberry, so it ran out of juice yesterday morning before I could post anything. Anyway, we made it off the island without incident and were relieved that the rental car was still in the one-day parking area! We realized that if we didn't go directly to the sand dunes, we probably wouldn't get to go. So we made a bee line to Sleeping Bear National Park. Oh my did the girls love it! I couldn't believe how far they were able to climb! And I think Erin would have stayed and hiked and dud in the sand forever if she didn't need sleep! There are great pictures from there; I can't wait for you to see them.
Now begins the -blah- part of the trip. I have to reorganize and repack everything so we can drive this truck home. Dad would like to leave here by noon today, putting us home probably around 10. My guess is that we will just sleep in Dad's driveway, rather than trying to unpack the girls while they are asleep. The other alternative is to take the girls home tonight and then go back to Dad's in the morning to unpack all the stuff (the RV is due back by noon Friday) We'll just have to see how the drive goes and what is happening when we get home. I hope to upload some photos during our drive home but you might have to wait till tomorrow and see them in real life! I will, however, keep you posted on our travels and let you know our progress! See you soon :)
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And yet another adventure

It has been an AMAZING day on Mackinac Island. You would not believe the weather we had! We could not have ordered better. We got here about 9 am and took horse drawn tours all around the sites. We spent time in the butterfly conservatory and The Grand Hotel and Fort Making and eating. We finally got back to Main St. And were sweat shirt shopping when the sales clerk said, "Were you catching a ferry tonight?" When Dad answered yes, she said, "well that was the last one!" We had no idea how late it had gotten, and after checking with all three ferriers, sure enough we had missed our chance to get back to the mainland. Of all four of us adults, none of us checked to see what time the last ferry left, much less what time it was while were out shopping! When we realized our fate, it became abundantly clear that we had better start our search for a room; it is peak season here and real estate is prime. By this time it is about 9:45 and the parties are beginning. And here we are with our stroller and toddlers in tow wandering around looking for a room. I can only imagine what people were thinking! We found the first hotel and when Dad immediately came straight back out I knew it wasn't good. The same thing happened three more times and I started to wonder how warm those all-important hoodies we bought were going to keep us sleeping outside with the horses! Finally we stopped at the Chippewa, which by this time was a very happening' place. We stood across the street while Dad inquired. After several painstaking minutes, Dad emerged. A room! But wait, not just any room. The clerk was able to check the whole island's room availability and confirm there was one room left - The Honeymoom Suite at the Chippewa. After hearing our patheticness they gave Dad the room for half- price (and let me tell you, that was enough.) So here we are, the six of us. Together in the honeymoon suite. On Mackinac Island. Unbelievable!
Blackerry's dying, so I will have to post pics tomorrow. Good thing I like these people!
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WHOA I am COOL!

It is way too late for this but I just figured out how to make my blackberry a wireless modem. So now I don't have to go to coffee shops - I am in the rental van in Penny's backyard on the internet!! And I can help Pam go to school and post a few more pictures before I go to bed. So here are a few more from Lake Michigan!

battery dying . . .must go to sleep . . .more coming soon!!!

Kinda vacation, kinda not

I am loading a ton of pictures right this very minute but I don't think they are going to be done by the time this coffee shop closes in just 13 minutes!! I wanted to get the pictures off the real camera so that you could see more, but we just couldn't get here any earlier.

Today, Pam, Dad and I went to Dad's cousin's funeral while Mark and the girls hung out at Penny's and the motor home. Penny's daughter Kathy died the day before we we left. She was 54 and had multiple sclerosis for the last 30+ years. When my Dad's mom died, he was 13 years old and he went to live with Penny through high school, and Kathy became one of his siblings during this time. So it was really good that we were here. Anyway, this morning didn't feel like much of a vacation but it was really good that we were part of it all. I did keep worrying that the girls were being let down by their vacation so far but they were totally fine, of course!!

This evening, we went back to the Bay and actually spent time there playing on the shore in the sand. The girls loved it and it definitely felt like vacation then! It was a beautiful day today - all sunshine. Tomorrow we are heading out to Mackinac Island. It is about 100 miles from Traverse City (we have rented a mini-van) so we are trying to get an early start so we can catch an early ferry across Lake Michigan. We'll spend the whole day on the island, including a horse drawn carraige tour, butterfly house and other sites to see. I will post as often as possible!!

Gwen Frostic pics

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More dessert

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What we did yesterday

You should all be very proud of us because the first thing we did was get all SIX of us ready in a mobile home and attended the EARLY service at Penny's church. This means 8:30! None of us gave a thought at all to going to church while we were here, but it was clearly very important to Penny. And when something is important to Penny you do it!
Then we went to the thriving metropolis of Thompsonville, population 256. This is where Dad was born and lived until he was 13. I took those pictures with the camera so I will make that part of the story another post - it turned out to be a very interesting visit back at the farm!
Next we went to Gwen Frostic's. She was a famous artist and poet who focused on block prints of local nature (sound like someone we know??) Google her to see her work - I just love it. Pam and I have such good memories of going there as kids. Most of what you buy there is stationery and poetry books, but there is also a library and study room along with a giant room of all the printing presses in the basement. So we shopped while Mark studied. I love that place!
Late lunch was at a local tradition called The Cherry Hut. Traverse City is the cherry capitol of the world, you see, and all of northern MI is famous for cherries this time of year. The Cherry Hut has been around since 1922 and has all things cherry on the menu. Mark and I even had cherry burgers! They ground up cherries in the beef, making it 65 percent less fat. They were really yummy. But of course what you really want there is dessert. Dad and Mark went traditional with cherry pie a la mode, although they both ate it before I could get a pic! Jill shared Daddy's pie, Erin had cherry ice cream, Pam had a cherry soda and I had a cherry hot fudge brownie. A cherry good time was had by all!
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Day One

