After our Chelan trip, which was fun for some and didn’t meet expectations for others (Reese), me getting sick coming back from my night in Spokane, and trying to will ourselves into our last final bike rides in the now-summer heat in Seattle, we were ready to rest, relax and cool off in Michigan over the 4th of July. Brooke was home from school on Wednesday before our trip so she helped me pack and ultimately decided that being home with Mom and Dad both working from home was far better than going to school. Didn’t realize the trouble this would bring for the next few weeks. But we managed to pack, I took Brooke for a bike ride along the Burke Gilman for 20 miles, and we had one last dinner at home.
Thursday, July 3rd we set out slowly in the morning for the airport to catch our flight to Detroit. Mom and Dad were there to pick us up from the airport, car packed, car seats installed, we set North straight to the cottage. We stopped for the must-have Middleeastern food in Fenton, MI for a short break, which was noteworthy in and of itself, got cookies next door at Crumbl, and then continued on to the cottage. We pulled in a little after 9 pm, it was not yet dark so we were able to be greeted by everyone at the cottage and check out the new bunkie that is being built at the cottage and where we would sleep for the first two nights. My cousins and aunts and uncles were all there, my grandma, and Chad and Sarah. We had a full cottage and of course always a fair amount going on. We spent the night settling in, enjoying the campfire, and then saying goodnight to everyone. Reese slept in Grammy and Grandad’s room the whole trip and Brooke slept with us, albeit she did try to sleep with them she’s just still a little too attached when we are there.
The 4th started with warm temps and sunshine and I was all about it to soak up as much lake fun as possible. After breakfast, Bryan and I went for a walk around the lake while the temps were still cool and then came back to cool off with some swimming. The water was so warm though, almost too warm at times, although I swear, I would never say that. We did a round of water skiing and tubing. Reese first tubed with Chad and Sarah, then myself and Grammy, and lastly with Bryan. She had a great time and I think we found the right speed for her on the tube. We got all of the floats and rafts out and Grandad even installed a slide for the shallow area for the girls. He even went down it himself! Because some were heading home this night, we did Mom’s epic shrimp boil midday and managed to get everyone around the picnic table on the deck, just barely. The girls love ringing the dinner bell at mealtimes. It was so hot though. I think we were all melting eating lunch so we needed to cool off with swimming afterwards. We spent the majority of the afternoon in the water, took the paddleboards out, and generally tried to keep cool. We broke out the Cottage 2025 family playlist in the afternoon and Chad brought down his hefty speakers. That night we gathered around the fire with the Tigers game on in the background and Reese maybe roasted one too many marshmallows. The only one not around the campfire was Brooke who had gone without a nap and you would know. Miss Crankypants was tired and opted for the inside, being fairly irritable for the remained of the night except to do some kids yoga and go out with Chad to see the fireworks. We played a round of Tunk and More Grammy was the first out (sorry Grandma) and Reese was the winner. She was okay with this! She collected her earnings the next morning after she recovered from her overdose of sugar. We all slept well, even with the 1 am fireworks show.
On Saturday we had another hot day so it was much the same, keeping cool in the water, taking the boat out for water skiing and tubing, swimming, floating, paddling, etc. I did not walk around the lake and am in awe for those that ran around the lake. Grammy and Grandad took the girls into Leroy to get a few cottage toys and candy. More of the family were setting out to head back to their respective houses which left us, Grammy and Grandad and Chad and Sarah for the rest of the night. After doing some more tubing and skiing behind the boat we took it out to the middle of the lake to cool off with a swim. This is always so freeing and fun; was when I was a kid and still is. That night, Mom got out her pizza oven and the girls helped Grandad roll out the crust and Reese really got into saucing, cheesing and adding on the toppings to the pizzas. The pizzas were delicious and enjoyed on the deck and followed up with some ice cream.
On Sunday we were actually brought a rainy and cooler day. It wasn’t terrible as we had plenty of food to snack on, Wimbledon to enjoy, cards to play, and other ways to keep ourselves entertained. Mom and I got a walk in around the lake before it really got raining while Grandad and Bryan made everyone waffles in the morning, and those were delicious. Chad and Sarah were leaving this afternoon and I think both girls were sad to see them leave. The rain broke long enough for me to get in one last ski on glassy water and to get Bryan up as well. It started raining pretty good while we were out so we brought the boat back in. We managed to get the fire going after the rain died down and cooked our hot dogs on the fire along with a variety of leftovers various people left up at the cottage. We then settled into Wicked which the girls really enjoyed and have even both watched a second time since on the airplane back to Seattle.
We planned to head back to East Lansing on Monday so that the girls could enjoy some time there and to break up our return travel day back. We enjoyed one more walk around the lake and a little paddling while also helping to put all of the toys away, pack up the food and our bags, and tidy the cottage. We hit the road around 1 pm and the sun was just starting to break on our drive and fully out once we arrived in East Lansing around 3 pm. The girls were immediately back in action with the toys at the house. It felt nice to just sit outside at the table with a drink for a while. We then walked Sophie, the girls taking turns walking her, over to Lou and Harry’s to pick up dinner, which we brought back and enjoyed at home.
Tuesday was our only full day in East Lansing and it was gearing up to be a toasty one. Bryan and I had wanted to get in a shorter ride just to loosen our legs and get them familiar with a bike again so we took out my parents’ bikes on the River Trail for what I think was somewhat of a figure eight loop of about 20 miles. It was pleasant and mostly shaded and seemed to go by really pretty fast so I think we were both happy we did this. My parents took the girls to Patriarch Park but both girls were wearing pants (their request) and found the park too hot for too long. Bryan and I picked up subs from Jersey Giant on our bike ride home, which I carried somehow on my handlebars. The rest of the day we spent playing in the splash pad at home, playing Clue and Yahtzee, the girls made garden stones with my mom, and my parents grilled up some steaks for an excellent last dinner.
We were heading back to Seattle on Tuesday and there were more showers threatening so we decided, after showering and packing up our bags, to take the girls to one of the indoor trampoline parks. We went back to the one Bryan took them last, which is new and clean and has a variety of cool attractions. The girls proceeded to jump for about two hours, working up a sweat and having a good time. Grammy and Grandad came to meet us there to watch them some in action. The boys went to go pick up Middleeastern and Chickfila for lunch for our drive to the airport which was smooth with minimal traffic. We said our goodbyes at the airport and then got ready for the plane. The plane sat at the airport an hour longer than anticipated to get more fuel so we got back to Seattle an hour late but the flight was smooth. We took the bus/train back home and got home just about 9 pm. Bryan grabbed us Thai food before they closed and we were all eager to get some good sleep before getting back into our normal routines.
Bryan had a goodbye lunch at the Renton office on Thursday before heading to return back to the Everett office on Friday. Reese had her last two days at Galileo Camp and Brooke was back at school and neither girl was happy about this by any means. I was back to work at home and trying to get some things ready for the STP bike ride. We did manage to pack a picnic on Thursday for the first Volunteer Park Summer Concert Series which we enjoyed with a bunch of friends in the most perfect of temperatures. Being the first one they had the free ice cream back which is always a hit. And Reese had her very first practice for her new Xcel gymnastics team on Friday. She’s already in love with it!
Great times in Michigan for the 4th like usual and never enough photos since I so rarely have my phone on me at the cottage. But the fun doesn’t stop there. We had just two short days at home and then were heading out on a new adventure: The STP.
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Chelsea
Good luck in Emerald City – I miss the GREEN, the food, the ferries, flowers and beaches – plus direct flights to Hawaii. 🙂 There are endless destinations. May you be blessed there.