Ren Fest Overload

 

So we usually hit up the renaissance festival each year.

This year? We went three times.

THREE.

 

Once a year is like the perfect amount; two is pushing it and three is almost painful.

 

Clay and I went once, then another time with family, and then another time with my friends. That's how much we love our family and friends - enough to engage in the Ren Fest Trifecta.

One Last Summer Fling

Before school started, my little family took a road trip slash vacation to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for some much needed R&R.

 

 

We spent a day at Mackinac Island, rented bicycles and explored the island, hiked to Arch Rock and other super cool landmarks. We ate mackinaw island fudge ice cream and bought sea salt caramel fudge & salt water taffy to take home.   

 

We took a ship ride to explore the breathtaking Pictured Rocks.

 

 

We took a glass bottom boat ride to see some famous Lake Superior ship wrecks, which Clay and I completely geeked out over. The captains were awesome and knowledgeable and entertaining and answered our children's many questions. 

 

an anchor!!!

 

We climbed down a 500-foot sand dune to find a Lake Superior beach that we had entirely to ourselves.  We hunted rocks, and skipped stones, and left our footprints in the sand.  We spent an hour climbing back up the dune, with the kids pretending to be bear cubs, and felt exhilarated when we finished.

 

 

We hiked through a forest to find a waterfall that we dipped our feet into.

 

 

We walked through quaint small towns. We found a winery and had a wine tasting where we picked up three bottles of wine- blackberry, raspberry, and honey peach. We went antiquing. We found this book store/ice cream shoppe/cafe, which we spent a lot of time in- playing chess, perusing books (I found 20 mint-condition Sweet Valley High books for only a dollar each that I'm still losing my mind over) and drinking double shot mochas. Well Clay and I did, the kids got double scoop ice creams.

 

We stayed in hotel with a water slide, swimming and sliding way past the kids' bedtimes then going to our room for a night of pizza, spotify playlists, and Old Maid. Another night we stayed in a hotel that was as close to a roughin'-it-cabin as one could get without actually staying in a roughin'-it-cabin.  

 

We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, fresh Lake Superior perch and homemade pasties for lunch, and ice cream for dinner. Clay and I found a brewery with this incredible blueberry beer and a diner with "world famous" blueberry muffins.

 

We took our time driving home, visited a bear park where we got to feed & pet a cub, stopped at a Mystery Spot (Gravity Falls, anyone?), played some putt putt, sang songs and had car dance parties.

 

We came home happy.

♥ ♥ ♥

Summer Time Fine

Labor day is just a few days away. And even though the official first day of fall is still weeks away, I'm pretty sure everyone considers this the unofficial end of summer. We have a family vacation that we're leaving for tomorrow morning and that will be our last hurrah. Overall, we've had a great summer. It's been quiet, but good.

 

We've kept busy with picnics in the park,

 

and random events throughout town like pottery painting and chemistry experiments and 

kiddo comedy & magic shows.

 

The kids did two weeks at Camp Copenconic,

 

and Narls took some science classes at the Planetarium.

 

We had a a week-long soccer clinic for Narls and a two-day poms clinic for Em.

 

And lots & lots of fun days with friends.

♥ ♥ ♥