Today was a day with family - most we don't know well but all we needed to visit with. Erin and Jillian were awfully patient with getting 'their' vacation started. So this evening we drove a few minutes to Traverse Bay - one of my favorite spots. The girls are excited to go back and play a bit in the sand. Not sure what is up for tomorrow - depending on weather and other family it may include Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes! Time for shower and bed for now :)
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We made it!

So Grandpa Len is stubborn as a you-know-what and we drove until 5 AM. Yes, you read that correctly (both parts). We stopped 30 minutes from Penny's because it seemed wrong to show up on her doorstep before the sun was up. We convinced Dad to he DID need to sleep at least a little, so we stopped at a roadside park for two hours. This pic is around 7 AM when the girls woke up and we were seeing how far we had driven. When we finally pulled up the hill Penny and Chuck and daughter Denise were standing outside jumping up and down! They could see us coming from the kitchen window. Their house and land is so beautiful; pics from this phone would not do it justice. I will take a bunch more with the for real-real-real camera and post more later today!
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IMG00008.jpg

It's 11:22 PM and we are traveling I-69 N through IN. This photo is a bit blurry because this motor home could sure use some new shocks! But the girls obviously don't mind and we are all doing well. As surprising as it might be we got a slightly later start than we had intended but we are still going to try to make it to the MI border before we stop. We just have to see how long Dad stays bright eyed and bushy tailed. More tomorrow!
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Somewhere in IN getting ready for bed! Lots of pics to post already - should be able to do more in the AM. All is well!

Packing . . .and packing . . .and packing . . .

So just to catch up everyone who doesn't yet know . . .(uh, Valerie, Aunt Julie)
Dad/Grandpa Len has rented a motor home so that he, Mark, Erin Jillian and I can take a week long vacation to northern Michigan. We will be parking it at his sister Penny's house in Traverse City while we see the sites, which will include Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Crystal Lake, a day at Mackinac Island and I am not sure what else. We will leave Friday afternoon and return next Friday. We have found a route that, if driven straight, would take about 8 1/2 hours. And in theory, getting the motor home will allow us to drive straight through (no potty stops, eat on the road, etc.) However, a motor home gets (hold on to your environmental hats . . .) 7 miles to the gallon. Yes, that's SEVEN. So it will remain to be seen how many times we have to stop for gas on the way! Regardless it is agreed that we are up for an adventure and we are all totally excited. We can really use a stay-in-the-moment kind of vacation.

I have never taken a 3 1/2 and 5 year old on a week-long vacation. I tend to pack for a lot of 'just in case' situations anyway, even when it's just for a trip to the pool. So I am trying to be reasonable but not miss anything! It is hard to predict weather and boredom levels, and we also have to provide all bedding and kitchen provisions for the motor home. I have lists all over the house - probably not the most efficient way to use lists, but it's working so far. It's not like we're going to a deserted island . . .if we've forgotten something I'm pretty sure we can get our hands on it pretty quickly! I just want the girls to have fun.

I just figured out how to post to the blog from my new phone, including pictures! So we could be out wherever and I can post what we are doing without a computer! Like our own little reality show - Stay tuned!

Just for You Grandpa!

(oh, and you Mimi . . .and Nana too)

(and Kev, and Brian)

(and whoever else is interested)

I figured since we will be gone for an entire week, you will be needing constant updates on our whereabouts and goings on. TOO BAD!! :)

Instead, I will do my very best to post here at least daily while we are gone and let you know what we have been up to. No promises except to do my best!


Until then, I will post some pics from the St. Agnes Carnival. We went with Mark's friends from grade school, whose girls were completely excited about the ferris wheel. Erin and Jillian had never been on a ferris wheel before but I knew for sure they would both just love it. I think you know where this is going.

While we were in line, Erin begged me not to make her get on. She wasn't actually crying or pulling away. Just very very nervous. I truly believed she would love it, and I hated for her to miss out on something just because she was a little nervous. So I told her that if she really hated it she could close her eyes while we were on it, that Mommy would never put her on anything that would hurt her, that I really thought she would love it, etc. etc. etc.

Meanwhile, Mark and Jillian were in line in front of us. (Important side note: Jillian is the girl who cannot go high enough on the swings, who always wants to be upside down, spinning, or some other relatively risk-taking activity. She even used to hang upside down to drink a bottle.)


At the top of the first time around, Erin said, " I LOVE IT!!! I feel like I'm f - l - y - i - n - g!!"

Satisified, I looked back to take Mark and Jillian's picture.




Leave it to Jillian to throw me for a loop AGAIN. Cried the entire time. My poor baby.