A month or so ago, one of my coworkers mentioned that when
his children were little, they’d drive to Michigan every fall to see the
beautiful fall colors and enjoy fall activities. It sounded like so much fun, I mentioned it
to A and suggested we go. As is usually
the case, I started having second thoughts after bringing it up. We’re still paying off IVF bills and we have
a wedding coming up that will require a hotel stay. Not to mention the holidays, which are just
around the corner and always expensive.
We really didn’t need any added expenses at this time. When I mentioned my hesitation to A, he said
he really liked the thought of escaping for a weekend and thought we should
go. As soon as he said it, that was the
push I needed and I was on board. One
weekend excursion wasn’t going to break the bank and leaving town for the
weekend sounded perfect.
We both worked a half day on Friday and then started our
drive to Michigan. Chicago traffic was
bad and we ended up stopping for a late lunch in Indiana. We made it to Michigan around 5pm and the
boys were really great for the 3 hour ride.
Once we settled in, we started thinking about dinner options. There was a nice restaurant next door and I
really wanted a good (i.e. not fast food) dinner. We thought about going to the restaurant, but
after being in the car for awhile, I suspected the boys wouldn’t want to sit
quietly at a restaurant. We ended up
ordering food from the restaurant and it was really yummy. I had squash soup and pasta. So good.
The hotel wasn’t anything special, but we got a family suite,
which had a separate kids’ room with a bunk bed. This was perfect since W and S often don’t
wake up at the same time. W slept in the extra room while S slept in the main area with A and I. And the boys
loved climbing the ladder and playing on the bunk bed (though neither wanted to
sleep on top).
Saturday morning, after visiting the world’s slowest
McDonald's (20 minutes for a Coke), we headed to a nearby orchard. The boys enjoyed the play area and tractors
for awhile. Then, it was time for a hay
ride and apple picking. It was a bit of
a rough start - not many apples left to
be picked and S was a little cranky. But
we soon found ladders and those were a game changer. J The boys loved climbing the ladders and we
were able to find a bunch of apples. I
discovered a love for Candy Crisp apples – who knew these were a thing?!? The town the orchard was in was really cute
and offered wineries and wine tasting along with little chocolate and donut
shops.
After lunch at a nearby tavern, we stopped for chocolate
truffles. From there, we headed to
Lighthouse Point. We walked the pier
towards the lighthouse. I was so scared
of losing one of the boys to Lake Michigan and if it wasn’t for A, I would not
have done it. Luckily, we all
survived. And after that, we sat on the
beach. The weather was amazing and the
boys enjoyed running along the shore barefoot and climbing the sand dunes. It was perfection.
We eventually
found the famous carousel and went for a ride.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel and order pizza. Such a great day!!
Sunday morning, after church in the little town (where the
priest admitted to being a fan of DJT during the homily… what the hell??) and a quick stop at
Starbucks, we sadly headed home.
I’m so thankful for our little weekend away. We had such a great time and I absolutely
love visiting new places and experiencing them with the boys. Indiana and Michigan marked the fifth and
sixth states the boys have spent time in this year, which is very cool. It’s really important to A and I that they
experience different places, people, and cultures. I can’t wait to travel internationally with
them, but for now, we’re enjoying exploring states.
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