St. Clair Michigan to Jefferson Ohio

Mexican Train with Bob and Vicki

We are leaving tomorrow, and we've hardly seen Bob and Vicki since we got here, so we are thrilled that we made plans to play Mexican Train with them tonight.  Before I get into the evening, I have to talk a bit about Bob and Vicki.

 We all adore Bob and Vicki.  You know how there are certain people that just find a way deep into your heart?  They are those people for us.  Vicki was the first person to tell us about Mexican Train.  She was the first to teach Austin and I pickleball after Barb sucked us into the game.  Vicki spent hours and I mean HOURS that first day with us.  That's just how she is though...so patient and kind.  Bob always has a twinkle in his eye and has a wicked pickleball serve and game.  They are tons of fun to spend time with.  Beyond that they are just what Austin always calls "good people".  We find ourselves breathing easier when we are around people like them.

 Don't let that fool you though, because they will still play to beat the pants off of you when playing Mexican Train!  We started out with Aric in the lead and Nathan with the Good Sport ribbon.  Every time I see a picture of Aric, I am glad he shaved all of his hair off so you can see his handsome face now.  That and I got tired of people thinking he was homeless.  Bad enough we live in a RV, we don't need people thinking we have no home at all thanks to him!  Just kidding, Aric.  You look mah-velous now though.

At some point, Bob pulled into the lead.  I think Vicki's bathroom trips where she could see all what we all had on our trays had something to do with this...but I can't quite figure out how...so I'm not tossing out any accusations just yet.  Austin decides that Bob is winning, so they are now "homies".  Or maybe they are homies because the two of them combined talk almost as much trash as Dean does by himself.  Either way, I think he thought that meant he got to wear the ribbon too.  (Note the long sleeved shirt that Austin wore so he could stick dominoes up his sleeves.  I'm on to him too!)

Bob said once he got the ribbon, he never gave it up.  So I think Austin needs another game plan if he wants to wear the ribbon.  Then again, Austin does have youth on his side....

Sadly, Bob's prediction was right.  He did keep that ribbon for the rest of the night after he took first place.  Nathan was even stingier though.  He wore his ribbon the whole night and never once shared it with anyone.

We had a great night with them.  Can't wait to see them and everyone else again in Florida!

Living the life with laughter in Michigan!

Family Time in St. Clair

Today some of my family came over to St. Clair to visit with us.  My older sister Lisa and two of her children, Katelyn and Dillon, came.  My mom came with my niece and nephew, Kyanna and David.  And my cousin Balinda came too.  I haven't had a chance to visit with Balinda in about ten years so it was a real treat to catch up with her.  They have a fifth-wheel and travel too, so we are going to try to coordinate something together.  We taught them to play Mexican train and we had a hard time quitting once we got into it.  It was a really wonderful day!

Detroit Zoo and Nieces

We left the two boys with their Aunt Traci and Ashleigh, so they could have some additional family time.  I brought two of our nieces back with us: Sherae and Kyanna.  Sherae is special to me, not only because she is a sweetheart but also because she shares my middle name.  I've always had a soft spot for Rae Rae.  Ky is just adorable.  When she was younger she'd introduce herself as "Hi, I Ky".  Total cuteness!  Kyanna is the youngest of the nieces right now, so she is pretty spoiled by all the aunts in the family.  Since I live in the land of testosterone lately, I was tickled pink to have GIRLS around.  Both of them are true girlie girls to boot.  I am surrounded by pink, pink and more pink!

Yesterday we hung out at the campground and did some boring things like grocery shopping.  Then we went swimming and played Wii.  Today we took the girls to the Detroit Zoo.  We have not been here for years and they've changed it around quite a bit.

As cool as the zoo was, the girls made it a hundred times better.  I forgot how fun non-teen kids are to take to the zoo!  Some of my favorite moments were: 
When Kyanna fed the peacocks:

When she showed us how the "mingoes" stand:

When Sherae tried to get the kangaroo to box with her:

And when this beautiful guy let me pet him:

and then told me a story complete with teeth baring and head bobbing:

And last but not least...years ago Nathan and I took our girls to this very same zoo.  Ashleigh was three and Ambir was two.  Ambir was addicted to her "binky" at the time.  (We sent her to Binkies Anonymous at some point, so she's fine now)  We got to the zoo and she lost her binky.  We didn't have a back-up binky.  Soooo...she screamed "I want my binky" the entire time we were at the zoo.  It was awful.  She had some fierce lungs on her and when she screamed, the whole world knew it.  I think this was the main reason we have not visited this zoo since in fact.

