Visit Michigan
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Houghton, Michigan
For as long as I can remember, Sean and I have been wanting to visit the city of Houghton. The lure is that it’s very, very far north. The lure, however, is also the reason we haven’t followed through with our plans to visit, because, well, it’s very, very far north. Last week, as we began to look at our schedule for the rest of the year we realized that if we wanted to make it to Houghton we would have to just GO! So, we did. Spontaneous trips aren’t always the easiest. The house was a mess, I packed poorly and the van was still dirty from our last…
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Anderson + Girls Orchard
When things get hard around here, we leave the house. It’s a simple solution to any problem we might be having. The fresh air and change of scenery are always good for both mama and kid. And so it happened that a few weeks ago we found ourselves at Anderson + Girls Orchard to shake the stink off our spirits. We had never been here before even though it is so close to our home. We loved watching the animals (from a distance) and we especially loved their little ice cream shop, too! It was the perfect ending to a not-so perfect day. If you’ve never been here, it’s a…
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Silver Lake Sand Dunes
The sand piled high on top of itself, stretching thin along the small shoreline and then righteously lofting itself into the billowed clouds. The air and the wind could not agree if it was summer or autumn. And neither, it seemed, was willing to let go of control just yet. What choice does September have except to sit on the curb and wait for the battle to end? It was mid-afternoon by now and the three of us were ready for our adventure to begin. For days, Sean and I have felt the wanderlust boiling within us. With the changing of the season our conversations had turned a corner, too.…
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Crystal Mountain Spa, Girls Weekend
We left our homes on Friday afternoon and drove north. It was Tracy’s bachelorette party and we were all ready to celebrate. We were also all ready for the cleanse that a girls weekend brings to our lives. For months we had researched spas in Northern Michiagn and eventually, we landed on Crystal Mountain. This was honestly the bachelortte party of ALL of our dreams. I won’t post many details in this space… some memories are better left for the brain and not the internet. But I will say this, it was good to get away. It was good to share old memories and make new ones, too. It was…
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Fredrick Meijer Garden 2017
The morning was spent in the thick of trees whose names we did not know. Overhead, sun spilled in the greenhouse feeding our bodies and the plants around us. It was one week before the butterfly exhibit was due to open at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, but already butterflies waltzed between us and the exotic plants, their wings revolving in a rhythmic harmony we could not turn our eyes from. Momentarily, Sean held June, balancing her chubby arm still in front of her body like the branch of a great tree, wishing that a butterfly might land there. But quickly, she grew annoyed– she was no tree. Squirming, she begged with…