Vandalia, Illinois

Well I drove half way home today.  Stopped in Vandalia....not much here but a good nights sleep :)  I miss my family.  I miss home.  You know what I don't miss?  This humidity!  I got out of the car at the hotel and started to sweat immediately.  Yuck!  I miss my nice Michigan summer :(  Good night all.  Can't wait to see everyone tomorrow :)

On the Road Yet Again.......

Well, my trip has come to an end.  I have had such a wonderful time!  I am excited to go home but sad to leave my family.  I can't imagine waking up without seeing the smiling faces of Lauren and Katie.  But then I also miss the smiling faces of Ethan, Audrey and Miles. I am taking my time, splitting the trip into two days.  So for those of you that are waiting I will be home on Friday!  For those of you that I am leaving its breaking my heart......

FAMILY!!

Well I have been back in Detroit since Thursday.  Mom and I drove down from Gladwin and went straight to my Uncle John's.  I had not seen him in at least 10 years.  It was great to catch up.  My Aunt Jo came in from Ohio.  I had not seen her in 11 years. This was shaping up to be a family reunion.  Then to my surprise my Uncle Danny came over and so did my cousin David.  It was so good to see everyone.  We talked for hours and shared stories and pictures.  We went out to dinner, and my cousin Kelly joined us for that.  That night we went to my grandmas and we stayed with her thru Sunday. 

On Friday we got u and took my Ma to breakfast and then did a little shopping at the mall.  Now you have to realise that Ma moves at about a snails pace so it was slow going but we talked and laughed a lot.  She was able to find a pair of pants and a couple shirts.  At this point she was pretty warn out so we took he home and mom and I ran some errands.  We went back and picked Ma up for another trip to DeLucas.Yes!  She tried to convince us that they had sold the place and redecorated and of course nothing tasted right to her.  But really, it was just the same as it always.

Saturday we spent with my brother, Nicole, Lauren and Katie.  We went and walked a street fair in Northville.  I bought 2 cool necklaces made out of dominoes.  We ate dinner at the Rusty Bucket and then went to Laurens dance recital.  It was so much fun to see her dance.  My brother did a daddy daughter dance with her and it was precious to see.

On Sunday Mom and I got up for breakfast and then headed over to my brothers so we could all go to church together.  After church mom left to go back up to Gladwin :(  Very sad for me. 

Here are some pics!

Gobble Gobble Gobble!  My family has been going to the Turkey Roost for as long as  I can remember.  Every time we would go Up North to the cottage stopping at the Turkey Roost was a given.  You could spot the pink building like half a mile away.  There is nothing like a turkey platter.  First you get a biscuit that is bigger than my fist.  Next would come your plate.  They put the stuffing on first, then they layer the turkey over that.  Mashed potatoes are beside the mound and they all get gravy.  Growing up I think they served peas with it but now the serve carrots.  You also get a side of coleslaw and a dab of cranberry sauce.  It is delicious!  Especially after a long day of shopping.  Mom and I went to Birch Run and I had WAY to much fun picking out clothes for Ethan, Audrey and Miles :)  I may possibly have to make a return or two.  We shopped for over 4 hours.  My legs we about to fall off.  My poor knee I have been abusing it the whole trip.  I hope it doesn't stage a revolt! 

Traverse City

Sorry it took so long to post again but I was without internet till now.  Lets see where should I begin......I made the short trip up to Gladwin on Monday.  It was so good to see my mom and Ron. We spent a couple days resting and catching up and then we headed to Traverse city on Wednesday morning.  For those of you non-Michiganders, Traverse city is at the top left of the mitten :)  We stayed at the Sugar Beach Resort which was right on the beach, yeah!  It was very nice.  As soon as we arrived we checked into the hotel, put on our swimsuits and went right to the beach.  I totally got burned, but I didn't even care.  It was so nice to be on the lake.  I didn't even realise how much I missed it.  After about 2 hours and some very pink legs, ouch!, we decided to go downtown and get something to eat.  We ate at the Grand Traverse Pie Company. It was delicious and their Cherry pie is scrumptious. We walked around a bit but we heard the beach calling us so we went back to the hotel.  This time I stuck to my regular clothes so as not to blister myself.  We stayed out on the beach into the evening with sweatshirts on laughing and enjoying the water.

Thursday started out rainy so we went bowling.  We had so much fun, mom loves to bowl.  Then we headed downtown for lunch and hit all the shops.  They had all sorts of crazy shops and we went into them all.  The rain stopped mid-morning but it was cloudy all day.  We went back to the hotel and hit the pool for a couple hours, at this point we were tired so we rented a movie and settled in for the night.

