Pure Michigan 2013 | Part I

So this post is actually several weeks late but definitely worth revisiting.

Early September we took our Fall trip to Michigan with our friends Ana and Sid and Colin and Steph, and boy was it a hoot. We got there Friday night and had some pizza and ran around outside and then basically hit the hay to get ready for Saturday.

We got to the apple orchard and beat a bit of the crowd, the weather was beautiful and it was go time.

Our trip was a little earlier this year so the seasonal apples were different than the ones we had gotten before, which made it fun. My favorite was the Blondie, Mae's was the Gala and the Macintosh (a tie, she says)

Then we jumped in the wagon... wait...

We forgot Sid. Okay, Sid's on board, much better. Off we go.

Here's a trip with us through the orchard.

Pax had himself a Gala apple and then a cat nap.

After apple picking we hit the hills for some quality roll time.

Mae paused for a second and Dad's heart pretty much melted.

After an afternoon hitting up some playgrounds and coffee shops and a pretty long day altogether we headed back to the house and settled in with our friends.

A little movie time and Day 1 was in the books.

Yes, that's a binky in my lap. I'm sure you've heard the old adage that when a kid still uses a binky at 5.5 years old it's a sign of intelligence, right? Oh, you haven't? Well, you must not be very well read. Your mom probably took your binky out when you were two.

Thankful

So I went to Kansas City for Thanksgiving and we had quite the Thanksgiving weekend.

Spent a lot of time with my cousin, Kameron - first playing Pet Shops and then eating Cake Pops (rhymed that like Wu Tang).

Got into Nonie's makeup a little bit, went Edward Scissorhands on the gang.

Mae posed with Dad, then Mom, then Nonie, then Mom and Dad together, complete with birthday hats.

Speaking of Mabel Jane, she spent 98% of the trip either following the wiener dogs around, talking to the wiener dogs or talking about them. At one point we realized we could probably leave her home alone for 2.5 hours and she and the wiener dogs would be fine.

Trevor even went so far as to read her a book.

Then it was on to shuffleboard. Aunt Erica has a regulation size shuffleboard and it was the main hub of activity for the week. Uncle Jim took Grandpa down and I had winners so I was up next.

I surveyed the board, which was awfully long...

Measured with my internal distance monitor and let her rip...

And this is where it stopped. No joke, this picture is not photoshopped, we did not stage this, this is honestly where my throw stopped. And then I decided I would make like MJ (not my sister and not the "Billie Jean" guy, the other MJ) and retire on top (the 1993 and '98 version).

Anyway, if you ask me what I'm thankful for, I will tell you. There are lots of people and things I'm thankful for, but mostly I'm thankful for my binky. Just bein' honest.