Summer in the big city brings a lot of fun, but my favorite time to get out of town continues to be around Independence Day. Checking the Facebook neighborhood watch page to ascertain if those booms coming from Augusta and Western are gunshots or fireworks gets old pretty fast, so we planned a Pure Michigan trip for the week of July 4th.
After almost 12 (!) years on the near west side of Chicago, with kids and without (Oh, 10-cent wing night at Cleo's, how I miss you...) it's hard to picture another way of living. I'm not gonna lie, I really oughta just work for Trulia considering the amount of time I spend browsing it. Whether it's watching home prices around our "hot" neighborhood, dreaming about a future lake cottage, or checking out potential...dare I say it...suburbs, it's fair to say I'm sliding open my Trulia app on the daily. And there's always the pull of friends and family back home in West Michigan--
the kids seeing their cousins more,
maybe some free babysitting,
beers that cost less than $7 at a restaurant...
the list goes on.
Don't forget about those nights after the girls' bedtime, when I risk becoming a Mombie the next day because I relish my alone time a little too long with back to back to back episodes of House Hunters International and think, hey! Maybe we should just move somewhere entirely different. Sell our stuff, pack up only what's absolutely necessary and live on the cheap (yeah, right--turns out the Faroe Islands have a SUPER competitive rental market, guys). The pressure is on, because just like every other parent I know, we want the best life for our kids. We're constantly trying to figure out what is best for our family (kinda tough considering neither of us can predict the future) because we feel the years are slipping away faster than ever before. And schools! We have to consider school systems more than anything, all while still being mindful, grateful and living in the present moment, don't forget.
So, for now, we stay put. I still keep my eye on the real estate market, but I try and be involved in our neighborhood, park district, and our struggling Chicago Public School. I remind myself how fortunate we really are. I like what these guys have to say about Minimalism and learning to live with less. Less stuff, less space. More experiences, which feels easier in the city. And we visit Michigan when we are able. We hit up as many of our favorite people and places as we can and discover some new ones too. Then we come back home to our neighborhood and crush on it all over again, appreciative of the differences we noticed while away (thankfully we don't come across many Confederate flags here in the Windy City...unlike a few lakeside towns that shall not be named. Don't worry Saugatuck, you're obviously safe here). We love the places we can walk to, the endless cultural options, the food, the diversity, the attitude, the energy. We love Chicago, fireworks and all...because even my Facebook friends who live in Small Town, USA complain about their idiot neighbor blasting those
flippin' fireworks all week long.
Now for a whole lot of photographic evidence
of our awesome week in Michigan:
The new mini-golf course at
Captain Sundae in Holland
is genius.
We took the girls on the Harbor Duck ride
in Saugatuck. It was a blast!
Livin' that Dad Life
at Phil's in Saugatuck.
Me with my two besties.
Still hard for me to fathom that we girls made...
THESE GIRLS!
(Plus sweet baby Lincoln)
This rock at Douglas Beach has
withstood kids climbing on it for over a century.
At Silver Lake we
used Joel's parents' boat for tubing and
zipping across to the sand dunes.
Love the pure joy on her face.
Both Mila and Willow were fearless
on the tube!
Miss American Pie
So glad Joel took this picture--
We were singing
"You Are My Sunshine" to each other
at this moment. I'm surprised my heart didn't
burst right there on the spot.
We always enjoy the fish boil
(and the pie!)
(and the pie!)
at Cherry Point Farm in Shelby, MI.
It may look crazy,
but our yummy whitefish dinner is in that pot,
cooking to perfection.
Nice mug ya got there, Daddy.
The kids really liked playing by the channel
at Silver Lake State Park.
Shortly before this trip,
Mila discovered the band Kiss
on a Scooby Doo special.
She nearly wore our speakers out
(and Mom & Dad's patience)
listening to Kiss songs
as we rolled down the road.
Happy 4th of July!
The fireworks were shot off the top
of Sugarloaf, the tallest dune at Silver Lake.
In case you had any doubt...
Yes, she is our wild one.
Cap'n Daddy-O
No more swimmie diapers
means saggy bottoms.
But, YAY! Lolo is now fully potty trained.
Mila and Dad braved the
zip line at Craig's Cruisers.
We spent a day in Pentwater, MI.
What a cute little town!
Pentwater Rock City, LOL.
We really got some amazing pictures
this trip!
On our last full day at Silver Lake
the entire Vander Vliet clan
joined us for some fun in the sun.
Cousin pyramid!
Baby Sam stayed home,
but next year he'll be on top.
Thanks to family, friends and Michigan
for a wonderful week!
