We made the big trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving. It is a long drive (just over 12 hours without stops), but we had a great trip. We picked the kids up from school just before lunch and managed to drive 2/3 of the way there, stopping for the night in Peru, Illinois. The next morning, we drove the last 4 hours to Dwight's parents' house in Muskegon, arriving just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Dwight's brother and sister-in-law and their three kids had arrived from Massachusetts during the wee hours of the morning and Colin met us there as well, so we were all able to sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal together.
Dwight's parents moved to a condo recently and there was plenty of room for both of our families to stay there with them. It felt a little like summertime when we all go camping together. Grandpa made his famous pancakes for breakfast and he and Grandma made sure everyone was well fed the whole time. The kids got along well and we all had a nice time visiting together. We played games, the big kids read books to the little kids, the girls put on a dance show for us. Dwight's oldest brother and his family live in the area, so they were able to come visit each day. We did miss his sister and her family as they weren't able to make the trip in. I can only think it would have been even more fun if they had been able to join us.
On Friday, we had a couple hours to go to Holland and look up a few friends. All our children were able to spend some time visiting with at least one friend. Dwight and I mostly spent time dropping each one off at their friends' houses and then starting over and picking them all up again. In between, we did go to Ottawa Beach for a bit, but we didn't last long as it was really cold on the beach. We also got a chance to talk for a few minutes with a couple of our friends. There were so many more people that we would have liked to see and the kids most definitely had many more people on their "must see" list, but we saw as many people as we could with the limited time we had.
It was nice to be able to go to Holland and see some friends, but it also made me feel sad. The kids all enjoyed seeing their friends, but leaving made them feel sad again too. Maria's teacher, also a transplant from Michigan, warned her that this would happen. At the end of the afternoon, we returned to Muskegon where we enjoyed homemade pizza and family time. Dwight, Brett, and Rocky entertained us with stories about all the outrageous things they did together as children. I laughed so hard, I cried. It was exactly the right way to end that day.
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Glad you made the trip last weekend. I recall returning to Maryland after we moved here and it was hard. I cried and wished I was back there. The next time we went was a little easier. It was great to see you all. I wished I had thought to have Jon and Maria stay longer and play while Jacob visited Toby. Maybe next time! Thanks for including us, the kids were thrilled. They were sad too after you left so that feeling worked both ways. Take care, Kris
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