Michigan

A few weeks ago we hopped in the Shaffer minivan around 6 pm and with 3 babies and 4 adults drove all night to Michigan for Jon and Kim Pt. 2 (The strategy worked wonderfully well, the babies slept almost the whole 13 hour drive). Our family has been going to a cottage on Glen Lake for our whole lives and it has always been my favorite place in the world.

Since Jon and Kim had a tiny backyard wedding with just immediate family, our trip to Glen Lake was a chance for another party with the whole family. Aunt Mimi was in charge of this one and she went all out. The details were incredible. Our little cottage and beachfront was absolutlely transformed into this gorgeous lakeside, DIY, delicious, barefoot party.
Aunt Mimi made all the decorations, we spent the morning arranging fresh-cut wildflowers in blue-glass jars, we snacked on cherry everything (Northern Michigan is all about the cherries), we took breaks to go swimming.






Jon and Kim came straight from their honeymoon. They're still all glowy.


We cousins are very close, we all like each other so much and we keep in touch and hang out as much as we can. Almost everyone was at the lake this year, it was wonderful.
Glen Lake trips are chock full of traditions and things we always do, but one of the more recent traditions is putting the boy cousins through a 'gauntlet' before in order to deserve their bride. This year's gauntlet was pretty light-hearted, and this particular task involved Jon rowing to a few different rafts to find a candy ring for Kim.

The Nike Club is an ancient secret society founded with the purpose of ...no one knows what. But it's a big deal and is resurrected every year at the Lake in one form or another.

Obviously I didn't take these last pics, but they are of the day after the reception before we hopped back in the minivan to come home. I miss that place when we're not there. I wouldn't mind living in Northern Michigan. Not at all.