The Saturday 7

1. We had a low-key father's day. Justin got breakfast in bed as per tradition. We went to church, out for lunch in an actual restaurant (!), then Justin and the kids went to a nearby lake with his dad while I spent a solid hour doing dishes. Yay! The dishwasher situation is more dismal than expected. There's something fishy with the electrical, so it's not a cut and dried "take one out, put another one in" deal. Of course. Oy. But look at these cuties trying to figure it out:

2. As I've probably mentioned, Justin and I are celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss this year. We don't have the money for a big trip, and then Covid made us doubt we'd be able to do anything at all, but Luke and Esther went on vacation (with Ruby) this week so I had the week off, and decided to carpe diem. (Even though our actual anniversary isn't until the end of July.) Justin was able to get the week off at the last minute, and my mom graciously agreed to watch our kids. I started scoping out Airbnb, trying to find something on the water so Justin could fish, but not too rustic for my delicate sensibilities. We finally decided on Ludington - which was also about the perfect distance for me. I am really not a fan of road trips - especially when we're hauling the fishing boat. Now that our kids are getting older, we figured we could leave them a little bit longer than we have before - 3 whole nights. I honestly don't think I've ever been away from them for that long. Bad mom alert: I wasn't even worried. Worse mom alert: I didn't really even miss them. Lol. Maybe I shouldn't admit that, but c'mon - it was 4 days. I haven't been away from them for more than 3 days in ten years. It was time. Maybe by our 20th anniversary, I'll be able to get away for a whole week! *gasp*

3. Lena was nervous about being away from me for so long, but I knew she was secretly excited.

She ended up doing really well. The first night, she was texting me a lot, saying she couldn't sleep and missed me so much. But after that, I hardly even heard from her! Again, living with my parents for six years really did wonders for making my kids comfortable with their grandparents! It also helps that Grandma does fun stuff with them. She got them Subway, ice cream, slushies, took them to the pool, the park, and Deer Tracks Junction! 

Thanks for taking pictures, Lib!

4. We left Wednesday afternoon and made it to our Airbnb by 3. It was very nice - more of a motel than someone's cottage, which kind of feels more secure. We didn't have a kitchen, but I sure wasn't planning on cooking! We had a fridge, microwave, and coffee pot - what more does anyone need on vacation?? 

The best part is that it was right across the street from Lake Michigan. We couldn't see the lake from our window, but I could walk there in less than 3 minutes. I always forget how awesome Lake Michigan is. It's like the ocean, but so much better - no salt, no sharks, no worries!

We walked this half mile (one way) pier every day to burn off a fraction of the calories we were consuming. Haha. 

That first night we drove around scoping out boat ramp locations so Justin could fish. (He fished an inland lake, not the big lake.) As we drove, we noticed this storm rolling in over the water. I was fascinated by the clouds. 

It was just a short shower, so we headed back down to the beach to watch the sunset afterward, and saw this rainbow behind us!

5. The rest of our week consisted of Justin fishing, me reading on the beach or by the pool or in bed (while watching HGTV), a little bit of shopping (and very little buying - go us!), lots of eating (and asking "what do you want to eat?" "I don't know. What do you want to eat?"), and lots of relaxing. It was glorious.

I didn't really wear my mask to the beach, but the majority of businesses downtown were very strict about mask-wearing. Way more strict than in our area. 

I read 3 books in 4 days. #slacking #shouldhavebeenfour

That first night while we were scoping out boat ramps, we happened to be at the marina right as this huge car ferry pulled in. 

The next night we saw it again as we walked the pier. 

Holding the sun in my hand.

Reading in bed while watching HGTV

Blueberry beer

Ginormous cinnamon roll!

Some of Justin's catches:

6. One day it was too windy for me at the beach, so I sat by the pool. A few minutes after I got settled, 4 college girls came in and sat just a couple chairs down from me. It was prime eavesdropping and so fascinating. Their conversation started with rehashing a recent break-up and a story about how another girl's boyfriend came out/broke up with her at the same time. Then they moved on to another girl's search for a nanny job. She had applied for a job in Colorado ("the parents are travelers and want me to come with them when they go to London in the fall!"), and got an email while they were sitting there that the couple was interested in her and wanted to do a skype interview! 

I'll be honest that I felt a twinge of sadness sitting there listening to these young, beautiful girls who have their whole lives ahead of them. Do you ever wish life was a "choose-your-own-adventure?" Maybe some people read those books by making one choice and being happy with that, but I always started over and read it again, choosing differently to see how it ended up. I love my life. I love that Justin was my first date, my high school sweetheart. I love that we married young and had kids young. But sometimes I'd like to flip back the pages and try another adventure. Finish college. Experience dating outside of high school. Try out "the real world" or a career. I still want to end up with the same man and the same kids, but in a different fashion. Just to see what it would be like. 

As I sat there, I realized I was sandwiched on the side of the pool between these 20-something girls to my left, and a couple in their 70s to my right. Math has never been my strong suit, so I legitimately had to think, "which one of these groups am I closer to in age? Am I really that far removed from college?" 35 is creeping up on me and I feel like I may be having a pre-mature mid-life crisis (or maybe I'll only live to 70 🤷). Haha.

7. Just a couple more pictures . . .

"Woodchips" is a hard word.

It's good to be home!