A Funny Thing Happens in the Fall

If there was ever a voice of summer in Michigan, Tim Allen would be it.  The way he can paint a picture with words of one of the most beautiful places in the United States is amazing. 

I can still remember one late spring afternoon, driving with the windows down and a commercial came on the radio.  I generally don't listen to commercials.  I'm a station switcher.  I switch from one radio station to another to  find a song I can sing my heart out to, but on this particular day when a commercial began it had my undivided attention. 

It started like this...

"Every summer something breezes off the water...it slows things down around here. It's called the 'Lake Effect.'  We can experience it anywhere along the 200 mile stretch of sandy shore of Michigan's beach towns.  It boasts amazing water views and sandy front porches & knows what it takes to make every day a day at the beach."

The voice was calming and familiar and as it spoke I could feel myself hanging on it's every word.  I was suddenly transported to a place where the world seemed to stand still.  That place...pure Michigan.

In the ad campaigns from Michigan's official Travel & Tourism bureau, the voice of Tim Allen coupled with the gentle notes of a melody that warms my soul have been a constant reminder that I live in Chicago.  I do not get to experience all the magic & wonder that is Michigan nearly enough.

If you've ever been to one of Michigan's beach towns you know exactly what I am talking about.  The sounds, sights and smells of the lake in mid summer are something spectacular.  I spend almost 11 months out the year dreaming about that 2 week stretch when I can experience first hand God's amazing sliver of creation we call Crystal Lake.  The sounds of children squealing with delight as they spray and splash in the clear blue water, the gentle rolling waves that serenade you as you dose off in your bed, the sunsets that never disappoint, the way the sand so softly cradles your every move or looking outside before bed and seeing more stars that you knew existed simply because we live in the "city." 

Well, I'm in Michigan as I type.  My husband and I had an amazing day.  We walked down the streets of historic Traverse City to do a little window shopping, watched the salmon in the river as they tried to make it upstream, dined in a little cafe near the beach and even now while I watch him fish for trout from the comfort of the front porch as the sun is setting I almost can't believe I'm taking in a little bit of pure Michigan.

It's bittersweet coming up here in the fall.  The excitement and busyness of summer with five children around in the fall isn't quite the same.  I miss them and know just how much this beautiful place means to each of them but I know it's also okay to be selfish.  This trip is one that James and I have been taking just the two of us, for years now.  It's our time to get away and reconnect.  Rarely do we get even 24 hours to just "be" with each other.

Tim Allen once said "A funny thing happens in the fall on the shores of Lake Michigan.  The water warms up and the vacationers go home. The beaches of Michigan become a low key, grown up place to eat great, stay up late and otherwise exercise the long lost privilege of adulthood.  A place where we can walk hand in hand, run our toes through the sand & soak up a sunset our kids wouldn't have time for. "
Michigan's has one of the most serene and stunning coast lines in America.

Tomorrow I will walk hand in hand with the love of my life.  We will hike trails covered with the colors of fall and take a nap in front of the fire if we please. 

The kids got to play all summer here.  Now it's our turn and it's all in Pure Michigan.

Finished!

It's finished! 

It took me a couple hours over the course of the last five days to finish these fire hydrants.  The goal of the Adopt-a-Hydrant program in our town was to raise money for the Fire Department.  The idea came from a young man who wanted to repay the Fire Department for the work that they do so he came up with this neat idea.

I started this adventure thinking it would be a nice outlet for me to release some of my extra creativity and also a time for me to relax & unwind away from my busy, action packed family.  The actual time I spent painting was far from relaxation.  At one corner where I spent a couple days I was hoot & hollar'd at and stopped every five minutes by inquisitive neighbors and passerby's wanting to know if what I was doing was legal and simply wondered what in the world I was doing. I have never been honked at more times in one day that I was last week!

Here is the second hydrant.  At the last minute it seemed to be missing something...so I decided on bumble bees.  You need to look very close for them.  I think I added about eight of them.

Here she is from the front.

Semi side view.

Her backside.

I really just love sunflowers.  They were our main wedding flower & to this day I can't get enough of this beautiful creation.

One Day At a Time

I'm going to ignore the fact that there are 16 posts that are either finished or near finished.  Some of them seemed appropriate at the time but I feel like hanging on to them a bit longer before releasing them into great unknown. The last few weeks have been a blur so today I'm going with the One Day At a Time mentality and posting my most recent adventure.

Today I finished something that I actually didn't want to.  Well, that's not entirely true...I'm actually still not completely finished.  What is it you ask?  Here it is.  I almost didn't post a picture bc I'm slightly discouraged that I could not do it exactly the way I had intended but for the general public who drive down Summit & Madison St. it will have to do.

Here he is from the back.

...and here he is from the front.

Mr. Dalmatian still needs some mouth work and whisker dots but I just simply have not had the time to add the finishing touches.  I am currently working on another hydrant just in front of our house.  It's going to be nothing like this one;)

Stayed tuned for the finished products!