Friday was overcast but the sun managed to poke its head out once in awhile.  We went to some antique malls and a few shops we saw here and there then headed downtown for lunch.  We picked up a cherry pie to take home to Ron and then began the journey back to Gladwin, it only takes like an hour and a half :)

Not much happening today.  Mom gave Lucy a haircut and bath, that dog really needed it, she looks much better.  We are going grocery shopping and just hanging out today.  I miss everyone so much.  I miss George and Nicole and the girls.  Can't wait to get back to see them next week.  I also miss everyone at home very much.  Patti and Bekah give Ethan, Audrey and Miles bug hugs and kisses from Aunt Ameee :)

A touch of my childhood

"We are eating at De Luca's tonight," was the sweetest thing I ever heard as a child.  All day the anticipation of knowing that we were going there was almost to much to bare.  It was always a family affair,Pa, Ma, my parents, my brother, Aunt Patty and Uncle Dave and my cousins, Jennifer and Stacey.  We had to get there between 4:30 and 5:00 and even then there was almost always a wait.  No place to sit and just a tiny little closet like entryway.  We would be stuffed in their like sardines just waiting and smelling the wonderful food.  Then the hostess would seat us and we would wait patiently for the bread sticks, yeah right.  My grandma would order us kids a Shirley Temple and that was a big treat.  Then they would order two large Antipasto Salads with the best Italian dressing ever.  The adults would order Lasagna and spaghetti, but us kids would always order pepperoni pizza.  It is the best I have ever eaten.  Even as an adult it is my favorite thing to eat.  My brother, George and my sister-in-law, Nicole took me there to dinner tonight.  I got to sit there at the table with my nieces and smile and hope that they will have as fond of memories of this restaurant as I do.  The pizza tonight was absolutely delicious!!!

To grandmothers house we go............

I know that every bit of stubbornness that I have was passed down from my grandmother, Ma we call her, and I love it.  My brother dropped her off and picked her up from the hairdresser today.  It is a two hour event to get that amazing mushroom hairdo she sports.  Then we all went out to lunch at one of her favorite places....Conner's.  It is a family style restaurant, amazing BLT.  It was hard for me to see how she has changed since the last time I was here.  She is forgetting things all the time.  I had to say things over and over again.  You have to remember she is 92.  I think she is pretty amazing.  She takes care of herself.  Every Saturday she gets her hair done.  And she tells some pretty amazing stories.  You just never know what will come out of her mouth at any given time.  The last time I was here I stayed with her and as we sat together in front of the TV she told me funny stories about her life that I had never heard before.  She always says whats on her mind and without much of a filter.  My mom and I are going to come back and spend a day with her and have a sleepover at her house, I am so excited!

IKEA, Hobby Lobby, Joe's produce and the Detroit Zoo

IKEA is my absolute favorite store!  I love everything about it.  I love how you get to see rooms set up that are absolutely inspiring.  I love how you can find fabulous gifts that are such a good deal.  I love that their products are stylish and super practical.  I also love that sometimes they have things that are super crazy and over the top.  Have you guessed that I LOVE IKEA!  I went with Nicole and my nieces and we purchased a desk and chair for the girls room.  I bought several items :)  Not all for myself.
And what is a shopping trip without Hobby Lobby.  My sister-in-law, Nicole, wanted some memo boards for the girls room.  We picked out some fabulous fabrics and ribbons in many girly pinks.  I made four square boards that will go above their desk on the wall.  They turned out super cute.  I will have to post a picture once we have them up on the wall.

We went to Joe's produce.  It is a magical place!  Rows and rows of neatly stacked bins of fruits and vegetables in a palette of rich colors. 

Today, we went to the Detroit Zoo. It was 62 degrees and it drizzled on us a bit but we had the best time. Because it was cooler most of the animals were out in their habitats. The girls were so funny to watch, the excitement on their faces was amazing to see.

 

My brother said this is the picture they take every time they come to the zoo.  So I smiled even though I hate getting my photo taken.

 We saw Dora and Diego in 4D at the IMAX and the girls absolutely loved it and the glasses were AWESOME!

The Kangaroos were pretty cool.  We got to walk amongst them with no fence.  On a path of course.

Katie did not like this animatronic dinosaur.  She scowled at it.  And if looks could kill, this thing would have exploded.

On the road again..........

Can I just say that 13 1/2 hours in the car is brutal on the body.  You know what made it worth it?  The two smiling faces of my nieces, Lauren and Katie.  I thought for sure they would have been in bed being that it was 10:40 their time when I arrived.  They were so excited to show me the room they set up for me in the basement.  They set up a bed with Dora the Explorer sheets, in the middle of their playroom.  I also got a Dora side table and a princess baloon tied to the beds frame.  They also drew a picture for me on their chalkboard easel and wrote me a note.  It made all those long hours just melt away.