Grand Haven, MI
We had not been to Michigan in two years and the last two times that we did go, we went to the East side of the state to stay with Scott, Gloria, Zaina, and Vivi. Even though Scott was born in Apple Valley, CA, his Mom was born in Zeeland, MI. Her family is of Dutch heritage, so we had been wanting to go back to the West side to see the old ‘homeland’ and visit the beaches.
It wasn’t likely that we’d travel to MI next summer, with TWO (agh!) little ones, so we decided to take Ella on her first plane trip! She was great on the flight out and a little less great on the flight home, but overall we were super grateful for her behavior…and all without having to drug her!
We planned the trip so that it slightly overlapped with Scott, Glo and the girls’ trip to my parents’. We were able to explore downtown Grand Haven and get some family time in before they headed home.
The next day was spent scoping out the house where Scott’s Mom grew up and walking around the downtown where she spent most of her childhood. Of course, we stopped at Zeeland’s only brewery.
The following day, we spent the morning at the beach, where after some time, Ella loved running into and out of the water. The water was cold, but I couldn’t travel all that way without getting in. Fortunately, my Dad was willing to go in too! In the afternoon, Jim and Diane Madsen were kind enough to take us out on their pontoon boat. It was a great way to view the channel and shoreline.
A visit to Michigan wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the house where I spent 17 years and with a few familiar faces. We saw Mrs. Gillis and had dinner with my best friend growing up, Sarah Yost. I was able to meet her little one, Leela, who is 2.5 years old! We spent a morning with Dave and Jane Diesing, enjoying the lake view at their cottage, where I have so many memories growing up! Before our flight, we were able to catch breakfast with my Aunt Lily and cousins, Nick and Rebecca!
Our last two days were spent at Silver Lake; an inland lake with a picturesque view of the sand dunes, and a visit to Dutch Village in Holland, where Scott remembers going to on a trip from California with his family when he was five. We were able to get Ella her first pair of wooden shoes.
We’re super grateful for my parents, who bought or borrowed all our Ella necessities for the week. They spent the week preparing food for all of us and chauffeuring us around the lakeshore. For me, I hadn’t been to West Michigan in four years; it was fun to show Scott where I grew up. Summers in Michigan are beautiful! I realized that I do miss beach sunsets at 9:30pm and the familiarity of being with family and friends, but I don’t miss the bugs or the humidity.
