Michigan Love

Last month we took a great weekend trip to Michigan. It was so hard to jump back into our normal routine around here after such a blissful 5 days together.
All the pieces for a wonderful family get-away just fell into place, (I love when that happens!) with the kids being out of school 4 days and Jason being able to get away from work without too much trouble. So we headed to Lake Michigan with a stop in Chicago. Where we squeezed in an afternoon at the Shed Aquarium. The kids loved seeing all of the fish and I loved staring at their faces, as they soaked it all in.


We had been wanting to explore the Northwest Lakeshore for some time, and boy are we glad we did. It was beautiful. For us it was an ideal getaway spot. The trees, the water, the sand, the dunes, the warm air. It was really, really perfect! We hiked the Sleeping Bear Dunes which seemed to go on forever. As soon as I thought we were at the top, yet another plateau of sand came into view. Going up was hard, but running back down made it worth it.
This lighthouse was a great car stop. We stretched our legs, threw rocks in the lake and were so glad to finally be in Michigan.
The kids loved playing on the beach most of all. We flew kites, buried Tanner, dared each other to take dips in the icy water and sat here to watch the sunsets each night.
Jason and I love when our family trips involve nature and getting the kids to recognize and appreciate its beauty. It seems like in those quiet moments when we achieve our goal, that is when our best memories are made.
This hike was a personal highlight of the trip. The leaves were so bright that the air was glowing. Someone left great hiking sticks at the trailhead for us and we pretended to be real hikers as we treked through the woods. So we scouted out some great sticks of our own and left then behind for the next group to come along.
This was a much needed and much appreciated trip for our family. We LOVE Michigan and can not wait to go back. I definitely see a family tradition in the making.