25 More

It's been a while again since I last posted but I did get another request for 25 more things you may or may not know about me and it seems much easier than finishing half a dozen posts right now so here they are:

1. I am slightly addicted to Panera's Iced Green Tea
2. I can't go to bed alone unless I have the T.V. on
3. I got my one and only high school detention for going out to lunch off campus
4. My nickname in high school was "Flash"
5. I don't love ice cream
6. I still have the T-shirt I received from my D.A.R.E. graduation & occasionally wear it to bed...(it's 21 years old, not kidding)
7. My favorite T-Shirt I wear weekly is a high school soccer-t I got my junior year
8. I am not a hoarder;)
9. I love tomales
10. In my closet all of my hangers must be equally spaced
11. At one point in my life I owned 62 pairs of shoes
12. I LOVE to take pictures....98% of them are of my kids
13. I have one cup of coffee and one cup of tea each day
14. I have been the owner of 5 cars
15. When I turned 16 I didn't get the BMW I was hoping for.  I got a BMW baseball cap.
16. I am a total night owl
17. I sercretly wish I could somehow have a show on the Food Network
18. I have never lit a grill before...or grilled for that matter
19. I almost always have a candle burning in our house.  
20. I cannot stand Christmas decorations
21. I have never smoked pot...just thought I'd throw that one out there;)
22. My favorite game as a child was called "birdie," a made up game my cousins & I created.
23. I cannot stand watching cartoons
24. My first kiss was when I was 15
25. I don't like wearing sweaters 

Ready...Set...Learning How to Relax

Somewhere in the middle of sipping sun tea in a lounge chair on the beach while eating a fresh cut pineapple I realized something.  It's something about myself that I think had always known but must have kept so buried in the back of my mind that I did not have to face it.  Here it is...
I am completely incapable of relaxing.

I think I've learned to trick myself into thinking I can relax but when I really started to think about what relaxation means I'm pretty sure I fall short of it's true definition. 

All year I daydream of coming up to Michigan.  I close my eyes and can almost hear the waves and smell the fresh air when I'm stuck in burbs.  It's calming and even in mid-February it's looking forward to going to Crystal Lake that gets me through the day.  Up north I don't have to make any phone calls, return any emails, pay the bills (okay, I do actually have to pay the bills but it's much easier now that I can do it all online;), run from school to after school activities or even make dinner.  It's not that I let my family starve but James and I have worked it out over the years that vacation he does all the cooking, well, grilling.  We bring all of our meat from home and he turns our trip into the great vacation grill-off.  I'm thankful and blessed BUT  that's not the point.

The point is (while I try to avoid it once again) that I seem to be completely unable to relax.  Sure I can pretend to lay lifeless on the sandy shore while soaking up some vitamin D but who am I kidding?  It's August.  As I "relax" on the beach all that is going through my mind is the four completely different school supply lists that await my attention as soon as we get back home.  I find myself fighting those little voices telling me to just go inside and order them online, make new lists of all the extras the kids will need or even just find myself wondering if any of my kids will get put in the dreaded "peanut free environment" classroom.   That means no peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and on a day when lunch meat is no more I go for the quick pb&j sandwich, pb&crackers or even pb& apples, granola bars, a fam favorite of peanuts & raisins, etc, etc. etc.

I left the house 100% spotless when we left. I knew a house even in slight disarray would have me going crazy on vacation but somehow in my demented state I'm already plotting & planning on how I will unpack and get everything put away. Sick....I know.

So, as I sit back and try to relax this evening I can't help but grab my laptop to process.  I apologize if you are reading this and rolling your eyes but get ready to roll some more because I did think about just typing away my thoughts and not posting but then I'd be leaving something unfinished.  Not going to happen.  Good night, Crystal Lake.  Tomorrow I will begin a new book.  Here's to hoping Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman is a good distraction from my "relaxation."

Why can't I just turn my brain off for a few? Please don't get me wrong. I'm having one of the most amazing times here filled with so much fun & family but something about my alone time is just not right. Maybe I need some new music on my ipod or maybe that's God's way of telling me to use that time to talk to Him. As I sit and think about it now it's quite possible that all the confusion and noise in my brain is really God yelling, not whispering, for me to listen. I hear Him.

Ready...Set...Relax!

Today is the end of day four of our family vacation.  It's everything a vacation should be.  The weather has been an absolute perfect 80 degrees and a slight constant breeze cools the house perfectly.  I imagine that this is what Aruba feels like...I've never been, but it's pretty close to perfection.

We've only been up here in Michigan on beautiful Crystal Lake for a few days but with all we've done it feels like weeks.  Between the beach, tubing, bbq's, campfires complete with smores, homemade ice cream, water skiing, evenings w/ friends on the front porch watching the sunsets, a trip to Frankfort and mini golf, this family of seven could not be having a better time anywhere else on earth. 

