Hello Summer!

It's almost 4th of July and I'm getting a few days to recover after a crazy week at work and taking a vacation last week.  Yes, you heard that correctly, I actually got to take a vacation with my family this year after foregoing last year's trip due to having to work!  

This year we took advantage of having Juneteenth off at both of our jobs and took a road trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last week.  Declan had hockey camp on Juneteenth but as soon as camp dismissed we got on the road for the long drive.

We decided to split the long drive up into a few days and the boys were excited to get to stay in a hotel (only their second time ever staying in a hotel) so we drove to Indianapolis the first night.  Since we got off to a later start, it was about 9 pm ET when we arrived, but they enjoyed exploring the room and called it one of the fanciest places they had ever stayed.  For the record, it was a Springhill Suites that had a mini living room with a desk and two beds and a breakfast buffet in the morning.  I love how excited they are by the little things!  We got up fairly early Saturday morning to make the drive to Lansing to pick up GG and bring her with us to the cabin.  GG planned on staying with us a few nights to see the boys and then D's dad planned on bringing her back home before we finished our stay.  We got to GG's around lunchtime and the boys were in heaven.  We grabbed lunch at Mancino's and then got back on the road.  They talked nonstop the remaining 4.5 hours of our trip up north.

We arrived at the cabin around 5:30 pm and D's dad and step-mom had burgers and hot dogs waiting for us.  We unpacked the car and just took it easy the rest of the night, enjoying the bonfire and UP air.  On Sunday, the boys decided to go rock hunting on the small beach in front of the cabin.  The water was still quite chilly but neither boy cared and at one point, even though we didn't pack swimsuits or water shoes, both boys were nearly completely in the water. D and I made a trip to Meijer to pickup crocs and water shoes (no swimsuits though!), so the boys could enjoy their rock hunting in the bay.  Later in the day we took the boys to see the Point Iroquois Lighthouse and the beach along Lake Superior.  We also took D's dad out for Father's Day dinner at the Back Bay Grill at the casino.  The boys were shocked they could get into a casino but we thoroughly explained to them they could not to touch a slot machine as we made our way back to to the restaurant.   

Monday we got up and the boys were back to looking for rocks.  That afternoon D's dad planned on taking GG back home so we soaked up some time with them before they left.  In the afternoon, we reserved tickets to go on a Soo Locks boat tour.  Declan had been on a boat tour on our last trip to the UP back in 2021, but didn't remember it and Connor who wasn't born yet, was just excited to get to go on a boat.  We headed into the Soo around 1:30 pm to watch freighters go through the locks, check out some of the shops and then take our Soo Locks boat cruise at 3 pm.  The boat tour was awesome!  We took a different one in 2021 but this one we got to go through the Soo Locks on the US side going upbound and then go through the Canadian Locks going downbound.  The tour was informative and fun and I'd definitely go on that tour the next time we visit the UP.  After the boat tour, the boys wanted to play mini golf so that's where we headed.  Of course, with two active boys, someone had to get hurt and like most of the time, it was Connor.  He hit his lip on the end of Declan's putter and cut right above his lip opened.  Thankfully he was fine, but I'm sure he's going to have a scar because I didn't have a first aid kit to take care of it until we got back to the cabin a few hours later and even then because of the placement, it was hard to put antibiotic cream and a band-aid on it.  We had ice cream at Zak & Mac's after mini golf and that seemed to help Connor feel better.

Tuesday, with it being on the 4 of us at the cabin, we got up early to start our day.  We drove to the Pendills Fish Hatchery first and learned about what the hatchery and Department of Natural Resources does to keep the Great Lakes filled with different kinds of fish.  Afterwards, we continued our drive up to Whitefish Point to go to the Shipwreck Museum.  We went to the Shipwreck Museum in 2021 also and it was very educational and since both of my boys love learning about shipwrecks, they enjoyed the displays and short film about the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. We also got to see the lighthouse at Whitefish Point and also go out to the beach and search for more rocks.  It was nearly lunchtime then so we decided to continue our journey and head towards Tahquamenon Falls and grab lunch at the brewery at the Upper Falls.  The boys enjoyed a lemonade while D had a brew but they did have to "cheers" for a great day.  After lunch we walked to see the upper falls and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery.  I'm always in awe at the Falls.  It's a natural wonder and it's just so picturesque.  After taking in the falls, we headed back to the cabin.  It had been a long and adventurous day and we were all worn out.

