Summer Vacation 2015 | Michigan

Summer Vacation 2015

I love Michigan in the summertime. My family has moved around a lot, but no matter where we are, we always go back for at least a week. Most years I start looking forward to that week as soon as Christmas is over. We have a cabin on a river with no indoor plumbing, no internet, no TV, and no cell reception. Though I do look forward to the day when we have a shower, I relish the peace of a completely unplugged week with family.

We often take day trips from our cabin and this year we drove up to Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I do love the ocean, but guys, Lake Michigan is breathtaking. The sand dunes, the smooth stones, the fresh water bluer than the sky. I’m so glad we got to go even just for a couple hours.

The rest of the week we kayaked on the river and Cranberry Lake, played bored games and cards, went exploring on some back roads, and caught up on some much needed sleep. It was one of the most relaxing vacations I’ve ever had, and I feel so much more ready to take on the fall with it’s campus events and weddings.

We went driving a couple times in the truck, and the dogs (and I) rode in the back. I love some of the photos I got of the pooches having the time of their lives as the sun sank below the trees. I miss those pups and can’t wait until Stephen and I can get a dog of our own.

Towards the end of the trip I convinced my family to do a little photo shoot. No one was super thrilled about it, so it only lasted about 10 minutes, but I LOVE the photos we got. It makes me even more excited to announce family mini session dates for this fall. Details later this week!

This was the view at the end of a short walk at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Most of the park was closed because of a severe storm a few days earlier, but at least we got one view!

These guys literally jumped off the cliff. It looks like fun, but I don’t know if I could do it!

This is Rupert. Stephen and I found him running around a summer camp during college and I asked my dad if I could take him back to their house. He said yes, but we might not be the ones to keep him. Almost 5 years later he is the sweetest dog you ever did meet and everybody (even my dad, though he pretends otherwise) loves him.

Meet Snickers. I remember going to the animal shelter 11 years ago and picking out a puppy they called Lewis (had to change that name). He’s still going strong, though he doesn’t have much patience when Rupert wants to play.

The Clam River. We’ve been vacationing there for as long as I can remember, and it might just be home more than anywhere else.

The beginning of family photos. I could not get these two to be serious to save my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.