Summer Vacation 2010

This summer we embarked on an over five week long road trip with the plan to see lots and lots of family.  This was my longest vacation since childhood.  I don’t know if Mike can claim the whole time as vacation since he worked some remotely, but regardless, it was a long time to be away from home.  I was a little afraid that it would be too long, but that certainly wasn’t the case.  If anything, it went way too fast.  Here is a link to all the pictures if you want to skip straight to them.

Part I – The Drive Up (July 1 – 4)

Leaving Texas on July 1st, we loaded the two kids and the dog (and ourselves) into the car and headed north.  This (right picture) was how we rolled.  Mike would drive and I typically rode shot-gun.  Every once in awhile I’d hangout in the back with the kids if April was fussy.  Both kids and the dog did way better than we could have dreamed.  Mike and I quickly learned that there are few worse things on a road trip than having two sleeping kids and needing to stop for gas.  (Sleeping in general went fantastic – Praise the Lord!).  April was the blow-out queen (I’ve never seen so many), we had only one major meltdown from Abe, and no puking from the dog.

Since both kids are quite young we knew stops, play time and lots of flexibility would make or break the trip.  With that in mind, we planned one big stop each day and just took the rest of the drive in stride, stopping as needed.  On Friday we swam at a pool in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then that night we ate some great BBQ in a beautiful park in Memphis.  Saturday’s stop was Mammoth Cave (left) in Kentucky.  (We were very pleased that they had outdoor kennels that you could rent for your dog so we could actually go.  More places need to do this, like, say, at The Arch in St. Louis…)  Saturday night we crashed with Mike’s cousin Michelle and her boys just south of Columbus.

Since Sunday (the 4th) was an easy driving day, we met my best friend of 22 years and her family at the Columbus Zoo (right and below) for the day.  It is impossible to hit the entire zoo in one day it is so huge.  I’d guess we covered about 25% of it.  Thankfully, Sarah and her family have season passes, so they had the inside scoop on the cool things to do: the train, the boat, and, of course, the animal show.  All were super big hits with Abe.  It really wasn’t about the animals of course; for me, it was about reconnecting with Sarah, Matt and the kids.  Once we left, I asked Abe what his favorite animal was.  He said, “The giraffes…did they have giraffes?”  Me: “No, actually, they didn’t.”  Abe:  “Oh, then the elephants.”  I think his mind was made up before we ever set foot in the zoo.  We then drove the remaining couple hours to Mike’s hometown, arriving in time for the most impressive firework display I have ever seen.

For more pictures of our drive up, click here.

Part II – Ohio (July 5 – 15)

The next ten days were spent hanging out with Mike’s family.  We spent a lot of time just chilling at either Mim’s or Katie’s.  Ryan and Katie were nice enough to let us bring Dexter whenever we came over.  This meant we got some up close wild-animal-kingdom entertainment as Dexter and their cat Lucy interacted.  Dexter got a bloody nose one time – which he deserved – and one time Lucy was in Dexter’s mouth – which she did not deserve.  Poor cat.  She climbed a tree for the first time in her life.

It was good to be in town for such a long time and just take the days as they came.  Many afternoons were spent at the city pool or playing in the sprinklers at Grandma’s.  Other fun things included the Massillion Rec Center (indoor water park), Tuscora Park (kids amusement park), a magic show, a petting zoo and some shopping.  It was fun for Abe to get to know his cousins and Uncle Ryan and Aunt Katie (he knows Grandma Mim).  Abe and Mallory especially played so well together and Abe has been branded “the tickle monster” by Aunt Katie.  A week and a half after we had left home and Abe said to Mike, “I no longer live at my house.”  He wasn’t upset about it or anything; just stating “facts”.  April just tagged along wherever we went and remained the happy, easy baby that we are use to.

Fire flies were in abundance in Ohio, especially at Grandma’s.  When they came out at dusk was my favorite part of the day.  If we were driving, it was so beautiful to watch them light up the fields and I couldn’t help but thank God for His creativity in making them.  If we were at Grandma’s already, Mike and Abe would go out to catch them while I put April to bed.  There were so many that Abe could catch them easily, and one time even caught one in his mouth!

