Our Michigan Adventure

Since summer break for the kids is almost over, I guess I should do a bit of writing about what our family did during that time. We aren't one of those families that is blessed enough to go on yearly vacations. I wish we were, but that's just not how it is. Heck, we are lucky if we get a vacation every 5 years! Now that I think about it...we've only really had 1 true vacation as a family. That makes me sad. Anyway...Joey had some vacation time and we knew that we wanted to do something with the kids. But what?

We briefly considered going to Holiday World again. Holiday World is a wonderful theme park in Santa Claus, IN. Our family went there in 2008 and had a fantastic time! As much as we love the place though, I knew we were on a limited budget and I also knew that a lot of our time would be spent standing in lines. Pffbbtt!

The boys in Holiday world in 2008. So cute!!!

I'm always up for doing something new. There are so many wonderful places in this world and I want to see as many of them as I can before my time is up. Like I said though, money (like always) was an issue. And let's face it, there aren't a lot of amazingly fun things to do in Indiana. I knew we had to stay fairly close to home though because no one wants to spend the majority of their short vacation in a car.

Then I got to thinking about how I had never seen any of the Great Lakes. Which is a bit ridiculous since one of them touches the state that I have lived in my entire life!!! I knew Joey had been to Michigan before when he was a young boy, so I offered up the idea of going there. He was on board instantly and I was thrilled. Finally, the opportunity to mark another thing off my bucket list! Plus, I'd get to see a lighthouse or two! I have loved the simplistic beauty of lighthouses for years. Knowing that I was finally going to get the chance to view one and snap a photo or two (hundred) had me stoked!

We visited Holland, Grand Haven and Muskegon while we were in Michigan. Each place with their own lighthouse and wonderful beaches! Much to my disappointment, the lighthouse in Grand Haven was being renovated, so it's splendor was unable to be seen. However, that is my only complaint about our visit. The weather was beautiful, the lake was more amazing than I could have imagined and I was with my family. Truly a blessing that I will never forget! Joey and I remarked often how we could see ourselves living in Michigan and becoming beach bums. Ah...the beach! I just can't say enough times how much I love the sun, sand and surf. It feels like the place that I was meant to be. Plopped in the sand as the seagulls fly over and the water laps the shore. Mmm, that's my idea of heaven! Until winter comes and then I'm sure that Michigan would not be my favorite place anymore. I hate the cold.

We may not get to go on a lot of vacations, but when we do...we have fun! I really do hope we can make it back up to Michigan again sometime. There are a lot more lighthouses that I'd like to see and a lot more beaches that I need to lie on. If you have never been to Michigan, I highly recommend it.

Sunset on Lake Michigan

Another tradition that we seem to have started without planning to is how we always go on a mini excursion during our trips. These are usually at the spur of the moment and happen strictly because of our proximity to something we deem worthy of seeing. This time around, our side adventure led us to the University of Notre Dame! When we left Michigan, we drove through South Bend, IN and it would have been incredibly stupid to pass on by without stopping. Joey is a HUGE Notre Dame football fan, so this was really a no-brainer.

Hayden was a party-pooper and stayed in the car while we toured the campus. In hindsight, I should have made him come along. Oh well. Now we have another excuse to go back!

Sadly, we missed the stadium tour by 30 minutes. That was one of those, "Aw man," moments that takes the wind out of your sails. But, we cheered ourselves up with some retail therapy in the Notre Dame bookstore. The one thing I can say about that place is...wow. If you ever need anything Notre Dame, go there. I was excited to find a ND nutcracker to add to Hayden's collection...until I saw the price tag. For a mere $249, he could have had a great souvenir. Needless to say, he didn't get it. However, Joey and I did walk away with reasonably priced t-shirts for each of us.

Notre Dame does have a beautiful campus. I left there with a strong desire to watch the movie Rudy for the hundredth time. We will make it back sometime to see the inside of the stadium. Who knows, maybe we will get lucky and score some tickets to a game. Then Joey could mark that off of his bucket list!

Bottom right: The closest we got to the field...a barred tunnel and a telephoto lens.