Fourth of July weekend was spent in Michigan this year! We weren't really planning on going anywhere until a month or so before, when Jeremy told me the plant was shutting down and he would have Friday, Monday, AND Tuesday off! I thought we better take advantage of that! We really wanted to go to the beach, but knew that the Florida panhandle and North/South Carolina would be way crowded that weekend, not to mention we didn't want to drive quite that far (10+ hours), and it would be SO hot. So then we started exploring options north and thought it would be fun to try out Michigan! We'd both only been to Detroit, which is not too exciting, and we'd heard great things about the lakes in Michigan. I started looking for places to stay and by some miracle I found an awesome place! Most places were already booked for that week, so it was really lucky. My parents didn't have any plans that weekend either, so we were able to find a cute little cottage right on a small lake that had a little guest house as well. Perfect! It was only about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan as well, so we were able to see that too.
The weather while we were there was really perfect. It was in the 70s/low 80s the whole time and cooled down beautifully at night, which was great since there was no A/C. We were able to have the windows open day and night and enjoy the light breeze and serene setting. It ended up being nearly 8 hours to get there, so it was a bit of a trek, but it was really fun to go somewhere we'd never been and somewhere away from the holiday crowds (I promise we don't hate people, but I prefer nature to hoards of tourists).
Bear Lake is a small little town and we rarely saw anyone else the whole weekend. The street the cottage was on was quiet and the whole weekend just felt so peaceful. I was still dealing with morning sickness so it was nice just to be so relaxed and calm. We got there late Friday afternoon and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. The owners of the place had two kayaks they let us use and that was so fun! We spent a lot of time on those and the boys especially loved them. We were worried about the water being freezing, but Bear Lake was actually really comfortable. It was really shallow for a long way out, which was great for the kids playing.
The cottage itself was so cute! I was nervous since pictures can be deceiving, but everything was so clean and decorated so cute. It was really small, but perfect for what we needed. There were two bedrooms in the cottage - one just big enough for a queen bed where Jeremy and I slept, and then another with two queen beds where the kids all slept (Grace in a portacrib). That was a little problematic at times since at that point Grace wasn't used to having so many fun people sleep around her, but we were able to work it out...eventually. Then it had a cute little kitchen and a family room with a couch and love seat. There was a grill outside too which we used every night but one, and a porch outside facing the lake. It was perfect!
The kids couldn't wait to jump in the lake when we got there!
Saturday morning - major swoon.
I loved the quiet mornings and the glassy water.
Saturday we drove to a little lookout and then drove a little further to do a hike through some sand dunes and forest area with a good lookout on Lake Michigan. It is so big! It really felt more like we were at the ocean than a lake (other than the lack of salt in the water/air). The kids had fun playing in the sand and then we headed back and spent the rest of the day at Bear Lake. The backyard had a fire pit so we roasted marshmallows that night and enjoyed some s'mores.
We sadly forgot our baby carrier, but Grace enjoyed playing with Jeremy's ears on his shoulders.
Grandma and I flinging the giant floating mat thing into the lake, haha.
Sunday we drove an HOUR to church (dedication!) up in Traverse City. It rained a bit on the way there which was just fine, since we were not outside anyway! We had a great time at the church service there and the kids certainly boosted the numbers in their primary. The rest of the day was spent napping, playing games, and going on walks.
Monday morning we tried to do some fishing, but there were no fish to be seen, but it was a beautiful morning!
That day was our warmest full day, so we went to the beach at Lake Michigan! The owner told me about this little beach, and it was certainly little! But it was perfect! We could drive right up to where the beach was and didn't have to walk very far. When we arrived there was only one other family there, but it picked up a bit later in the day. The water was FREEZING but the kids still had a blast playing in the sand. Jeremy was even crazy enough to jump all the way in and swim a bit. Not me! I enjoyed watching from my nice beach chair. :)
That night we had Family Home Evening around the firepit and enjoyed some roasted marshmallows again. Anna was on one that night and was making us all laugh. It was such a beautiful evening and beautiful setting!
We didn't want to leave Tuesday and thought about staying one more night, but we compromised by not leaving until early afternoon, so we spent half the day playing in the little lake again, kayaking, and playing badminton on the lawn. We luckily didn't hit any traffic going back that night and even got to see some occasional fireworks on the drive.
Eli and I in one kayak and Jeremy, Grace, and Connor in another. It was awesome!
Our attempt at family selfies right before we left (my parents left already, oops, should have done it earlier!)
It was an awesome vacation! I felt like I needed to pinch myself, since it seemed like a real grown-up amazing vacation. It was great to make wonderful memories and enjoy time together!
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