Our End of Summer Vacation

As the summer winded down for us and Will headed back to work, I started panicking and regretting our decision to stay home this summer.  I crave time up north, and without at least a couple of days each summer spent in the aura of Michigan beach and pine tree, I can't fathom getting through another Michigan winter.  After several weeks of searching, I finally found a little cottage an hour away from Will's work that was available for Labor Day weekend.  We found a loop hole in our one hour radius with Violet (we can only handle her car screaming for an hour), by picking up dinner and taking it to Will's work.  After we ate dinner, we left Will's car in the parking lot of his school and headed together as a family to the cottage on the lake.  We arrived in the pouring rain, well after the kids bed times but we were able to handle Violet's crying.  Here we are below in clockwise order from the top left: waiting for our carryout at our favorite restaurant before bringing it to Will at his work, our rented cottage, the girls riding in the car listening to a wonderful audio book entitled "The Penderwicks" about four sisters time spent at a summer cottage, and finally, a picture Lucy took of the sunrise on the first morning of our vacation.  Bless her that she used my phone to document it and let us sleep instead!

Still scarred by our up north vacation last summer, I took every precaution I could think of in planning this last minute trip.  It was still extremely stressful packing for the trip by myself as Will had to work up until the very last moment, but I was able to cut a lot of corners since this cottage wasn't in the middle of nowhere like the one we rented last year.  Even still, I'd pack a box of items and Violet would unpack it just as fast.  Lucy and Emma couldn't stop fighting and the clock was ticking for us to get to the cottage before check-in time was over.  We pulled it together though, after I had a melt down around lunch time and told the girls we weren't going as it wasn't worth the trouble.  After my melt down, Lucy and Emma did an amazing job helping me pack the car and clean up the house and I have to say, the rest of the trip went off without a hitch once I was able to get our luggage arranged in such a manner that all four doors and the trunk of our car could close.  I stand by my theory of there being no free ride in life though, as the amount of stress I felt the day packing for the trip was probably equal to four regular days of parenting.

Lake Huron was a flight of stairs away from our cottage and it was perfect in every way.  The beach was private, and all ours for the next four days.

The beach was very rocky, but we had planned ahead and brought water shoes for everyone.  Violet was not a fan of the feel of sand between her toes despite having water shoes on or the fact that the waves kept moving back and forth along the shoreline.  We timed our beach play for the mornings and late afternoons to avoid the hottest part of the day for Violet's sake, but she still spent the majority of her time on a blanket under the beach umbrella or in mine or Will's arms.  She did take a nap one afternoon under the beach umbrella, and the rest of us had a memorable time in the water while she slept.

We found lots of sea glass and fossils along the beach, and even found a pocket of clay near the water that we made pinch pots with.

We visited a nearby lighthouse and I climbed to the top with Lucy and Emma while Will and Violet took our picture from below.

We also crossed a super long suspension bridge at a local park, walked the pier, ate frozen custard, and explored a near by playground.

 We enjoyed campfire meals every day, and marveled at the view from our cottage out across the lake.

It was good for us to get out of our element.  I had contemplated packing my tea pot since the cottage owner mentioned there wasn't one but at the last minute I decided it wasn't worth taking up space in our already packed car with a tea pot.  I changed my mind once we were at the cottage as it was so chilly and damp at night.  So we picked up some tea at the local grocery store and I fashioned a double boiler out of an aluminum pot and a glass measuring cup and never did I appreciate and savor a cup of tea as I did each morning and evening on our vacation!  This was just a small example of why the trip was good for us.  I also felt so much love and appreciation for our house when we returned, especially my own shower and my own bed.  It was a restful and memorable little trip, and I can welcome fall with no regrets from the summer of 2015!