So, it’s almost 2:00, and the rules of blogging say only post in the morning, but there are no rules in summer; so here I am, sitting at a picnic table with a wifi signal that can’t compete with the strength of nature, and I am posting mid-afternoon because I feel like it. As much as things slow down in the summer, I still love blogging up here. I have some fun summer partnerships that I love working on, and in between, I’ll drop in to stamp my Michigan-loving heart in this place and store memories and feelings that inspire me all year long. I hope you love the Michigan posts, but I’m okay if you’re all, “WE GET IT! You love Michigan.”

A few years ago, in a little Northern Michigan shop coincidentally, I found a photography coffee table book entitled Summertime (it’s less than half of what I paid right now on Amazon) that inspired me so much–gave me the most nostalgic feeling every time I opened it and ignited not only my creativity but my awareness of how many little things I love about summer from the sight of laundry drying on the line to the way it feels to slip in to a body of cold water on a hot day. That feeling is the sole inspiration behind all my photo-taking up here. And when we get home, we’ll bind it in a little book that will stay out all year, reminding us that though we also love the hustle and motivation behind our busy everyday life, the fuel lies in the moments when we drink up the simple pleasures.

We spend most of our days outside this month–on the dock…

…and in Poppa’s gardens.

Summer Bucket List Check: Catch a frog…toad will do.

A butterfly outside the butterfly house:

My dad has two bunnies this year, but a sweet neighbor who knew we are visiting had some baby bunnies she brought by the other day for the kids to hold.

Nella’s wand is having the best summer ever. She lost a tooth last week and was anxious to spend her dollar the tooth fairy left her (outside a fairy door on an outside tree as Nella made it known she was not interested in her coming near her pillow while she was sleeping). There aren’t many choices for shopping up here besides the Ace Hardware and a small town Merchandise Mart that’s kind of a cross between a Big Lots/Value City/Dollar Store/residential garage sale. I took the little ones to the Merchandise Mart, and they thought it was Disney World. We left not only with a new ribbon wand (!!), but a red cowboy hat, 2 light-up mohawk wigs, three bouncy balls, some outdated bath toys and a ballerina necklace.

One of my favorite things in the whole world is to come down to the lake after the sun has set and swim by myself as the moon gets higher and the world gets quiet. Sometimes there are tagalongs.

Another check off our bucket list was strawberry picking. We returned to AJ’s Farm in Lashine, Michigan this year at the tail end of picking season and still found lots of perfect berries to pick.

Nella ate every single one she picked, per usual.

We ended with some raspberries and saskatoons and brought them all home to make a pie that night.

The lake is calling…Happy Summering. xo

This post is sponsored by Marshalls.

Remember that mystery trip I told you about? The one I was all packed for but didn’t know the destination? Holy Beignets, was it fun. And yes, I just gave it away. In celebration of what Marshalls is known for–not knowing exactly what you’re going to get when you walk in but always finding something good–I took that surprise element to a new level, using the surprises I found at Marshalls to pack for my surprise trip. Everything I packed, brought and wore for this trip I found at Marshalls–clothes, hat, sunglasses, backpack, suitcase, shoes, travel snacks, purse…everything. And with that little push to be adventurous–I mean, I said yes to a mystery destination after all–I found myself inspired to be a little more adventurous with everything else on this trip too from what I wore (bathing suit as top) to what I ate (I tried alligator cheesecake!).

My best friend is good at saying yes to adventure, so Heidi came with me for the fun which began with getting dropped off at the airport early in the morning with a sealed envelope. After finding a good spot in the terminal to open our surprise, we ripped that baby open to pull out the “You’re Going to New Orleans!” sign…followed by schoolgirl giddy jumping and squealing. I tend to return to things I know and love in life–places I’ve been to that I want to return to, meals on menus that I’ve tried and trust. I love that this destination was picked for me.

Now I know what an incredibly colorful, musical, resilient, cultural, beautiful city New Orleans is.

Where do I begin? When in doubt, start with beignets. Oh my Lord, the beignets! We knew this city was known for its food, and we wanted to experience as much of it as we could. Marshalls teamed up with Pack Up + Go which did an incredible job at guiding us through the city and providing all the tips from locals of what we needed to experience. I have a friend in New Orleans as well who was texting me throughout the trip, “MUST EAT AT PARKWAY! Order the shrimp po’boy! You HAVE to go to Jacques-imo’s! Get the alligator cheesecake!” And all those wonderful New Orleans tips from Instagram followers–one of my favorite things about Instagram. The most repeated advice? Get your butt to Cafe Dumonde for one of the most famous beignets in the world. We walked there late at night (they’re open 24/7!), and I swear, I SAW GOD.

I was born again that night.

And, why yes–we had beignets again the next day (tried Cafe Beignet the second day–also out-of-this-world delicious, but we liked Cafe Dumonde better–softer, squishier).

(Favorite sunnies for the summer & the best lightweight shirt –it was hot!–Marshalls.)

Other favorite food places we tried:

Jacques-Imo’s–out of the French Quarter and right next to a local favorite jazz bar, The Maple Leaf which was definitely a highlight of the trip.

