Last week, we took our first family trip up to Mackinac Island to enjoy a couple of nights of horse clip-clops, views of Lake Huron, and of course fudge. I remember going to Mackinac Island as a kid, but I became especially enamored of time spent on the island when Zack and I stayed at The Grand Hotel for MSU Arts Weekend two summers in a row.
That time I matched The Grand’s wallpaper
There is nothing like The Grand Hotel. When you’re there, it really feels like you’re going back in time, floating in its dreamy, Dorothy Draper-swathed universe. The service is impeccable, as are the grounds surrounding the hotel.
It’s wild to think that Zack and I are coming up on our 10th wedding anniversary (and 15 years together), which means we’re so close to our special trip to Paris. This will be our second visit to the City of Light.
The first time was during our study abroad trips to London in 2005; Zack and I had been dating for just under a year and had the good fortune of doing overlapping programs. We traveled to Paris with my parents for a long weekend when they came to visit us in London.
I had been taking French since sixth grade and always wanted to visit Paris one day. We packed a lot into a short amount of time, but I have been dreaming about going back for another visit. It feels like there are so many more resources available for planning a trip, from Airbnb to TripAdvisor to recommendations from friends and family. There is so much we didn’t see!
We’ve been spending the last several months making reservations and booking experiences for our trip. And, in the last month or so, I’ve been working on some of the practical things, like buying outlet converters and ordering our Paris Museum Passes.
But one of the biggest things I had to work on was having comfortable, stylish, and practical walking shoes.
In a summer filled with busy weekend plans, I found myself decidedly not busy on this beautiful summer Saturday. Stella is spending a couple of nights with my in-laws, and Zack had work commitments, so it was just going to be Margot and me for dinner tonight.
My friend Ellen sent me a message earlier this afternoon to say that she had been thinking about checking out Picnic A Food Truck in Lansing, and wanted to see if we’d like to join her. It sounded like a great way to enjoy yummy food, fun company, and a beautiful summer night.
I feel like I’ve been seriously slacking with my blog posts the last few weeks. I can only attribute it to a busy summer month of enjoying time at home with the girls, as well as working on my freelance writing assignments whenever nap time comes around.
We’ve been lucky to spend a lot of time at my family’s lake home this summer, but the thing about Michigan is that there are so many gems around the state to experience.
This past week, I enjoyed a wonderful 48 hours up north at Lake Arrowhead with my in-laws. My husband’s mom and stepdad rented a home on Lake Arrowhead for the week with his aunt Julie and uncle Randy, and the girls and I were invited to spend a few weekdays with them.
Lake Arrowhead is a community of subdivisions that surround Buhl Lake in Gaylord, Michigan. From the Lansing area, the car ride is about three hours. While I was a little intimidated about driving such a long distance on my own with both girls, I was also excited about the potential for exploring different parts of the state on the way up and way back home.
Here’s a recap of our wonderful 48-hour trip around our home state.
This past weekend, our family did something that we haven’t done since Margot was about two weeks old: we had professional photos taken of the four of us. While the girls have had photos taken each year as they’ve grown, there’s something really special about having photos of us all together. To be honest, I don’t know why we waited so long!
Photo by Rachelle Welling
I have known Rachelle Welling dating back to my time at FOX 47, when she was the producer for Michigan’s Big Show. We’ve stayed in touch via social media, and I’ve enjoyed seeing her adventures in travel, marriage, and motherhood over the years. Rachelle is a beautiful photographer, and recently launched her photography business. It’s something she is clearly passionate about, and she has her own distinct style.
When she posted on Instagram last month that she had some June weekend dates open for photo sessions, I reached out to see if we could schedule a morning to have photos taken of our family. Her rate was very reasonable for the services she provides, and she was willing to drive to meet us. As we contemplated locations, I realized she didn’t live too far from my family’s cottage in Ortonville. We decided to have Rachelle meet us at the cottage for part of the session, and then we would head to adorable downtown Clarkston to capture photos in a different setting. Being able to take photos in an area personal to us as a family made it even more special.
We had our photo session this past Saturday. Despite some iffy weather predictions, it ended up being a sunny and warm morning. Rachelle came to the lake at 9:00 a.m. and took photos in several spots around the exterior of the house. Considering the girls’ attention spans were limited, Rachelle was so engaging with them and captured so many wonderful candid and posed moments in a short amount of time. She had ideas for poses, but also let us try anything we were hoping to capture.
From there, we drove the 10 minutes to downtown Clarkston and took more photos together in different spots around town. With it being an early Saturday morning, it wasn’t too busy. Some of my favorite photos from the session were taken in the alleyway behind The Fed. All in all, the session lasted a little over an hour. After Rachelle left, we ended up having a late second breakfast at The Fed to cap off a fun morning.