For more pictures of our time in Ohio, click here.

Part III – Family Reunion (July 16 – 18)

Every year Mim’s side of the family gets together for a family reunion.  It’s held in Pennsylvania, about a 3 hour drive from Mike’s home town.  Three hours, that is, if you don’t have to stop 5 times in the first 10 miles out of town and don’t take the scenic route to get there.  It’s typically held at a Mennonite camp south of Pittsburgh and is just a great time to chill, eat, swim, do puzzles, play games, etc.  This was my fifth reunion, Abe’s third, and April’s second.  Well, April’s second if you count that I was 11 weeks pregnant with her at the reunion last year.  So really her first and the first time for all of the family to meet her.  Not surprisingly, she was a main attraction and was her typical smiley, happy self.  She handled being passed around like a champ.  In fact, both kids did fantastic.

I knew April would be the youngest one there; what threw me a bit was that BOTH of our kids were the youngest ones there.  Granted, Abe is only a couple of months younger than the next, but it was quite a wake up call to realize that poor April won’t have any cousins, even second cousins, near her age.  In fact, if there is one thing that hit me the most over this entire trip it was how young our kids still are.  In my mind Abe is getting so big, and he is, but he is still very young.  Time is going fast, but he’s not graduating from high school yet or anything.

The reunion ended on Sunday after lunch and then we drove back to Mim’s where we spent the night.  After a late breakfast with Katie and the kids on Monday we were headed out of town to begin the next phase of our trip.

For more pictures from the reunion, click here.

Part IV – Goshen, IN (July 19 – 20)

On the drive up from Mike’s family in Ohio to mine in Michigan we stopped in Indiana to see more of family, this time on Mike’s Dad’s side.  The main attraction of this stop was to see Grandma Irene.  We arrived at Uncle Paul and Aunt Anita’s just in time to crash their dinner.  Grandma was there, but left just minutes (if that) after we arrived;  she’d had a long day and was ready to turn in.  We spent a very nice evening with Paul and Anita, Doug and Val, and Faye.  It was nice to spend some time with them all and get to know them just a bit better.  Except for Faye, I’d only ever met everyone at our wedding reception in Ohio, and this was my first time meeting Val.  I can’t think of anyone in Mike’s family that I don’t like and this was no exception.  Abe had a blast playing guitar and hanging by his feet (wish I had a picture of that) with Uncle Paul and Uncle Doug got his workout swinging our little guy around.  Aunt Val loved on April when she wasn’t asleep on Mommy; Anita got her April time the next morning.  I’m not sure why I don’t have any pictures of Aunt Faye…

Speaking of the next morning, we were hopeful to spend some time with Grandma then, but unfortunately, circumstances conspired against us and it didn’t work out.  That was the only big disappointment of the trip, not being able to spend time with her.  We were blessed by Anita and Faye joining us at our hotel for coffee and a little more hang time.  After some brief window shopping at the Old Bag Factory, we headed up to my parents’ place in Michigan.

Click here for a couple more pictures from Indiana.

Part V – Michigan (July 21 – July 30)

Tuesday afternoon we arrived at my parents’ house.  After the reunion and the drive up, we were so happy to crash somewhere, knowing we didn’t have another long drive for a while.  The weather was beautiful and that first evening my brother took us out on their lake in his boat.  What a perfect night for a ride and a swim.  Crazy Uncle Jeff even let Abe drive!  My sister and her family was due to arrive sometime on Friday, so while we waited for them we hung with my parents, hit some playgrounds, saw my friend Holly and her four beautiful children (the youngest a recent addition from Haiti), and played on the “germ tree” at the mall.

When Jill, Ron and the kids showed up we went into overdrive to keep kids and adults busy with summer fun.  After all, we had less than a week to hit the Holland Aquatic Center, Grand Haven’s boardwalk, Fredrick Meyer Garden, Tunnel Park/Beach, and more.  It was crazy-great to have the whole family in town.  I wish it could have been longer and allowed for some more down-time, but it was still wonderful.

