Something About Michigan

I'm back!!!! Sorry it's been awhile since the last blog, but we've been busy. Other than a quick 4 days back in Madison, to put in a few hours at work, we've pretty much been out of town since the 22nd. I'm going to warn you ahead of time that it's going to take a few blog posts for me to catch up.

Anywho...

On July 22nd we headed back to Fremont, my home town. Our trip mostly consisted of hanging out with family, but here are the highlights.

Spanky's Breadsticks. I understand if you never make it to Fremont for a trip, I wouldn't blame you. However...I would NOT understand, even for one second, if you did make it to Fremont and didn't stop for some of these breadsticks. You see, they are world famous, it says so on the menu. What's really important for you to know, is that they are ah-mazing!

Family. This is my Grandpa and Grandma B. They will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary this October. One afternoon during our trip G. & G. had a bunch of family over for dinner. I love sitting around listening to everyone's stories and catching up. This is one of the things that makes me wish we lived a little closer.

Lake Michigan. On our way back home we did a pit-stop to spend time with more family. My cousins Kathy and Clay took us out on their boat for a few hours and it was perfect. If you grew up in Michigan, this is what summer looked like.
And if you went to Hope College or grew up in Holland, Michigan, you already know that this is what summer tastes like. Captain Sundae's is an institution!

Hanging out at my parent's house. We've lived in some sort of big(ish) city for 7 or more years, and I have to admit that coming back to the country is nice. I like being able to chase our niece around big open spaces, feed the turtles and fish in the pond, and hear the toads talk in the evening. I don't think we'll ever live in the country, but it's nice that I have this place to come home too.
Simone! You didn't think I would write about the entire weekend without highlighting our niece, did you? Have I mentioned that she is one of the more beautiful and funny 2 year old's in history? Well..she is, so there!

There you have it, the highlights from our time spent in West Michigan. There were other highlights too, but I'm saving up for more blogs to come.

**Bonus**
Here is my favorite picture from the trip. This is my mom trying her hardest to pull off the Something About Mary bangs. This look is all thanks to the boat ride on Lake Michigan.