Later that day, Rachelle sent a few sneak peek photos. From this little taste, I couldn’t wait to see the rest of them! And last night, Rachelle sent us the completed photo gallery. I love how well she captured our family, especially how silly our girls are. Rachelle’s photography style is reminiscent of old Life magazines to me, with this warm and vintage quality to them. I can’t wait to have several of the photos printed for frames and on canvases for the house.
When you have lived in a community for awhile, this kind of question often comes up among friends and family: “Hey, do you know of a good ___?” There’s power in the referral. It feels great when you find someone who is great at what he or she does, and it feels even better when you refer friends and family to that person and they also have a great experience.
It has been two weeks since I tried out Baby Foot, the cult favorite exfoliation foot peel that can make people feel either disgusted or delighted by their shedding feet, depending on their personalities. I’m a peeler/picker/Dr. Pimple Popper watcher, so this process didn’t scare me away at all.
I’ve been wanting to try this out for awhile, especially as the weather is (sort of?) getting nicer out finally and my dry feet are on display in my Birks. But the process does involve a lot of different components, so I wanted to make sure I was ready to commit.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the peely with Baby Foot. Fair warning: photos of peeling feet are on the way!
This past Saturday, we celebrated my cousin Erin’s baby shower. She and her husband will be welcoming their sweet baby daughter later this summer. They live in California, so it was such a treat to spend time together as a family and celebrate her over the weekend.
Erin is one of the biggest Dave Matthews Band fans I know. She was an early member of the Warehouse, has seen him dozens upon dozens of times live, and can even be seen in a photo with Boyd on the back cover of a DMB book (I’m pretty sure it’s Fan.Fare).
I had already ordered the diaper pail from her registry (girls are sugar and spice and everything nice but they also poop all of the time) and had it sent directly to her, but I wanted to have a little gift for her to open at the shower too. On Memorial Day, the lightbulb in my head went off and I thought, “hey, I bet there are DMB onesies out in the world.” I went on Etsy, and sure enough found an array of choices.
In addition to onesies with the fire dancer logo, there were such adorable ones with DMB lyrics, from songs like “So Much to Say” and “Everyday.”
Because I was working with a short timeframe, I purposely picked one that the seller said would be available to ship in time for the shower. When I didn’t receive any shipment updates, I contacted the seller on Thursday and found out there would be a delay. The seller was nice enough to offer to send the gift directly to my cousin or refund it all together.
I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see her open this gift in person at the party. That’s when I decided that I could probably make a DMB onesie on my own. In fact, why not try to make a few?
People say that fashions always come back around, and that is absolutely true. Look at any women’s clothing department lately, and it’s like a Delia’s catalog exploded onto the shelves. If you didn’t already know by the series reboots and reunion concert tours, the 90s are back, babe.
Recently, I’ve been wearing my vintage, acid-washed cropped Levis jacket to barre class and getting a lot of compliments. I still remember the day I bought it at one of my favorite vintage stores, Lost and Found Vintage in Royal Oak. It was about eight or nine years ago, and I was shopping with my husband and cousin when I spotted it and fell in love.
Zack likes to joke whenever I wear it that he told me I should buy it, when in reality both he and my cousin were iffy on the purchase. I called it my Kelly Kapowski jean jacket. And this past weekend, I saw brand new Levi’s jean jackets in a variety of light washes at Nordstrom. Everything comes back around.
Pregnant Kelly Kapowski vibes
Meeting Colin Hay
I’ve been a vintage clothing fan for the last decade or so, and have amassed a small collection of vintage dresses over the years. I love the thrill of finding a treasure of a dress buried in a clothing rack, waiting for a new lease on life. I am also especially excited when I find things that fit well. There’s something very special about wearing an outfit that can’t be found just anywhere.
I have a few go-tos when it comes to finding vintage treasures, so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite vintage shops.
March 3, 2017. That’s the day that mid-Michigan audiences gasped with excitement over the biggest theatrical announcement in years. “Hamilton” would be coming to the Wharton Center as part of the 2018-19 season. I can’t tell you how many people I know who purchased 2017-18 season packages that year just to guarantee their shot at “Hamilton” tickets.
Spring 2019 felt like it would take forever to get here, but when it comes to something as big as “Hamilton,” mid-Michigan audiences were willing to wait for it. And now, it’s here.
Wednesday night’s performance was my second time seeing”Hamilton” on stage, which in itself feels like an embarrassment of riches for one person to experience. This second viewing, nearly three years after the first, created a rare and special opportunity to relive the magic. There were nuances I hadn’t caught the first time around, or even on the 100th listen of the soundtrack.
Theodore Roosevelt said that “comparison is the thief of joy,” but the chance to examine all of the layers uncovered between my two “Hamilton” experiences made for a beautiful encore.
