We are having a busy summer, and it looks like the fall and winter will be pretty busy too with Baby Boy preparations and then the arrival of our little miracle this winter! I LOVE being busy, so this is a good thing! We are making our last trip down South (not forever, just for a while) this weekend, and then we have lots of visitors coming. We are so excited for all of these things, but we also wanted to do one last getaway with just the two of us! So Jay planned us a Michigan Babymoon that was so much fun! I don't know about y'all, but I didn't know very much about MI until I moved here...and we are slowly peeling back the layers and learning that this state has so much to offer (other than the cold and snow, LOL). There are so many things to do and see here, that even in our 3 years I know we won't get it all done! Anyhow, we are trying our darnedest to scratch the surface!

For our babymoon we went up North, on the Western side of the State. If you reference the Michigan "hand map" we live near the base of the thumb, and we went to the very tip of the pinkie (I indicated with black dots). This doesn't look far on your hand, but in real life this was a 5 hour drive! (Now you can realize that this state is HUGE). We stopped at Sonic for lunch on the way up! My fave! :)
When we got to Glen Arbor, the town we were staying in, we checked into our B&B. It was such a neat old house, the floors creaked when you walked, and I just loved the character! We walked downtown that night and went to dinner at Western Ave. Bar & Grill.
I had blackened whitefish (which is on the list of okay fish to eat) and it was SO good! And Jay had Whitefish and Beer Battered Perch.
We walked across the street from our B&B and got some snacks, and milk for the night (a must for me since I am always hungry!)
Saturday morning we went downstairs for breakfast! We had a cooked cinnamon apple with whip cream for starters, and then breakfast quiche, and homemade granola for the main course. I got seconds but Jay made me feel better about it by letting the other guests at the table know I was pregnant (not just a PIG!) We got ready to go, and even though it was raining, and had a 70% chance of rain for the day, we were going to make the best of it! We started off at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitors Center. Jay consulted with the ranger there about the different hikes, and they figured out which ones I would be able to handle. We watched a film about the Lake Michigan lake-shore and dunes, and then headed out for our hike!
We did a 1.5 mile round trip hike to a lookout point, and it rained the whole time. Thankfully though, there was tree-cover most of the way so we didn't get as soaked as we otherwise would have had it been out in the open. The view was so beautiful, and we really had a great time on the hike. Jay was so patient with me when I had to walk slow because I was tired.
After our hike, and a scary encounter with a port-o-potty...we went on the Scenic Drive. But it was raining so hard at that point that we couldn't SEE anything...so we kept on going.
We went to the Dune Climb, just in time for a recess from the rain. I was so proud of Jay as he hiked the dune, and then he RAN down it (which really scared me since it was so steep!)

It started raining again so we went to into town to find a pottery place I saw advertised. It was so much fun!! Jay is not artsy at all, but he painted a baby bowl for our son, while I painted some coasters for our living room. I so enjoyed watching Jay carefully and meticulously painting something for his little boy...amazing to think how far we've come from one year ago! After painting, we got ready for dinner.
We went to Blu for dinner, which overlooked Lake Michigan. It was beautiful watching the stormy windy weather dance across the waves of the water while eating! I had fried green tomatoes for my appetizer and Jay had crab puffs. For entrees I had a Salmon Special, and Jay had Duck Confit, we were both so pleased and finished our plates! :) After dinner, it had stopped raining so we went back to the park and did the Scenic drive and saw a few other things we couldn't see in the rain.
We came back to the B&B and went to bed because I was worn out!!
Sunday morning we had fruit and yogurt parfait for starters at breakfast, and then a peach pancake and sausages! Jay and I were the last ones to breakfast, but that meant I got to finish the rest of the food on the buffet and not have anyone look at me funny! Ha ha! We checked out of the B&B and then headed up even further north to see Grand Traverse Lighthouse.
It was a beautiful day (still a little chilly, but the sun was out!) We enjoyed more views of Lake Michigan. I still can't get over how blue it is, and how much it looks like an ocean with the waves!! We headed down to Traverse City for lunch, and found a cute Bar & Grill (that was non-smoking) for lunch called Mackinaw Brewing Co. After lunch, we went and played putt-putt. I got a hole in one!! AND, for only the second time EVER in our relationship, I beat Jay at putt-putt!! I was so excited! I think our son must have helped me! ;)
We got some homemade icecream on the way out of town, and started the long drive back!
It was such a fun weekend!! Thanks so much to my wonderful husband for doing such a great job planning!! We did lots of talking about our baby and are looking forward to becoming a family of three! We have another exciting weekend this week in our home state of South Carolina! We are really looking forward to time with family and friends and I can't wait to share with you next week!
















