Northern Michigan, patriotism and the last year of my 20s.

Do you remember being a kid in the summer? Remember playing so hard that you were dripping with sweat but didn’t really care? Or swimming for hours only to be called out of the water by the promise of an outdoor feast? Not realizing until you sat down, sopping wet, how hungry you really were? When I think of being a kid in the summer, I think of being Up North on the lake.

My grandparents, Oma and Opa, have a cabin in East Jordan. I have spent summers there on Lake Charlevoix for as long as I can remember. My cousins and I would kayak, canoe, roast marshmallows, create synchronized dance routines, dive, bike, fish and play nightly games of sardines. When we got too gross and Up Northy, Oma would send us to the lake with a bottle of Herbal Essences and have us “bathe” before retiring to the bunk house.

Summers at the cabin were my favorite thing in the world. They still are. Only now it’s because I get to pass this lake tradition on to my children.

Jack loves “Oma’s Up North House” (sorry Opa. For some reason, according to him, she gets full ownership.) It’s not hard to see why. The boy did it all.

There was swimming

And boating

Fishing

Super manly wood collecting and fire building

>>To go collect the wood, Jack puffed out his chest and marched alongside Grandpa and Daddy. He was proud to be out with the men. They took the car onto the seasonal roads and loaded up with fallen branches. That night, he got to stay up late (just look at how tired he is in the photo above) to roast marshmallows and watch the fireworks. Woo Hoo! America!<<

Jack watched, exhausted, in the safety of Grandpa’s lap. Because even the manliest men need a little snuggle here and there.

Lola watched, wide eyed as ever, from the comfort of Daddy’s lap. Not so sure about the bangs, she was in need of a snuggle too.

Jack and Grandpa went fishing. Not very successfully but just look at how cute this photo is. Love that boy.

And finally, there was some much needed, diaper clad, hammock time. Not all that relaxing as Jack would wait until you fell asleep and then hurl is body on top of yours.

We closed out our Northern Michigan vacation with the most special of days 🙂 My birthday. I have now entered into the last year of my 20s. What better way to celebrate than a chorizo breakfast with a side of Oma’s German potato salad? All my heritage wrapped into one amazing morning.

Followed by a night out in Petoskey with my college roomie, Abby, and her husband, Brendan. We had dinner at Twisted Olive, gelato from American Spoon and drinks at the Noggin Room. I highly recommend all three. Especially the burnt caramel gelato. Wow!

So happy to have shared another lovely weekend at the cabins with my family. Just the start of building lifelong memories with my own little crew. Amazing how life comes full circle like that.

With love from Detroit,

Callie