And, it is FINALLY HERE, the long awaited and much deserved SUMMER BREAK! Right now, James, MJ, and I are sitting in the living room of our Log Lake rental cottage in Michigan. James and I are sipping some coffee as MJ takes a little snooze. Maybe, we will go for a walk around the lake when she wakes up. Ah...the freedom and lightness of summer :)
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| Last day of school! |
We have been on summer vacation for a little over a week now, and it has been absolutely wonderful! Our last day of school was on June 19, and we were picked up for the airport just a couple of hours later. Our first flight was to Frankfurt, Germany, and it was 6 hours long. Our second flight was to Chicago, and that flight was 9 hours long. And our last flight was to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and that flight was about an hour long. 3 flights in total. We were all in and out of sleep for most of the flights, which worked out nicely. MJ got just a bit fussy at the end of our 9-hour flight, but I think we were all a little fussy by that point ;) It was a long way home, but well worth the trip, and we are SO happy to be in the U.S. for the next couple of weeks.
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| On our flight to Germany |
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| In my baby bassinet |
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| Snoozin' on our flight |
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| Still snoozin' |
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| On our flight to Chicago |
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| Very happy our flight is almost over! |
We started our summer vacation with a night in Grand Rapids where we met up with James' brother, Troy. And the next day, we got our rental car and drove to Kalkaska, Michigan (where most of James' family lives) where we rented a house near Log Lake. We have already done a lot of fun things here in Michigan. We started it off with a Father's Day breakfast at "Brew" in Traverse City. We got to order coffee and beer as part of our breakfast! And we have done a ton of hanging out with our Michigan family - shopping, lunches out, family dinners, and more!
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| At the Log Lake cottage |
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| Looking pretty! |
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| Playing in our jammies |
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| The Rampley/Wilson family |
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| Cousins - Molly & Cheyenne! |
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| Uncle Thomas with the girls |
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| Smiley baby |
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| Beer tasting :) |
There have been 3 highlights of our trip so far. The first highlight was going to the Jolly Pumpkin brewery in Traverse City for dinner. Pumpkin beer is my favorite, and although, that kind of beer is not in season right now, so they didn't have it on tap, we were able to buy a bottle of it! The brewery and restaurant is in this old haunted mansion type looking house. The atmosphere was fitting, the dinner was good, and the beer was even better!
The second highlight was making the drive to Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We visited the Lower Falls and then the Upper Falls, and there were nature walking trails all along the river there. The Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River and was a stunning sight to see. After hiking around the Upper Falls, there just so happened to be a brewery and restaurant in the State Park, so that was a bit of a treat at the end of our long journey!
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| At the Lower Falls |
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| Also at the Lower Falls |
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| The Upper Falls |
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| More of the Upper Falls |
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| Heading back down the trail |
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| Looking up at the beautiful trees |
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| Back at the Upper Falls |
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| Molly and Mama |
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| The Upper Falls again |
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| At the Shipwreck Museum |
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| Outside the museum on Lake Superior |
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| Family picture! |
And our third highlight so far was a family party for Baby Molly! With the help of James' Mom and Dad, we were able to organize a BBQ and party for family and close friends to meet Molly. James was on the grill, and MJ was passed around to all of our family and friends that wanted to hold her :) It was so nice to see and spend time with some family and friends that we had not seen in a while. Thank you to all who were able to make it out for the party!
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| At the party! |
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| Log Lake |
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| Molly & Great Grandma :) |
We are in Michigan until July 2 when we leave to drive to the Jersey shore! Michigan has treated us well so far, and we still have a couple more days here. We have a shore house rented in Sea Isle City on 38th street from July 4 until July 25, and then, we will be staying with my Mom and Dad at Bayberry Cove for about 2 more weeks. We head back to Saudi Arabia on August 9, but I don't want to think about that just yet!
We are so happy to be home, and we are hoping to spend time with all of our family and friends while we are here. It will be a busy next couple of weeks, but don't hesitate to reach out to us! We LOVE and have missed you all, and we can't wait to see the rest of you so soon! XO
Stay stoked.
