Pure Michigan

Early Tuesday morning on our trip to Chicago, my Mom, Brooks, and I woke up early and jumped in the car for the 4 hour drive to Whitehall, Michigan. We had a nice drive, very little traffic and construction, and just a few minutes of rain. And we made it there quickly. My Mom and I chatted the whole way and Brooks slept for a lot of the drive. 

When we got to Michigan we all enjoyed a few hours with my Grandma Johnson. 

We sat on the Davenport. 

And we "lopped around" inside as my Grandma would say. Brooks had fun checking out Great Grandma's house. They were playing Peek-a-Boo in this picture! He especially loved closing the door to the screened in porch and messing with the table skirts. 

I love how intently Brooks is watching my Grandma talk to my Aunt Beth on the phone here. He was just taking it all in. 

And of course, every time I visit, my Grandma bakes me a batch of her famous cookies! She used to bake them for me in college and I would have to hide them in my underwear drawer in my dorm room because if I didn't, all my friends would eat them and they'd be gone too quickly! On this day, I ate 4 of them even before lunch! Brooks liked them too! 

Then Grandma fixed a nice lunch and we all ate together. After that, I took off for Zeeland to pick up Jill for our 24 hours of Bestie Time! My Mom and Grandma were on Brooks duty for the night! 

They did a great job! My Aunt Lori came over to visit for a bit, and as always, brought them lots of fun treasures. They also took him for a walk and stopped at Dairy Treat along the way for a slushee! I wish I could have gone. Love that place! 

This isn't the best picture, but he even got to see the lake as they walked. Brooks took a short afternoon nap, they ate leftovers for dinner, they played some more, and went to bed early. They had a great day together. 

Meanwhile...I picked up Jill. We chatted with John, Trey, and Rowan for a bit and then hopped in the car to head to Grand Rapids. 

Jill's Dad was involved in an awful car wreck a few weeks ago and was receiving physical therapy at a hospital downtown so we stopped to see him for a bit! He was doing well and still had a smile on his face. Something he and his daughter have in common! They are both so joyful! 

My sister's boyfriend, Bob, works for Marriott and he got us a deal on a hotel room at the J.W. Marriott right in downtown G.R. So after visiting Glenn we headed over to check in. The hotel was quite swanky and right on the river. We loved our room and the wonderful scent they pump through the entire hotel. Thanks Bob! We ended up laying on our big comfy beds and chatting for a couple of hours right when we got there. The linens were white and fluffy and fancy! Loved them! 

Then we got dressed and ready and headed out to walk around downtown. 

We found a yummy Mexican restaurant right on Rosa Parks Circle and sat outside and ate and talked and listened to a wonderful band playing in the circle. 

After dinner we walked around some more and sat by the river to do what we do best...TALK! We had a lot to catch up on! I made Jill pose by this sculpture too! Ha! 

To two busy Mommy's the only thing that sounded good to us was to lay down in a quiet, comfortable place with no children to distract us. So we decided to go put on our comfies and kick up our feet. This is the view from the 14th floor where our room was located. 

And this was the view from the floor to ceiling windows in our room! We ended up staying up until 2 a.m. chatting. And it was SO GOOD and SO NEEDED. Nobody gets me like Jill. With her, I know I can share my heart honestly, laugh until I cry, be uplifted, challenged, and encouraged. She is such a good friend. 

The next morning we slept in until 9! It felt so good! We took our time getting ready and we tried on these cozy robes in our room. 

Then we headed out for a yummy breakfast at Panera. It was located on this pretty little courtyard and the weather that day was so pleasant. Once again, we sat for awhile and caught up some more. It was so nice to have time free of interruptions. 

After breakfast, we checked out, and headed past the "Grand Staircase" to get to our car. 

Getting to our car...let me tell you, was no small feat! 

We felt like we were on the Amazing Race. And we were losing! That's what happens when you put two chatty girls together when you park in a parking garage. You end up having no idea where to find your car! Ha! We walked circles and circles until we finally found it! Ha! 

Then we headed to Holland to do a little baby shopping for Kerri at an adorable boutique- Tip Toes! Everything was so cute and I picked out some fun burp cloths, but Jill and I both have another thing in common now...we are so OVER having babies! Ha! Now we can exclusively love on OTHER PEOPLE'S babies. Not our own. Never again! 

I had to drop Jill off after our shopping because I still had to drive an hour North again to pick up my Mom and Brooks and then drive another 4 hours back down to Streamwood to get home in time for dinner with my high school friends. I swung back in her house to say goodbye to John and the kids. But no goodbye between us is ever quick. There's always one more thing to talk about, one more hug to give. I love this girl. Our time together is never enough, but always so precious. Thank you Jill for such a wonderful 24 hours together. I missed you the second my car pulled out of your driveway. 

Back in Whitehall, 

Brooks slept well, ate a good breakfast and lunch, 

played on the porch some more and took another walk. They stopped at Pitkins to buy some snacks and some new White Lake t-shirts for all three boys. You can't go to Whitehall without a stop at Pitkins, the cutest little old fashioned drug store. Love it. 

After battling mid day Grand Haven traffic, I made it back to Whitehall. We spent some time talking with my Grandma and I snapped these sweet pictures of Brooks and his Great Grandma. 

And my Mom took some photos of my Grandma, Brooks, and I as well. 

It was fun for Brooks to have some good bonding time with his Grandmas. Thanks Mom for watching him! 

It was a quick trip, but always well worth it. Our drive back to Illinois went smoothly, we just hit one patch of traffic. Brooks slept for about half of the trip. AND Grandma sent me home with a plate full of cookies and peanut butter bars, which by themselves were worth all the time spent in the car! Love you Grandma!!!