Today Kyanna picked something up and when we saw what it was, we cracked up.  It was the exact same kind of "binky" that Ambir lost there almost 20 years ago.  Ambs, we found your binky!

Living the life in Pinkville, even if temporary, in beautiful family-filled Michigan!

Visiting My Family in Jackson

Most of us headed over to Jackson to see my family today.  Nathan has been sick, so he stayed home.  I have an insanely large family, so to get us all together is a big task.  We did pretty good this time.  I was so touched that everyone scrambled at the last minute to come and see us.  My sister Traci and my Mom cooked us all a great steak dinner and we got to chat some.  And we even got a group picture!  Not all of us are in it, but we at least were able to get a group shot of some of us.

I wish I'd have grabbed more pictures while there, but it was pretty hectic and the time flew by way too fast as it was.  I'm grateful to have days like this since I don't get to see my family very often anymore.

We left Ashleigh and Elijah in Jackson.  The RV will be extra quiet without them.  We really enjoyed our visit with Ashleigh so much.  I am especially grateful for the time with her this past week.  I didn't know exactly how it would go, because we don't really have company stay with us in the RV very often.  And we haven't been around Ashleigh day in/day out for a few years.  On top of that, we've had some hard years that were painful for both us as parents, and for Ashleigh who was going through hard things.  As the oldest child, she has had to forgive us as parents far more than the other ones.  She's been vocal at times about that fact.  Within ten minutes of her being around, it was just like she'd never left.  Which was really cool to me.

It was so moving to me to see the person she is growing into and that she is still Ashleigh, with a huge heart, even after going through rough things.  Just a more mature version of Ashleigh!  We love you so much, Ash, and you still crack us up.  Get your RV so you can join us on the road! 

Living the life in Michigan!

Gaylord Michigan to St. Clair Michigan

Today we headed south to St. Clair Michigan.  We had Ashleigh and Elijah with us, so it made it a bit harder than normal because it was crowded and we were all tired.  Overall, it was a very smooth day though. 

We are at the Thousand Trails in St. Clair.  This is our first visit here and we think we'll like it.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Today Ashleigh, Nathan, Austin, Elijah and the dogs headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  I will get Nathan to write something up so he can remember the day.  All pictures and words will be his.

Mackinac Island~The Island

Today we drove up to visit Mackinac Island.  I have wanted to visit here for years so I was very excited to be finally doing this trip!  The weather was just perfect and the island was just gorgeous.  This is definitely one of my favorite things we have done so far!  We had a great day and lots of fun together.

Mackinac Island is an island covering 3.8 square miles in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812.

In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is well known for its numerous cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous Victorian Grand Hotel; its fudge; and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.

Fort Mackinac

Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Built by the British during the American Revolutionary War to control the strategic Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (and by extension the fur trade on the Great Lakes), it was not relinquished by the British until fifteen years after American independence. It later became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. During most of the 19th century, it served as an outpost of the United States Army. Closed in 1895, the fort is now a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Mackinac Island~The Ferry Ride

In order to get to the island, you have to ride a ferry boat.  Elijah really loved this part!

Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Envisioned since the 1880s, the bridge was completed in 1957 only after many decades of struggles to begin construction. Designed by engineer David B. Steinman, the bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") connects the city of St. Ignace on the north end with the village of Mackinaw City on the south. It is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere. The Mackinac Bridge carries Interstate 75 across the straits.

Exploring Downtown Gaylord

Today we went to explore the downtown area of Gaylord.  The whole town is done in a Swiss/Alpine theme and it is so cute!  Our first stop was an ice cream shop that was giving out cones for a $1 donation to the Boys/Girls Clubs.

Then we wandered around just looking at the buildings and bears and monuments.

Beaver Creek Resort in Gaylord, Michigan

We really like this park, so I grabbed a few pictures to help us remember it in case we are back this way again sometime.  The staff is top notch and the facilities are great.  The internet in the lodge is the best we've encountered so far.

Even More Water Slide Fun

The face says it all!

 It's so nice to have fun that is great for the big kids and the small ones!  We are having a great time here.

Living the life in Michigan!

Eye to Eye With Nature

As I was editing more pictures of us feeding the elk, I noticed how often we were making eye contact with the animals.  I thought to myself that this is probably part of why it touched us so much to interact with them.  There is just something so profound about looking animals in the eye and having them return the favor.