On the agenda for tomorrow?  We honestly never know and I love it! When we are up at the Lake time seems to stand still.  I can almost hear Tim Allen whispering in my ear a sweet narration of our time.  The sandy beaches and gentle rolling waves make for a natural stress reliever...and that's exactly what we needed.  Between the camps, VBS, parties & picnics this summer has been busy but fun.  The kids are growing up so quickly and the activity level doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Speaking of kids growing too quickly...  Yesterday as we spent some time with friends up here and it was bittersweet.  They also have a set of boy/girl twins only their blessings are 18 years old and heading off to college in a few weeks.  Their parents stepped away from the campfire to tell me how much fun the last few days had been and to cherish this time with my own kids up here because it really does go too fast.  As she stood there with tears in her eyes I couldn't help but give her a big hug.  I too had tears in my eyes just putting myself in her shoes 12 years down the road. I knew what an amazing time we have here on Crystal Lake and as I watched their family have one last bonfire complete with smores I knew what must be in her heart.  She was truly treasuring that moment.

It's not something I usually do, posting on the blog here while vacation but tonight everyone is in bed little earlier and this Mama just needed some extra time to relax, unwind and process.

Pure Joy

From the day she was born Mackenzie Kate has been the perfect addition to our family.  On July 16th 2009 we were blessed with a 9 lb. 11oz. baby girl and I'm finding a little difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that she is turning TWO!
What can I say about my baby girl?  Well, that she is no longer a baby.  Does that make me sad? Yes.  Will I be having any more babies?  Only if God chooses.  Are WE planning to?  Absolutely not.
I have loved every moment of watching my precious little girl grow up.  Mackenzie is our big, brown-eyed beauty who is always smiling.  She lights up the room just by being in it.  She giggles with her sister, laughs uncontrollably while being tickled by her older brothers and laughter is never in short supply as we watch her explore this world. 

Pretty sure she could polish off a watermelon all by herself.

Mackenzie is definitely the "baby" of the family, getting just about whatever she wants, whenever she wants it from her siblings.  As a mother I hate this on so many levels but on the other hand, the way her older siblings are so caring and attentive to her makes my heart happy.  (By the way and for the record I do not give in, which I've been told by my children makes me a very not nice mom.  I'll deal.)
Mackenzie loves to play with baby dolls, naming them each "Kenzie" or "Ray"...her favorite little 8 month old.  She loves to read, sing & dance, color, ride her scooter and right now, most importanly, she loves Dora the Explorer.

Our baby girl can be heard over the monitor most nights an hour past her bedtime, singing Dora's theme song or a version of Diego's.  Her spanish vocabulary has grown to point where when she wants certain things she asks for them in spanish.  Speaking of her vocabulary...

Mackenzie starting talking around a year just like all the other children but somewhere around 18 months it really took off.  There is nothing she cannot communicate to us and the words and phrases she chooses to do so sometimes catch me of guard.  The other night at dinner she asked me if it her garlic bread was too hot.  I told her 'no' but said she might want to blow on it.  She came back at me with this "if I boe too hard I might boe the house down."  She often  asks to have things that are hers by saying "I have my long'ins now?"  That's 'belongings' if you don't speak toddler.  It took me a while to figure it out but now there's no mistaking what she says.  There have been many times where she has gotten in trouble and she's already learned from her sibs to make up a story about it.  So, James and I have all we can do to not start rolling on the floor laughing while hearing them as we try to effectively discipline her.

Last night at dinner she was the last one at the table because she wouldn't eat her dinner.  Brett whispered to her that it would be so yummy to eat her zuccini and Mackenzie said "I not like the flavors in here."  When hearing her talk you must see the hand guestures and facial expressions she makes.  She's a real character!

This is a pretty typical MK face

Our sweet girl is just that, sweet.  Mackenzie Kate loves to cuddle, kiss & hug.  My new personal favorite is when, completely unannouced & unprovoked she will come up beside you and softly say "I yuv you" followed by the most gentle kiss and hug you can imagine.  It really melts you heart.  Mackenzie is the first one up in the morning.  Every morning she wakes up calling for me (loudly) or I can hear her singing one of her many songs as I race to get her before she wakes up the whole neighborhood.  When I scoop her up she is always smiling and I can't tell you how amazing it feels to have her little arms wrapped tightly around my neck as we make our way downstairs.

When I look at our little Miss Mackenzie Kate all I see is pure joy.  Not only is she so full of joy but she also seems to create it while entertaining those around her.  We can't help but giggle along with her when she's telling stories. 

I'm afraid the only part of her that's slightly "baby" that I have to hold on to is some of her baby rolls.  As the days go on I see them slimming away as she turns into a beautiful little toddler while she races around her big, wide world.  Every day Mackenzie makes our lives a little better.  I can't imagine our family without her. 

I love you, Mackenzie Kate.  The joy you bring to our lives is something to be treasured.  You are a blessing and I can't put into words just how much I love you.  You are one of a kind and the laughter you bring is contagious.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!