Notre Dame

We try to go to one away game a year, and this year we picked Notre Dame! Once again, Kris informed me he wouldn't be able to go due to the corn...but once again, it all worked out and we finished the corn just hours before we left.

At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, we picked up Andrew and drove to Notre Dame. The first hour, it was absolutely pouring, but then it tapered off. We had booked a pretty sketchy hotel using Expedia, but it was also somehow connected to VRBO. We went there first to check in and make sure it wasn't a scam. The sign on it said Studio 6 Extended Stay, and it was in Mishawaka. Please file away this information in your mind to never, ever stay there.

Andrew and Kris went in, and the clerk assured them that we did indeed have rooms. She set aside physical keys for us, Andrew, and the Rozens' rooms. She said we couldn't get them then, but we could pick them up later. We said we'd be back after the game, and she said there would be a phone number posted that we could call and she would come and give us the keys at the desk.

I found a place to eat called the Evil Czech, which delighted me because I knew Lisa's daughter had been the Czech-Slovak Queen. We all met up there - Gage, Elizabeth, Liza, Brad, Andrew, Kris, me - and Lisa informed us SHE ALSO had been the Czech-Slovak Queen! 

This place was amazing, and unlike other places I've been. It was a giant all you can eat buffet, but this is what was different - everything was on a little plate. There was no serving out of a bigger container - you would just walk and take a plate. There were no trays, so you could only take two or three plates at a time. It. Was. Fantastic. I loved it so much. I had an omelet, fruit, broccoli mac and cheese, beef on mashed potatoes ... and everything was about two bites. Five stars. Basically the opposite of our hotel.

We parked near campus and met our friends who were tailgating. We then walked all around campus - my first time there. We went into the cathedral and they were just starting a service! We saw the Notre Dame team there, and we stayed for the first hymn. The pipe organ, the lyrics, the music! It was incredibly moving and I was so, so glad we went.

We got all our raingear on to get prepared for the game. The forecast was that it would rain all day, and we really lucked out in that it hadn't rained at all. Then - it didn't rain for the game either! It was such great weather.

At the game, I was surprised they only had one screen, which I had to turn around and look at because it was behind my head. They made up for it with great music, so there were a lot of dance breaks. Kris and I got pizza at one point, which he thought was good and I thought tasted just like the cardboard it came in. It was an exciting game, the people around us were nice Spartan fans, and we walked back to our car. I was so happy Kris knew where it was, because I didn't check when we parked. We also didn't lock it. Great news, no one stole anything!  

Comparing to the last away game I went to - the Nebraska fans were SO nice and talked to us and thanked us for coming. The Notre Dame fans looked through us - they were not nice or mean, they just didn't notice or see us at all. I guess if we would have won or been a threat to winning it may have been different. 

Then - in a surprise to no one, we went to our hotel. It was midnight. There were people milling around the front door, and we saw a handwritten sign taped to it. 

"We are fully booked for the night. All reservation must be cancelled and refunded. We have no rooms available. - Studio 6."

The other people trying to stay there at the hotel voiced their frustration with us, but I was like - let's get out of here, time's awasting. We have a 2.5 hour drive ahead of us!

If it had been a complete surprise, it would have been a real bummer, but this had always been an option in the back of my mind. 

So! I drove Kris, Andrew, and me home. We played games and had a good time. Great travel partners. They didn't even fall asleep! In bed by 3:00 a.m. A great, 21-hour day! Thanks Notre Dame! 

Guthrie, Oklahoma for Will and Charlotte's wedding!

Due to corn chopping, Kris told me he was not going to be able to go to the wedding. But, then amazingly the corn was too wet and he DID get to go! This made me really happy, because it was the first time my whole family was getting together in a long time - and for such a happy occasion!

The five of us flew from Grand Rapids to Oklahoma City, and we met Gage at Skydance Brewing Co. We sat outside in the shade, and the boys played cornhole in the sun. It was a nice place. We all piled into Gage's car and went to his house to hang out. Will and Charlotte were there, and the rest of his kids! We saw the property and the kids played Wii golf together.

 Gage drove us to our Airbnb in Guthrie, which was only two blocks from the Dominion House - the hotel where my parents were staying and the events were all taking place. We met up with my sister and family, parents, and we all went to the rehearsal and dinner. All pretty, lovely, and fun.

Everyone came back to our Airbnb and we played the games Headbands and Family. The kids wanted to watch a movie, so Gage, Tracy, Kris, and I went to downtown Guthrie for some karaoke! It was September 11, and the first song a man sang was Toby Keith's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We sang karaoke and sang along karaoke - so fun. We took a great picture in the empty street. It was late!

The next morning, Tracy and I went running. We saw a river and a huge bridge, bales in a field, and lots of nice nature. We met up with Kris who had walked to get donuts at Missy's. He joined us on our walk downtown. Tracy got coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the Boxcar Bakery, and Kris got some at Hoboken Coffee Roasters. There were a lot of options for a little town!

We watched some football and got ready for the wedding. John made it into town, so now we were all officially there. Even though the venue was only two blocks away, we RODE IN THE CAR because it was so hot. I'm not used to being so hot. It was so hot! But inside was great.

The wedding was perfect. Beautiful, moving, special. The reception was AMAZING. So much fun, SO MUCH DANCING. It was one of those moments where you look around and you're surrounded by people you love and it's just joyful. I am so happy for Charlotte and Will! 

We didn't want it to end. Kris arranged that everyone would go to the Guthrie Brewing Company. We ate pizza and talked about how great the wedding was, and we had a wonderful time. I just love being with my family!

We woke up in the dark and my mom drove us to the airport. We had an incredibly smooth trip back, the boys returned to school, and we look forward to the next time we're all together.

Ludington, Michigan

I hadn't been to Ludington for awhile, and it was lovely. Kimmy spontaneously invited us to go stay with her inlaws overnight on Labor Day weekend. 

We parked at her inlaws' house and walked to the beach. They are less than a mile from Stearns Park! The water was warm enough to swim and the sand was white and beautiful. Kimmy's five kids and my one kid had a great time. The older boys walked to the pier, we made sand castles, we played football, we jumped the waves, we sat our chairs in the water - all the fun beach things to do. We stayed for the whole afternoon - no sunscreen and no sunburns because it's September!

We got all ready and drove downtown to eat at Andy's, which was such a cool place. It has a rooftop area with a glass floor, so when you're up there you can see the people below, and when you're on the bottom floor, you can see the people standing on the glass! Very fun. 

They had a level with a golf simulator, and we spent time in there, playing and watching the kids play. We tried to pay, but there was nowhere to pay and everything worked. I'm sure it wasn't free, but it sure felt like it!

We ate dinner there and then had dessert at a shining star spot in Ludington - House of Flavors. This is a famous and wonderful ice cream shop with fantastic ice cream. The line was out the door! We knew they closed soon, but they told us they just stay UNTIL EVERYONE IN LINE IS SERVED. That was nice.

We went home and Charli and Chandler put on a skit, which made me laugh so hard. 

Then we watched Western Michigan University get absolutely robbed in a football game. The sports world united against unfairness and cheating and U of M, and everyone loves WMU even more, which is the only good that I can glean from the incident.

Kimmy and I got up and walked to a bookstore coffee shop called Book Mark. We sat outside in the sun and drank our great coffees, and then we walked back. On the way we stopped to watch the S.S. Badger, which is a giant car ferry that goes between Michigan and Wisconsin. It was so huge and impressive, cutting through the water.

Max and I ate the delicious breakfast buffet Kimmy's mother in law made, and we went back home to cover the pool - signaling the end of summer. What a great way to finish it!