We had a great time for our long weekend and unofficial summer kickoff this year. Of course we remembered family no longer with us and the men and women who have fought for our country, but it was also a good chance to remember some of the past Memorial Days since Kevin and I have been together.
2002--We spent the weekend with Josh and Rose on South Manitou Island. It was freezing and rained the entire time, which of course we were utterly unprepared for. We pressed on, packing 3.5 miles to our campsite and exploring the island. One would expect that under such miserable circumstances we'd be...well...miserable, but it was so much fun. Luckily, we were with awesome company who didn't let a little (lot) of rain get them down. Oh, the memories. Chipmunk Army. Dorky campers. Mr. Fumbly Hands. I'll stop there.
2003--Pam's house. I don't remember much, except that Alex pushed Kevin in the cold lake, and Kev lost his glasses so the boys had to snorkel around looking for them for a long, cold time.
2004--Our first married year. We spend the weekend in Cass City, again with Rose and Josh. We stayed up until 3:00 a.m. by the campfire drinking beer and smoking cigars (ew--my first and last) and listening to Tom's stories.
2005--New homeowners, we stayed home. I don't remember exactly, but there's a good chance we were uprooting the 12-foot-wide juniper bushes in front of the house. Blech. I'm glad that's over!
2006--Up to Traverse City with most of my family. I was running a half marathon and we rented a house on the bay. It was a little bittersweet...the race was great, the weather was beautiful, and we had fun. But it was a rough point in our lives--Kevin was unhappy in his job, we'd been hoping for a baby for over a year, and we were burdened by divorces among friends and family. We were also planning our escape to work at camp that summer.
2007--Up to Mackinac Island with my family and Pam. Everyone else did lots of biking and exploring; as I recall, I did lots of waddling around 8 months pregnant.
2009--To Pam's with Sarah and Alex and the girls. John came and joined us on a trip to Binder Park Zoo. Once again, I was 8 months pregnant and wondering if I had made a mistake in thinking I was ready for another baby!
And that takes us to this year. We spent the weekend at a family cabin in Newaygo to celebrate John's 60th birthday party. It was heavenly--hot, dirty, and generally sticky. The girls all had a great time together wading in the river, fishing, and sleeping in tents. There were even a few blissful minutes when all four girls napped and Sarah and I sat in the sun reading. I'll admit I looked over now and then and was inwardly relieved she is the one 8 months pregnant this year. I learned that there is a limit to the number of brats I can eat in a weekend--3.5. Overall a wonderful time.
If you're still reading this, thanks for sticking with my nostalgia. Looking over a series of simple weekends full of vacations and barbeques, it's incredible to see how much has changed and how far we've come. We are blessed!
What about 2008?
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