Memorial Weekend in Saugatuck!

Hello, Lake Michigan!

The boys couldn't wait for a picture.  They were off and ready to put their feet in the water!  Man, was that water cold though!

We left for Saugatuck Saturday morning after an eventful morning complete with a trip to Urgent Care for Evan.  He woke up with his elbow bothering him and wouldn't let anyone touch it without screaming and crying.  X-rays showed that it wasn't broken, it wasn't dislocated, and the doctor believed some ibuprofen would do the trick.  So, we packed up the car and headed out around 10am.  We made a quick stop at a Wendy's in Portland, Michigan and were at the Saugatuck Dunes State Park by 12:30pm.

The boys loved playing in the sand, running up and down the beach, and playing frisbee.  My parents arrived an hour later with my brother and sister-in-law who flew in on a red-eye flight that morning from Portland, Oregon.

We decided to head back and check in to the rental house.  Everyone was anxious to rinse the sand off and see the log cabin.  It was a beautiful house!  Off the main drag, in a private neighborhood that had access to a smaller lake called Goshorn Lake, and right by the sand dune rides place.  I thought the location was great!  In fact, we could watch the rides go by through the forest from our back yard.  My aunt and uncle arrived to join us all for a BBQ at the house.  We made simple BBQ fare like burgers, hot dogs, broccoli slaw, salad, corn, and chips.  It was tasty!

After dinner Scott made a bonfire and the boys roasted some s'mores.  The adults enjoyed some pie my aunt picked up from a bakery in Fennville.  We walked down to check out the private lake down the road and it was so peaceful and still.  Kayakers and fishers were out and the boys learned how to skip rocks on the lake (although neither of them were successful).  After we got the boys in bed, the adults sat around and socialized, had some adult beverages, and watched Chevy Chase' Summer Vacation on TV.  It was a really nice evening at the house after a fun day at the beach!

The next morning, I woke up and went for a run while the boys watched cartoons with Grandpa.  I'm really starting to enjoy this whole running thing.  It was so beautiful out early morning.  Not too warm yet, quiet, and pretty.  My mom made a nice spread of eggs, bacon, english muffins, and hashbrowns for breakfast.

After breakfast we all got put together for the day and went into downtown Saugatuck for some shopping and wandering around.  Evan and Sean each picked out a toy at the toy shop in town and got some more beach toys at the general store.  I found a great Michigan shirt for both me and Scott and we picked up a Michigan hoodie for Sean.

We left downtown and went back to the sand dune ride place for our reservation at 12:30pm.  It was looking overcast at a few points, but it ended up being really nice while we were on our ride.  I think everyone enjoyed it and my brother, Eric, loved running up and down the sand dunes at the top with the boys, Scott, and my dad.

After the ride, we went on to the Saugatuck Brewing Company for a beer and some afternoon snacks.  The boys split some chicken tenders and fries from the kid's menu and the adults shared a few yummy appetizers like Parmesan fries, chicken wings, brussel sprouts, and pretzels. After our snacks, we went back to the house with the kids while my parents went grocery shopping with my brother and sister-in-law to pick up some things to make for dinner.  We opted to cook at home instead of going out.  My brother and sister-in-law made whole BBQ chicken on the grill, mashed potatoes and a wedge salad with homemade dressing.  I put together a cornbread casserole and it ended up being a really nice dinner.

The boys played down by the smaller lake in the sand and water for a while, then we took them down the road for ice cream for dessert.  Yum!  They were pretty tired, so I set them up with the iPad and Moana up in our bed until they fell asleep.  After that, it was adult beverages round two and some Cards Against Humanity (which was a first for my parents!).  It was so much fun!  Awkward at a few points, but a really fun game!  We actually played the entire deck.

The following morning, on Memorial Day, we had to check out by 11am.  My mom made another nice breakfast of pancakes and sausage with mimosas.  It was packing and cleaning time!  We were out of the house by 10:30am and split up.  My parents, brother, and sister-in-law all opted to back downtown to do more shopping.  Me, Scott, and the boys decided to go to Oval Beach since we hadn't been last summer or this trip.  The weather was weird.  Warm and sunny some moments and cool and cloudy other moments.  The beach was absolutely stunning though!  We stayed for about an hour and a half and then went to get a big lunch downtown before driving home.  We picked a pizza place that was okay.

It was quite a different weekend than our typical Memorial weekend since we usually go up to Scott's parent's cottage.  But, it was so much fun!  And we really enjoyed spending time with my brother and sister-in-law!  I teared up saying goodbye, but the sunglasses hid my glossy eyes.  It's so hard having family across the country, but I'm hoping to take the boys out there next summer to visit.  They haven't been out since 2014.  It's time to head back since they'll be able to see more and do more this time.