A week away...

We were able to escape life for a week this month and head up to Charlevoix. Jut and I hadn't been on a vacation since we went to Sri Lanka five years ago, and we'd only done weekend excursions with the kids. So, we decided it was time to try a family vacation.

Early this spring, I researched different rentals in locations up north. After much deliberation, we choose to rent a little beach house on the shores of Lake Michigan just outside of downtown Charleviox. When I say it was a little house, I mean a little house. It was maybe 400 square feet with a tiny loft wide enough for a full sized mattress on one end and a twin on the other end. The "kitchen" was a countertop with a sink, mini fridge, microwave and ice maker. The grill was our main method of cooking for the week, which was wonderful for me because that meant that Jut did all the cooking...however the rainy days made the outdoor grill cooking was a bit of a challenge. There was a bathroom in the cottage, but the shower was outside on the backside of the cabin. The outdoor shower was nice when it wasn't raining or too breezy. It was a really fun little cottage. Jut and I look forward to the day that we can return child free and enjoy the ambiance of the setting.

We arrived on a Sunday evening and the kids wanted to immediately go and investigate the lake. So, I took the kids to the water while poor Jut unloaded our tremedously packed car and walked down (and then back up) the 58 steep stairs from the top of the dune (where the main house and car were) to the cabin. The kids fell in love with the water. E immediately started collecting stones. She had a pile so high on the beach by the end of the night that we could see it from inside the cabin. X loved just making the rocks go "splash"...so he spent forever throwing rocks into the lake. Were they content to just look at the water? Heavens no. Both were soaked by the end evening. Lake Michigan is early June is freezing. Both were like little ice cubes by the end but we still had to tear them away.

We enjoyed an absolutely gorgeous sunset and put the kids to bed. Thankfully they slept relatively well and did better as the week continued.

For the rest of the week, we enjoyed exploring Charlevoix and Petosky. The kids continued loving the water. We had fun building a sand castle, collecting rocks, throwing rocks in the water, walking along the beach. They never tired of the beach. It was great. It was kind of funny. E really wanted to find a park one day. So, we found one and played for awhile. But, I think she had much more fun playing at the beach later in the afternoon, and she didn't ask to go to a park again for the rest of the week.

One day while exploring downtown we got to see the drawbridge raise for a boat. Both kids loved it. E will still play 'drawbridge' from time to time and tell us that we can't pass. She's funny.

We had a couple campfires on the beach throughout the week. The kids loved S'mores by the fire or by the microwave on nights that a fire wasn't an option.

The last three days were a bit challenging weather wise. But, we found a place to go indoor swimming and explored more in the car. Plus, G'ma came and spent the afternoon with us one of the rainy days, which added some variety to life.

It was a very fun vacation and I can't wait for our next opportunity to get away as a family for an extended period of time. Life away from TV, the Internet and life's general demands is a wonderful change of pace.