Where has September gone? This month has flown by. I want to be more mindful next month, and not let another month just disappear out from under me like this one did. I did have some good times this September, and a few more planned before the month is out, including our mini-trip last weekend to the west side of Michigan.
The Holland/Saugatuck area is only about a 3 hour drive, tops from our house, and when Billy and I were thinking about vacations this year, we wanted our maiden voyage as a family to be easy. We weren't sure how little man would travel, how he would sleep somewhere unfamiliar, etc. So, we decided our main goal was to get his feet in the sand and in the waters of Lake Michigan, and went from there. We chose to only stay one night just to "test the waters" of vacationing, and I am pleased to say that Wyatt did wonderfully! I was a weirdo, but that is a different story. Lol.
We aimed for Holland first. We bumped around, shopping in and out of the stores, and then ate lunch at the New Holland Brewery. The food and beer were good, the dessert was not. If you go, I recommend skipping dessert and just going to Kilwin's across the street. I had the Ritter Pils, Billy had Ichabod, their pumpkin ale, and Wyatt had white milk.
So I fell in love with Cuckoo clocks and German Weather Houses on this trip. These were very expensive - I even kept my hands behind my back to stop myself from reaching out to touch the little squirrels and deer and gnomes that decorated these vignettes, just in case. I felt like I was in an episode of Grimm, and kept looking for Monroe!
Apples - the most perfect fruit of them all.
We weren't sure how to handle feeding Wyatt on the road, and this little chair was perfect! This rest area, was oddly restful. It was quiet, peaceful, and quite pretty, with giant fir trees. Wyatt enjoyed eating his pancakes there - and then throwing them on the ground too.
The whole purpose of our trip- Wyatt was not super pleased and kind of really hated it. Lol. There is always next year!
The first two are in Saugatuck, from the Mount Baldhead area. The weather and river were amazingly beautiful. I could have just hung out and watched the rhythms of life on the water for hours.
And of course I shopped some more. I am not a huge shopper, but it was vacation. I'm more less time spent in stores the better, but Saugatuck has such unique and fun shops that it was fun. We bought Wyatt some tiny moccasins that were hand-painted, I also went into the Polka-Dot Mitten, where I wanted everything! I am sharing the business card because AED's really are so important, and all schools should have them ready and available, in a location that can help everyone. Someone I have known my whole life had a sudden cardiac arrest at 35 while teaching in her class. She is alive today because another teacher thought fast and used the AED.
Because, seriously - so cute.
So our first trip with just the three of us went really well! The only hiccup was our room. I had reserved a room through VRBO.com and while it looked charming online, I just didn't care for it when we got there. The people were nice, it just wasn't my expectation. So, that resulted in us searching for a last minute hotel room, which was not easy! Other than that, smooth sailing. I feel we are road ready for next summer - we are planning a much longer trip with my brother, his wife, and my niece, hitting a lot of Northern Michigan hotspots - Mackinac, Traverse City, Old Mission Peninsula..I am looking forward to it!