Wednesday we all got up early again and decided to make this our day to visit Canada.  The boys both got their passport last fall and were itching to be able to go somewhere and use it.  When we were on the Soo Locks boat tour on Monday, we saw the Bush Plane Museum from the tour.  We decided that would be one place we had to check out during our time in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  We crossed the border around 9 am and headed to the museum.  This was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to and was well worth the price of admission!  They had all sorts of bush planes (and others!) in the hangar and the displays of information were fantastic.  I learned so much about the history of the planes as well as how the planes fight wildfires throughout Canada and what it takes to become a bush plane pilot.  It's funny because we've always seen the museum from Sault Michigan but never thought about visiting it before, but this time, I'm so glad we did!

After the Bush Plane Museum, D wanted to take the boys to look for hockey equipment.  He thought we would find a deal on equipment for the boys so we headed to Northern Exposure Sports. We ended up finding Connor a curved stick for fall hockey and Declan got new elbow pad and shin guards.  The store also had a shooting room where you could test out sticks and shoot pucks into a net.  My hockey obsessed boys were in heaven!  A few hundred bucks later, we were done buying hockey gear and were hungry for lunch.  The boys wanted to see what McDonald's in Canada was like so after convincing D it was ok to have McDonald's and stop hunting for a restaurant found only in Canada, we pulled into the closest McDonald's for lunch.  Connor opted for a grilled cheese Happy Meal and Declan got a snack wrap Happy Meal - neither being found here in McDonald's here in the states (or at least not here in Missouri). I got a McChicken with chili sauce (also not found here in the states) and D settled for what he always gets, a ranch snack wrap meal.  All in all, it hit the spot for lunch.  Before heading back to the states, we decided to stop into a Walmart Supercentre to look around and see if they had we should bring back with us. We ended up with a few hockey pucks for skills, a stickhandling trainer and Declan got a shirt that said Canada on it.  I asked Connor if he wanted one too and his response was, "no, then people will think I'm from Canada.  I'm from the United States."  Typical of Connor but I had to laugh. We made it back across the border in the late afternoon and decided to check out the Valley Camp freight museum in the Soo and see a freighter pass Rotary Park.

While we had hoped to stay at the cabin a bit longer, D made some trip adjustments and wanted to spend time visiting his family before we had to get back to St. Louis, so we packed up Thursday and drove down to see D's dad and step-mom for a few hours before spending the night at GG's house in Lansing.  When we got to GG's, D's sister also stopped in so the boys could hang out with their cousins for a bit.  It's not very often they get to play together so it was good to see them.

Friday we drove to see D's mom and step-dad in Grand Rapids for lunch before starting our trek back home.  We planned on having a delayed Father's Day celebration with my dad on Saturday so we opted to stay in a hotel Friday night in Champaign, IL.  Another hotel for the boys but it wasn't as nice as the Springhill on our way up, but they enjoyed watching re-runs of Saved by the Bell that evening and eating our leftover pizza from the night before.

We left Champaign around 10 am on Saturday morning so we could be to my brother's house in time for our get-together.  Along the way, we decided to stop in Effingham, IL and visit the Cross at the Crossroads.  I've seen the 198 foot cross on many drives at I-70 and I-57 highway intersections and it was neat to get to finally stop in.  The volunteers at the Visitor Center were so welcoming and we enjoyed the detour.  We got to my brother's house right on time and we had fun seeing the family and celebrating my dad.

It was a fun and busy week.  We packed a lot into our time off but I'm hoping we made memories that my boys will remember.

Here is a photo dump of our fun:

UP Vacation 2021

 In early July, we were fortunate enough to finally get to take a family vacation.  Last year, we took time off but stayed home due to the pandemic.  This year, we wanted to do something but knowing we're still in the midst of a pandemic, we decided to still have a low key vacation but spend it at D's family cabin in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.  This also allowed for us to visit with D's family who we hadn't seen in over a year in a half.  So the first week of July, we headed out on our road trip.  From our house, the cabin is 12-13 hours away.  We knew with Declan we wouldn't be able to make it that far in the car in one day, so we decided to drive 8 hours to D's grandparents' house in Lansing and spend the night with them and then finish our trip up north on day two.  It gave us time to visit with D's grandparents too.

We started out early on a Friday morning and Declan did great in the car.  He was so excited to go to Michigan and see everyone.  We only had to make a few potty stops and a stop for lunch and we made it to Lansing just in time for dinner.  Saturday morning he woke up at the crack of dawn and wanted to go to the cabin, so we set out fairly early again after breakfast for our remaining 5 hour drive.  We got to the cabin early afternoon and Declan got to see his PaPa Tom and Grandma Kristin as they were going to be at the cabin a few days also.  Declan was so excited to see the cabin and the bay and just be out in nature.

