My Michigan!

As many of you know I had a once in a life time opportunity to go back to Michigan where I grew up and spent of week with extended family. I was really nervous to travel all by myself with not just one kid but two this time. The kids did great on the plane, it's a much shorter trip to Michigan than it is to Utah from where I live. I spent the evening with my Aunt Jill and Cousin Lindsey, then My mom and sister and brother in law flew in on the red eye flight, I thought they were crazy, but they didn't care. We then got to see the house I grew up in that my Grandpa built, on good old Sonora Drive ,in Fenton . I also got to see the huge apple tree I helped my dad plant as a kid, and all the other pine trees my Grandma had planned. Everything always seems so much bigger when your a kid. We then drove and look outside at the little Chapel my parents got married in, it was fun to see my mom reminisce. We then drove up to our summer vacation spot that I grew up going to every summer as a child. Frankfort, Beulah/Crystal Lake area. It's about a 3 hour drive from Fenton. It was so nice to be in the cooler weather compared to Alabama. We rented a cottage off of Lake Michigan. We all got a room for each family, it was really nice. It was really close to the beach and you could walk right into town and go shopping. We went straight to the beach to swim. Kate loved it, she liked it so much better then the ocean, it was just a little cooler without all the salt and scary things that live in the ocean. It was so beautiful I hope I captured some of the beauty this place posses with the pictures I took. I often think of this place when I am anxious or need to visualize a peaceful place. I love this place, it's a little piece of Heaven on earth. We then did a little shopping at the same little stores I shop at when I was little. That's the best part, no matter how long it's been since I've been back to this place, it stays the same. Each evening we would round up all the kids and walk down to the local ice cream shop. Kate discovered (thanks to her cousin Erin) Superman ice cream for the first time. I don't know but I think her shirt saw more of that Ice cream cone then her mouth, from then on every time we got ice cream she wanted Superman ice cream.

We then visited my Uncle Chris. He has his home right on Crystal Lake. Crystal Lake is the clearest lake you will ever see. You can literally see down all the way to the bottom no matter how deep it is. Crystal Lake as a child was the Lake we spent most of our time at. The site of the birch trees and the crystal blue water brought back so many good memories. We also went to Crystal Lake falls, which is a little water fall at one side of the Lake. Kate had so much fun finding rocks and throwing them into the falls. We built sand castles on the beaches and watch the sunset go down on Lake Michigan. I also got to swim in the big waves on the Alberta side of Lake Michigan with my sisters. That was my favorite thing to do as a kid, and still is. I'm glad I got to go with all my sisters one last time. Caleb did great at the beach as well, he mostly slept which that's pretty much what 3 months old do.

I got a chance to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Spafford Grave at the cemetery. It was really good to go. The last time I saw my Grandma was the last time I visited Up north/Frankfort. It was good for me to put a little bit of closer to things. I wasn't able to attend the funeral, so I was grateful to get to visit her grave to say my goodbyes at least for a little while. I'll see her again someday and for that I am very excited and can't wait. We saw the bird house we left my grandpa the last time we where there ,on the birch tree my mom and aunt planted. I had a feeling that grandma and grandpa where looking down on us and smiling, excited to see us all together.

Later on that day we went to my Uncle Chris's house and got to see all of my cousins and their children. It's been about 5 years since I've seen all of them. It was so good to see everyone again, boy how time flies and children grow up so quickly. We celebrated all the August/July Birthday's which there is a lot of them, with cupcakes. My Uncle Chris took us out on his boat and we went swimming on the sand bar in Crystal Lake. Kate was the first one to jump off the boat in her life jacket. I don't think she was ready for how much colder it was compared to the ocean where we live. She had a shocked look on her face. She wanted to get right back on the boat. She then decide it wasn't to bad and got back in a few more times.

We missed Jerry on this trip, but he had to stay home and work, he didn't have anytime off since we took it all when the Caleb was born. I was so glad I was able to go to Michigan and Up North. I thought I would never get the chance to see this beautiful place again. It was so nice to be able to share this place with my children. My kids may not remember it, but I'm glad they got to play where I played as child. This place holds a special place in my heart. If you ask me where I would love to go on a vacation I would say Up North Michigan every time. I love this place, it's so breathtaking. Words cannot express how beautiful and special this place really is, from the beautiful Birch Trees, to the Crystal Clear waters and the Light houses on the shores. As my Uncle Chris says it's "Almost Heaven". I want to thank my mom for making this happen for me. I wasn't planning on going because I had just had a baby, but I'm glad she was able to help me go on this trip. If it wasn't for her, I would have missed this chance to be with my sisters up north. As my mom puts it, it's a never go back moment. I may never get to be with all my sisters up there again, because of locations of where we live and families getting larger. Thank you so much Mom, I will never forget this trip, and the memories we were able to make. All in all I had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back again someday. If any of you out there reading this blog get a chance to go to Michigan, go north, it's beautiful.