September = Quality Cousin Time

Growing up in Ohio holds so many memories for my sisters and me. Most of those childhood snapshots include spending time with our cousins, Matt and Andy. Whether it was practicing to perform a musical/talent number under the name “The Tree-Top Monkeys” or playing some made up game, we always had such fun together.

Time and distance have separate all of us, but we still try to stay in contact best we can. Now that everyone is married and the majority of us have kids, it is even more difficult to travel the distance to see one another. However, since Mark and I moved out here, we have had the great pleasure of being in a location easily accessible to Andy and his family. In fact, we have already managed to see them twice since we moved in April.

This latest visit came on Mark’s birthday, last Saturday. Andy, Amy and the girls drove up from Indiana for the day to hang out with us. Here are some shots of the girls…

Then, Sunday night Matt, Heather and their four kids came to visit. Matt and Heather went to school in Chicago and still have many close contacts out here. We were blessed by being able to host them for a short time while they travelled through Chicagoland. I was able to join them at the Brookfield Zoo on Monday. Here are some of the highlights.

Matt and Heather packed up and departed Westmont on Wednesday morning. It was so sad to see them go. The house was way too quiet. I had to put on the radio and make myself busy so I didn’t get too lonely. Thanks everyone for making September extra special.

One Last Vacation Before Baby

Our long awaited Michigan getaway was perfect despite the heavy rains. We escaped the suburbs on Thursday and headed around Lake Michigan to see what the other side looked like. We arrived in Benton Harbor around lunch time, checked in to our hotel and immediately drove to the nearest beach. St. Joseph is a quaint town on the lake where we window shopped and had a bite of lunch before retiring to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.


Mark got to paddle out in the lake while I relaxed on the beach with a book. It really was a perfect day.
The rain started coming down the very next day, but we were determined not to let it ruin our fun. So we headed north to check out two towns we heard were worth seeing. The first, Saugatuck, reminded us a little bit of some New England towns we used to visit on the weekends.

South Haven was another little gem, not quite as charming as the first, but still fun to explore.

On Saturday the rain continued to come and it was getting close to departure time. We decided to check out one more place before going home—Warren Dunes State Park. I am so glad we did. The heavens turned off the sprinkler system long enough for us to take a walk on the beach and enjoy the sounds of nature before getting back in the car again.

What a great way to spend one last vacation together before becoming a trio.

Labor Day Camping Trip

Mark had his final day of classes for his first term at Kellogg on Saturday and we celebrated by getting out of town and going camping with our church. The hour-long drive to the campsite was beautiful with miles of open fields and farmland to look at. In no time at all, we turned into the Cedar Creek Retreat Center, found our cabin and settled in before the evening activities started.

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Why are they sleeping in a cabin, aren’t they like outdoorsy people who love to tent camp?” Well, people, remember that I am only a little over a month away from giving birth. Plus, the cabin was air-conditioned and it had its own shower and toilet—a major plus when you have to go two to three times in the middle of the night. A little comfort at this stage doesn’t hurt anything.

That evening we had a huge potluck dinner and then a worship service around a bonfire. Mark got to play his Djembe for the first time since we moved to Illinois. This photo shows him gearing up for the campfire worship time.

The next day we decided to find the Fox River. It was a bit treacherous in that we had to climb through barbed wire and go over an electric fence enclosing a cow pasture to get to the water. We found the river no problem; it was the return trip that frightened me a tad.

On our way back we encountered three massive black cows. They obviously didn’t like the sight of us, because they made a lot of noise while staring us down. I grabbed onto Mark and stood behind him until we figured out how to get past these gigantic creatures without upsetting them and getting charged and trampled. If any of you know my track record with supposedly docile creatures, you will understand why I was being extra cautious. (It has to do with not one, but two manatee episodes in Florida.) Needless to say, we forged our own path out of there and made it safely back to camp. It’s little adventures like these that make life interesting.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the pool before we headed back home. It was a short but very worthwhile trip.