To see more of our pictures from Michigan, click here.  I’ve even included a bunch from my sister.

Part VI – Upper Peninsula (July 31 – August 3)

On Friday afternoon we siblings went our separate ways:  Jill and her family headed back to New England, Jeff and his family left for camping, and we went left with Mom for Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula (Dad and Dexter were already there).  My Dad is an interim pastor and is currently at a church (left) about a half hour north of the bridge.  Finally, we found some cooler weather!  It was beautiful and quiet up there; sunny and cool during the day and pitch black and still at night.  It was also the first time that we were able to break out the cards and play some Rook with Mom and Dad.  Early bedtimes for the kids!!

Saturday we went to Sault Ste. Marie to see the locks (above left) and on Sunday we hit Brimley Park to swim in Lake Superior (above right).  Monday’s destination was the main attraction: Mackinac Island (below).  I kid you not – on Sunday night at 10:30pm we checked the weather, sunny with highs in the 80s, so we bought our ferry tickets.  We woke Monday morning to 75% chance of thunderstorms.  Seriously?  I could have cried.  But alas, we Dutchmen will not let good tickets go to waste.  We boarded the boat in the POURING rain, both kids in tow.

The cool thing about Mackinac Island is that motor vehicles have been banned since 1898.  Therefore, the only way to get around on the island is by foot, horse, horse-drawn carriage, or bicycle.  We arrived at the island just in time for lunch, so that was our first order of business.  With it still raining after lunch, we decided this was the best possible time to do our carriage ride, and we were right.  There is something very soothing, relaxing, and almost romantic about riding in a horse-drawn carriage in the warm rain while seeing and hearing all about the abundant history the island holds.  What was even better was that just toward the end of the tour, the rain let up and the sun came out.  The rest of the day was beautiful, even if a little on the warm side.  Hopefully we can make it back one day and rent bikes to tour the island from.

Tuesday we headed back over the bridge (the third longest bridge in total suspension in the world) and began the journey south once again.  We spent the night at my parents’ house, but before heading there we stopped where Jeff and Shelly were camping to spend the evening with them.  We hit the pool, took another boat ride, played on the playground and even sat by the campfire a bit.  So nice!  Wednesday was our last day in Michigan before we headed home.

Click here for more U.P. pictures.

Part VII – The Drive Back (August 4 – 7)

Thursday morning our trip was essentially done and it was time to begin the long trek back to the Lone Star State.  Our first day on the road was a short one since we stopped to visit and stay with Mike’s cousin Jen and her husband Damian in Indianapolis.  They have a dog, Frida, and she and Dexter became fast friends.  They played… and played… and played.  We went downtown for pizza and walked around some before retiring back at their place.  It was so nice to see their new house and spend time with them.  They are both so good with kids and Abe had a blast.  After breakfast with Jen in the morning (Damian had to work), we were headed to The Arch in St. Louis.

We’ve been to St. Louis a few times and have always enjoyed it.  While we’ve both been up in the Arch, this was our first time to go up together.  Of course, it was also the first time for both of the kids.  Even though this stop always seems to take longer than you think it should, it’s a nice break and well worth it.  We spent that night in Springfield, Missouri.  We made the decision to try for home the next day even though it meant driving three hours longer than normal.  We stopped in Tulsa at a city pool and playground and then pushed for home.  Texas, how we’ve missed your blue skies!  At 1:00am on Sunday morning we pulled into our own driveway – home sweet home.   It was totally worth the extra effort to be able to sleep in our own beds and Abe gave an audible sigh of joy to be back in his.  What troopers both kids were.   We all slept in and woke up the next morning to celebrate a special family birthday in our own home.  Sweet indeed.

Click here for more pictures of our drive back.

Our trip in numbers (not including day trips): 3940 miles,  68 hours driving, 12 different states, 10 different beds, 1761 pictures.