Mackinac Island, MI

This past weekend we loaded up the Honda and drove to northern Michigan to visit the famous Mackinac Island on Lake Huron. And as you can see, we roughed it! Dan's been itching to get the camping gear out at least once before it gets too cold so here was our humble abode for the weekend!

We planned out our meals they were YUMMY! Friday night we had marinaded chicken drumsticks with corn. Saturday morning we made omelets and turkey sausage. and Saturday night we had blue cheese turkey burgers and potato salad! I think if I ever want Dan to make dinner I just need to build a fire, break out the cast iron and away he'll go!

Camping would not be complete without smore's! We picked up a little tip from some friends last time we went camping... instead of graham crackers and hersey's chocolate, use fudge strips cookies! Below I have demonstrated how to make and eat the perfect smore :)

Saturday morning (after our hardy omelet) we took the ferry to Mackinac Island to spend the day. What's so cool about the Island is that motorized vehicles have been prohibited on the island, with the exception of snowmobiles during the winter. Travel on the Island is either by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage... Cool  Huh!? Here are some pics of the coast from the ferry and also the downtown area.

All of the houses on the Island are period homes (even brand new ones under construction we saw). Each home is so elaborate and different. Most have been renovated into Bed & Breakfast's but there are still many private residences that serve as summer cottages. We took a peak at some reality and basic cottages were going for $2mil. INSANE!

Since the only way to get around the Island is foot, bicycle or carriage the quickest way round is a bike. So you can imagine how many bicycles there were. Bikers were everywhere! And when it came time to park your bike, good luck finding an open spot lol

The Island is about 8 miles in circumference and more than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park. Instead of taking a carriage tour we decided to rent a bike and bike the entire island's coast. And it was beautiful! The water on Lake Huron is crystal clear, the forest is so lush and green!

Here we are at the Arch Rock. It's a small hike up to it but the view is worth it. This gives you an idea how beautiful the coastline is.

Here we are on our tandem bike! We had such a good time riding along the coast, stopping to see the sites, "ooo-ing and ahh-ing" the gorgeous homes and walking the downtown cutsie shops. Our trip wouldn't be complete without some famous Mackinac Island Fudge either... So we got 3 lbs of it! Good thing we biked off all those calories :)

Conclusion: Mackinac Island is a must see! We can't wait to go back next summer!

Beach Lover?

Now living in Grand Rapids, we live close to Lake Michigan...which Michigander's refer to as "the beach." Bless their little hearts, Lake Michigan is NOT the beach. But, it has sandy shores and water that goes beyond the eye can see so I can see how they get confused...

Today was our first trip this summer so we looked up a dog beach so we could bring Sadie along. I think she liked the car ride there more than the actual beach itself. See for yourself...

I was certain that she would just LOVE the beach! Turns out we have a little bit of a wussy dog on our hands. She wouldn't go near the water! There were dogs jumping and splashing around and she just sat there! She just kept walking around on the sand like she didn't know what to do lol. So with a little encouragement Dan gave her a beginner's swim lesson.

And again...

We were only there a little over an hour before she was ready to go. I felt so sorry for her, she kept sniffing the sand and therefore would get sand all over her nose and face! Ok, so we didn't get a beach bum doggie to add the family but we'll keep her anyway.

Harry Potter Premier!

And so the end has come....Last night at 12:01am we began the journey to the end of Harry Potter. And IT.WAS.AWESOME!!! 

I was one of the weirdo's who had NOT read the books and did NOT know how the series ended. And believe me when I tell you it is difficult to stay in the dark when it comes to Harry Potter! But I'm happy to report that I succeeded. I went into part 2 of the Deathly Hallows and did not know how it ended! I've been catching up on my reading but I'm only through book 4. But now I'm even more excited to read books 5, 6 and 7! Here's how our evening panned out....

Daniel and I arrived about 7pm to save seats in line. Outside the movie theater they were playing Muggle Quiddich, I've only heard of it recently... They ride around on broom sticks and try to throw a ball through three different sized hoops. It looked like a lot of fun!

Inside the theater was the Wizards Ball. It was a formal event with all you can eat food and drinks. You could  get your picture taken with people dressed up as the Harry Potter cast. Tickets also got you into a double feature... Deathly Hallow's part 1 and 2. We did not attend the Wizard's Ball...tickets were $125 each, but we viewed it from our line above :)

Daniel and I went early to save 6 seats. We went with 2 other couples from our ward but they couldn't get there until about 10pm. Dan and I ate Wendy's in line, watched part 1 on the Ipad and "rested" while we waited. I also got all amped up with yet another 5 hour energy (as reportedly taken at the last Harry Potter premier)

Here is all 6 of us before the lights went down...Joe, Alyssia, Travis, Shauna, Me and Dan

As expected, we had a great time! HARRY POTTER FOREVER!