Parkway Tavern–also off the beaten path a bit, but worth it. Shrimp Po’boy, cold root beer in a long neck bottle. Heaven.

The Carousel Bar where we stayed, Hotel Monteleone (the bar slowly turns!):

Pat O’Brien’s Piano Bar in the French Quarter.

Breakfast at The Ruby Slipper, named for “There’s No Place Like Home”–what it felt like for locals to finally return after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina:

Not shown in photos–The Gumbo Shop which served up the most delicious trio of red beans & rice, crawfish etouffee and shrimp gumbo. Basically, we just ate our way through the city.

I felt like I belonged in that city with this dress I fell in love with. When it got especially hot, I tied the bottom up …

I mean, everyone else was showing leg. When in Rome.

What did we do on our visit? We walked. We never stopped walking, exploring the streets, taking in the sights, pausing only to pop in a shop, grab a drink at a colorful bar or listen to the music of the street performers.

I almost wore a little heel, inspired by the city’s “Go big or go home” vibe, but the sane part of me whispered, “Girl, you crazy.” So glad I listened.

Comfy espadrilles for the win.

We were mesmerized by the architecture and stories hidden in the Garden District. There wasn’t a single house, corner, gate that didn’t make you want to stop and take a picture.

Many of the houses have plaques displayed in the front, detailing when the house was built, who owned it and the families who’ve lived there. So many stories.

We stopped to talk to neighborhood residents, our favorite a kind gentleman named Warren who proudly showed his house, told us where Beyonce’ and Sandra Bullock own homes and invited us to come to his church (“get there early or you won’t get a seat.”)

The historic St. Charles streetcar, the oldest continuously operating streetcar in the world:

And, oh yeah–I stopped in a little vintage shop and picked up a fascinator to wear around town because…Choose Surprise. 

Every bit of this trip was so much fun, and I’m inspired so much more to create more little surprises in life for myself and those I love.

(…and so thankful for a friend who was an absolute blast to share this trip with. My “Let’s GO! DO! SEE!” adventure match.)

When Marshalls first reached out to me, I was thrilled to work with them on this partnership because–well sure, fun trip!–but I’ve been a Marshalls shopper all my life and what they were highlighting on this trip–the excitement of surprise–is exactly what I love about them. There’s a Marshalls right near where I work out, and I frequently run in on my way home for a quick look, simply because I love that there’s new surprises each time. I’ve found so many of my favorite designers and brands at Marshalls for a fraction of what they normally sell, and heading into this trip was even more fun knowing I was perfectly prepared, thanks to Marshalls.

That backpack though. That baby’s going to carry me right through the rest of our summer adventures and then some.

Finding more ways to find, choose and love surprises this summer…

 

So, we made it to Michigan. I’m starting with “So” because we listened to a lot of Moth podcast story hours on the way up, and I swear 9 out of 10 storytellers began their speeches with the word “So.” When we weren’t listening to podcasts or begging the kids to stop calling “Mom” from the backseat, we were passing the time with made up games like Porn vs. Jesus which is a very easy game to play on the stretch of I-75 between southern Georgia and northern Indiana where the good southern Baptist attempt to balance out the billboards for adult bookstores and truck stop strippers with their own ads–spaced only a few yards away–that say things like “Jesus Saves” and “Hell is Real.” We imagined sweet church secretaries driving through Cordelle, Georgia, horrified at the sight of a new display of the devil’s advertising, grabbing their phones to call the church trustee: “Hank! Get the checkbook. Mile marker 157.” Sadly, the church funds couldn’t compete although Jesus gave it a good run through Indiana where he almost caught up.

Note: My dad just read this and said, “Can you please make Jesus win? Just say he won.”

“But he didn’t,” I replied. “It’s just a billboard game.”

“I don’t like that he didn’t win. Can you just–”

“How about I add ‘For the record, we were rooting for Jesus.'” I offered. “And maybe something about us evening out the score for all the goodness we brought to the highway from our minivan?”

“Okay, that’s better.”

I get it. In a complicated world of cheap road porn, we want good to prevail.

I should add I’m typing this from the dock on my new Mac (Finally switched!) that Brett won from work that replaced my archaic bulky ‘ol bogged down laptop I’ve had since before Lainey was born. Except I didn’t have a chance to buy and load the software I need for my photos, so I ended up bringing both laptops–one to edit my photos and one to write without waiting 10 hours for something to load. That’s about how all the prep went this year for this trip. Last year, I had everything ready–hotels booked, suitcases packed far in advance, house clean, beds made and everything ready for the first day of school so that when we rolled back in from summer travels, we were right on track for the next chapter. But this year, I got so busy, I just threw some stuff in suitcases and peeled out of the driveway, apologizing to Brett for the house left in shambles. “Kids sheets are in the dryer–think you could remake their beds by the time we come home?” I did plan Mackinac Island nautical attire though because priorities.

The nice thing about having nothing planned is that it leaves more room for adventure. So many favorite little things about our road trip would never have happened if I had mapped out every detail.

