A couple weekends ago, we had an absolutely lovely time celebrating our fifth anniversary a little early with a trip to Mackinac Island. We started the drive up to Michigan on a Thursday evening and stayed with my Aunt Judy in Holland, MI, that night. It was a treat to see her, and she spoiled us with banket (a favorite Dutch pastry) for dessert AND breakfast. On Friday morning, we visited my 98-year-old Grandpa and my grandma Ruth. Grandpa and Ruth were both widowed before they married each other, and they just celebrated their 24th anniversary; can you imagine re-marrying in your 70's and then being married for more than 20 years?! After looking at a bunch of Grandpa's fishing and hunting pictures, we left to finish the drive up to Mackinac.
Mackinac Island sits in the waters where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet, between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. We saw some gorgeous fall colors on the trees as we drove north - vivid reds, lively oranges, and bright yellows, especially beautiful contrasted with the white trunks of the birch trees. The colors were a little past peak on the island itself, but we still got to enjoy a lot of pretty yellows and browns. From the highest elevation on the island, we had splendid views of colorful leaves and vast blue waters.
My husband spoiled me with all kinds of gifts for the weekend. Before we left, he let me buy a new dress that cost a lot more than I would usually spend. Then he gave me two new CDs to enjoy on the drive - Overdressed by Caedmon's Call and The Trumpet Child by Over the Rhine. When we arrived at our bed and breakfast, he surprised me with some bubble bath, massage oil, and a neck pillow. We had just talked about a month before about how I would like him to grow in creativity and initiative when it comes to romance, so I was very blessed by all the loving and thoughtful gifts!
We stayed at the Bay View Bed and Breakfast (which was really more like an inn, but still lovely). We brought movies and books along and spent a lot of time relaxing together in our cozy room, enjoying the special Bay View blend coffee that was always available. We took a carriage tour of the island one day, and we biked all around it the next. (Mackinac doesn't allow any motorized vehicles on the island, so all transportation is by horse or bike.) On Saturday night, we attended a ballroom dance at the Grand Hotel. We've taken a few lessons and feel confident with basic foxtrot, waltz, cha cha, and swing steps, but we were way out of our league with this crowd! Still, it was a joy to dance together and to try to pick up a few new moves by watching the near-professionals on the floor. It made us both want to take more lessons!
The long weekend on Mackinac Island was so restful; the pace of life is so much slower there. What a blessing to spend almost five days of peaceful, uninterrupted time with my dear husband!
(I'll post pictures tomorrow; that way I can fill up another day for NaBloPoMo!)
6 comments:
My mom lives in Michigan, and she's sent me several pictures of the leaves in her 'hood--they are really beautiful (especially to my eyes, which are still longing for something other than green on the trees).
We visited Mackinac Island a few years ago, but were only there for a few hours (we were staying in Gaylord at the time and just drove up to Mackinac for the day). I would have loved to have taken the tour and to see the inside of the Grand Hotel. I'm so glad you guys had such a great restful time in such a beautiful place!
I just started listening to Trumpet Child and am enjoying it a lot! Sounds like a lovely getaway time for you two. I'm glad you let Aaron know what you want - Dave and I were just on a panel talking to high schoolers about Christian marriage and one piece of advice I talked about was a line from Dr. Okholm back at Wheaton, "Verbalize expectations!" Spouses aren't mind readers, as much as we might like them to be. Anyhow, enjoyed the pics and looking forward to more NaBloPoMo posts!
What a wonderful time away!!!
I'm so glad you had such a good anniversary trip to Mackinac Island. (Since I still read aloud in my head, it is pronounced "Mackinaw", right?) The Bay View b&b looks fantastic, & a ballroom dance at the Grand Hotel -- wow! One of my all-time favorite memories is of taking those dance lessons at the park in Chicago with y'all.
Yep, it's pronounced Mackinaw.
So glad you are posting this month too--and thanks for all your lovely comments over in my neck of the woods=) Im going to catch up on your posts!
Post a Comment