Long story short, last year was Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary. They'd been planning a trip to celebrate it, but it never worked out. Plus, my sisters and I kind of dropped the ball and didn't do anything really special.
So this year, for #31, we told them to name a weekend when they were free and we would plan a mystery trip. We successfully kept the secret from their anniversary (May 3) to the dates we chose (August 6-7).
The morning of the 6th, we gave Dad and Mom "puzzles" to put together that would reveal the location:
When they finished they saw a map of the west coast of Michigan with circles around Saugatuck (for exploring on Saturday), Holland (for dinner Saturday night), and South Haven (for Sunday brunch).
We packed everything up into two cars and made our way north. Once we arrived in Saugatuck, several of us need a bathroom break and, more importantly, a caffeine fix. We found a little coffee shop - Uncommon Grounds - that was totally cute but also totally packed. Once I tried a drink there (the "Café Miel" - a latte with cinnamon and honey), I understood why it was so popular. If I lived in Saugatuck, I'd be a regular for sure. We hung out in the courtyard for a bit despite some light rain.
We spent the day wandering around the streets and shops. I don't think anybody bought much of anything, but that town is so cute that it was still a really entertaining day. It rained on and off, so naturally we had to go drink beer at a (mostly) covered bar. The second photo here is of the bar from a distance. I'm posting it so you can see how misty it was that day.
After a great lunch at Butler's and some more Michigan beer, we wandered a bit more and then headed to our hotel.
Oh my goodness, people. This place was kid heaven. It looked like a castle. There was an awesome game room. A pool shaped like the state of Michigan. And, to take the cake, an indoor/outdoor hot tub. It was overrun with families, and I can completely understand why. BUT, those thoughtful, thoughtful individuals at the front desk didn't forget about those of us without kids. There was a strictly enforced "adults only" swim time from 10:30 - midnight every night. And we took full advantage.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For dinner on Saturday we drove to Holland and hopped aboard a dinner cruise. This was the absolute best way to spend an evening in Michigan. It was so relaxed and friendly. The food and cocktails tasted great. There was a shockingly good blues band aboard. And the scenery was gorgeous. We took a series of family photos since we were all gussied up. Here's one of all of us, taken using the camera timer.
And here are some shots, courtesy of my favorite photographer - Kevin Rasp - from the boat.
Saturday night after dinner was awesome. Amy put together a "Name That Kid" game for my parents that was a big hit. And then...a little bit of hot tub, a little bit of swimming, partner stunts, cannonball competitions, more beer, fudge and cupcakes from Saugatuck...basically a perfect Saturday night. We didn't get moving until about 11 a.m. the next morning - that's how good of a time we had.
Sunday brought brunch at Clementine's, more wandering and shopping, and for some of us, Kilwin's ice cream and a walk down to the water in South Haven.
Awesome, awesome weekend. Can't wait to do it again.
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