We veered off in Cleveland, Georgia to revisit one of the weirdest places on the planet–Babyland General Hospital, where Cabbage Patch Kids are born and where Cabbage Patch Kid nurses wear scrubs and take their jobs very, very seriously. When we asked if we’d be able to see a live birth, one of the nurses replied with a straight face, “Mother Cabbage is six leaves dilated. It will probably still be an hour.”

Stopping in Helen, Georgia takes us off course a bit, but we include it on our route because we love the little Bavarian town so much. We skipped tubing the Chattahoochee River this time because it was so shallow, and we saw too many people getting stuck.

But we did hike up to Anna Ruby Falls where Lainey practiced her handstands, Dash pooped in the wild and Nella convinced my cousin Tessa into letting her piggyback UPHILL for half a mile.

In previous years, I’ve had a cabin in Georgia booked months in advance. But seeing as our theme was “unprepared” this year, I started scrambling for cottages on Airbnb the day we needed it which ended up being the perfect way to do it because not much was available which meant we chose a cabin in the mountains of Suches, Georgia–45 minutes off course. But we had a feeling after reading the description. I was sold at “Farmhouse built in 1890“.

After a long drive up mountain switchbacks, we were greeted by the friendly red face of this old cottage. As soon as I saw the rocking chairs  and resident cat on the front porch and the old tire swing overlooking the mountains and field of cows, I knew it was the perfect fit for us. And that night? A night I know my kids will remember forever. We found an old record player and a stack of vinyls–Nat King Cole and piano classics–and played them while we cooked chicken and corn on the cob on the old enamel stove; made vodka sodas with lime; lit the travel candle I’ve been hauling in my purse; toasted to the night we knew would be special.

Upstairs, we found a stack of board games–Parcheeze, Badgammon and Sorry which the kids chose. And then I saw the DVD player and remembered we hadn’t yet watched Parent Trap this summer, and I had it in the car. So Sorry and Parent Trap it was–in the old cabin in the mountains on the night that set the tone for our summer.

Here’s where it gets good. As if I wasn’t already walking through the cabin all day, saying “Oh my God, Oh my God, oh my God” at every little perfect detail from the creaky floors to the tiny carved canoe in the window sill, the next morning as I was sipping my coffee on the front porch, I looked out and saw a little wooden screened porch on the property. “Wait, is that a–” I pointed out to my cousin. “DEAR GOD, IT IS. IT’S A BATHTUB KIDS!” And another round of Oh-my-Gods because I am that annoying overkill enthusiast and then, “KIDS! KIIIIIIDS! GET OUTSIDE! WE’RE TAKING A BATH IN THE CLUBHOUSE!”

And just like that, our summer was made.

Next up–a quick stop in Chattanooga for my kids’ favorite pastime of playing in the downtown fountains and pizza at Mellow Mushroom…

…and then Nashville where we parked it for the night near Vanderbilt University and hit up some of our favorite Nashville stops in the 12 South area.

Popsicles from Las Paletas…

Edley’s barbecue for dinner and breakfast the next morning at the Frothy Monkey followed by doughnuts from Five Daughters.

Another quick stop in Carmel, Indiana to love on my friend’s baby…

And then so much honking as we finally passed the Michigan state line. My sister greeted us in East Lansing and delivered the most special night of memories for my kids that included park visits, a walk downtown, late night sparklers and a backyard tent campout.

Finally, we journeyed north for the last few hours of our trip and made it just in time for Lewiston’s annual Fourth of July boat parade. And by “just in time,” I mean I was still driving in the car when my dad called and said, “Hurry! We’re at the dock waiting for you.” So we parked and ran, jumped on a boat and took our place in the parade. And as I searched the other boats to find who in God’s name was singing God Bless America for all the lake to hear and discovered it was my father–waving a giant American flag from his boat–I realized, “We’re home.”

Speaking of my father, he organized a group of residents to celebrate the diverse roots that compose America in the Fourth of July parade yesterday by asking them to walk behind the Statue of Liberty carrying signs and flags proclaiming their roots. He put together Scottish outfits for my kids in honor of his Scottish grandmother and even fashioned some mini bagpipes for Dash from bamboo, a fanny pack and a hot glue gun.

Mad success, although I must hand it to the group representing Poland who brought their A-game with two professional Polish dancers. “Oh we see your enthusiasm,” we warned them, “and we raise you free samples of Scotch we’ll be passing out next year.

Nella took the parade as a great opportunity to exercise her wand talents.

And we took it as a great opportunity to celebrate family, our country…and have some fun.

And a huge thank you to my cousin Tessa who joined us for our trip. She’s never considered herself a “kid person” and once held baby Dash and said, “It sounds like a human” when he sneezed, but she was a trooper considering five days on the road with three kids isn’t easy. One of my favorite moments on the trip? When I left Tessa with the kids for a moment while I checked into our hotel and returned to Nella crying in her lap, Dash naked and laughing in the car and a horrified look on Tessa’s face. “He got a little crazy, and a voice came out of me that I’ve never heard before. It literally scared me.”

“Aw, Tessa,” I laughed. “You found your mom voice.”

Fair warning: I’m in my favorite place and my summer freak flag is flying so high.

Watching these kids enjoy summer makes me so happy.