When we planned this trip, because we hadn't seen D's family in so long, we made it a point to try to see everyone and planned to have D's dad at the cabin for a few days, then D's sister and her family and then travel to see D's mom and her side of the family.  Logistically, this was the best plan for us as we can't get to Michigan very often due to our work schedules, the time it takes to drive there and this year, saving some vacation time for maternity/paternity this year.

On the drive to the cabin after we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, we decided to stop at Castle Rock and climb the 200 steps to the top to see over the Upper Peninsula.  It was breathtaking and Declan didn't want to leave, but we wanted to get to the cabin.  We had a low-key Saturday once we got to the cabin.  After two days of a lot of driving, we stayed in and unpacked and just relaxed.  Sunday was Fourth of July and the town put on a parade, so we decided to take Declan to that.  He loved watching the cars, fire trucks, and people and had a blast picking up candy that the people on the floats handed out.  After the parade, we headed back to the cabin where D's dad had the boat ready to take D and Declan to "the Point" to rock hunt.  Rocks are another one of Declan's favorite things, so he was in heaven finding rocks in the bay and getting to bring them back in his bucket.  Afterwards we had dinner and sat by the bonfire, but it still had been a long few days for us and with Declan trying to forgo naps to enjoy all of his cabin time, we went to bed early and missed the fireworks for the Fourth.

On Monday, we decided to take a trip into Sault Ste Marie.  D has always loved going to the Soo Locks and wanted to share his love of freighters and the Locks with Declan.  We parked and walked around and got to see a few freighters by the Locks.  Apparently there was an electrical issue that needed to be fixed before any of the freighters could go through, so there was a line of freighters docked waiting for the issue to be resolved.  We knew we had a few more days to visit the Sault, so we decided to head to Meijer.  If you know my husband at all, you know no trip to Michigan is complete without stopping into Meijer at least once (and probably a few more times after that).  Meijer is one of his favorite stores -- the aisles are so big; they have the best products; it's so clean -- are a few of his compliments, so we went into the Meijer in the Soo and picked up nearly everything he needed and/or wanted.  Afterwards, we headed back to have dinner with D's dad and step-mom at the Cozy Inn before they left to head back home.

Tuesday we headed went to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse, checked out Lake Superior up close and went back to the Sault to visit the Soo Locks again and walk down Portage Ave.  We stopped into the many shops along Portage Ave to look for souvenirs and find Declan a toy freighter.  We had lunch at Karl's Cuisine and watched freighters from their rooftop.  D's sister was making the trip up to the cabin that evening so we headed back to the cabin to get ready for her family's arrival.

Wednesday, Declan woke up to his cousins being at the cabin and he had so much fun seeing them and playing with them.  We also decided that we'd take a Soo Locks boat tour that afternoon after nixing our idea to go to Mackinac Island due to the poor weather that was expected there.  We all got ready and decided before the Soo Locks Boat Tour, we'd have lunch together at The Wicked Sister.  The kids all sat together and it was like they had been best friends for years, coloring on their placemats and just talking up a storm.  We went on the Soo Locks boat tour afterwards and later in the evening went to Pickle's for dinner and more playtime at the cabin.

Thursday was our day to leave the cabin as we had to head to see D's grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin on his Mom's side of the family.  It was another early day as we had to make another 4 hour drive to the Lake Michigan side of northern Michigan.  We got there around lunchtime and visited with everyone for a few hours before heading back to D's other grandparents house in Lansing that evening.  By staying in Lansing, it allowed for us to visit with D's grandparents again and see D's mom.

In Lansing on Friday, D got to visit his other favorite store, Horrock's Farmer Market and we met D's mom there.  After an hour of browsing and catching up with a few people D used to work with there, we went to lunch and headed back so Declan could take a much needed nap.  I worked for a few hours on my computer to get caught up while he slept and D went to visit with one of his best friends from growing up.

Saturday we made our way back home to Missouri.  While we wanted to stay longer, we knew we needed a day to recover before heading back to work on Monday.  The drive home was similar to the drive up.  We stopped a few times for potty breaks and lunch and got home around 6 pm.  It was a great week visiting with everyone and getting some time away but I was definitely ready to be back in my own bed and at my own house.  We're hoping to see everyone again at Christmas given that there are no other crazy surges with the pandemic.

Here is the photo dump from our trip: