Mackinac/Young Mens Camp

Sunday I was a substitute teacher for Relief Society. I was feeling fairly nervous about it but kept telling myself that I needed to trust in the Lord that it would be ok. And it as ok. Once I got started all the nerves seemed to poof away. It helped to have my friend sitting front and center and my mom there too. It probably wasn't the most exciting lesson ever but I tried to lure them in with cookies and candy. I used the cookies and candy as an object lesson on covenants. There were a lot of good comments and really only one comment that had nothing to do with the question I asked (the lady talked about how the RS was so awesome and prayerful with picking the topics) and another comment that was super wordy and my ADD mind struggled to stay focused. I am glad it's done but hope I didn't do too good of a job. I'm ok to not be asked to teach again.

Tuesday Tyler and the boys headed off to Young Men's camp at Seaton Creek Campgrounds. Apparently only an hour or so in, Ben sliced his finger with a knife, not bad enough for stitches, thankfully. The boys went tubing down a river, played pickleball, got lost looking for sticks, went down an Alpine slide, went to Lake Michigan for 2 seconds (but the water was too cold), ate good food (hobo dinners were a favorite), kayaked for a little bit, walked 6 miles and basically had a blast. Tyler came back worn and wanting some peace and quiet because teens...

On Wednesday my parents, the girls and I left on our own escape to Mackinac. We had to change our original plans a bit. We were going to stop at a little zoo in Frankemuth on our way to Mackinac but it was going to be rainy all morning there so we had to skip it. And boy was our drive rainy. I don't love driving in Michigan rain. It was hard to see at times, especially when there were cars in front of me flipping rain onto my windshield. We spent some of the drive listening to the story "Flunked." Poppy wasn't a fan of it because the main character was a bit of a punk but we finished the story on the way back and she does reform herself. I enjoy having stories to listen to because it helps distract me from how achey driving makes me feel. I am such a wimp.

Eventually we got out of the rain and we stopped for lunch in Gaylord where we encountered our first open play place since COVID. The girls had fun in the germ fest ;). Then we stopped at a place where you can sometimes observe Elk but the elk were far away and not easy to see. After that we went to the Spud Warehouse because it sounded like a quirky gift shop and it was. I ended up getting this awesome coaster that describes teens perfectly. Tyler says we should put it in our seminary room.

After our rest stops in Gaylord it was onto Mackinac City. When we got there we first went to the Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park. It was a quiet place and not peopley at all. I appreciated that. The coolest part was most definitely the demonstration of how they cut wood before the mill (which Lucy got to help with) and then the demonstration of how the water powered saw mill worked. The girls and I also walked one of the short trails and then they played on the playground. They have some ziplines that Lucy was dying to do but I was the lame mom that said not today. I think it might be fun to come back there sometime with Tyler and do the zipline.

Our next stop was the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, the girls were eager to climb to the top. The man at the cash register was friendly and told the kids a funny story about why the top step from the cellar was uneven- because the kids had to wipe their feet after leaving the dirt floored cellar.  He also asked the girls to count how many stairs to the top of the lighthouse. Penny got right on it and Lucy whined that she couldn't be expected to count and go up the steps. She was pretty moody most of the trip. My parents did not go to the top but the girls and I went up all 44 steps and had to crawl through a small doorway to get to the landing. It was a beautiful view.

As we were leaving the lighthouse we saw a pathway that headed to Lake Michigan so we took it, it was longer than expected but the view at the end was worth it. It was like our own private, rocky beach. On the pathway they had all these historic plaques with people cut outs. The people cut outs kept freaking me out, they looked so life like.

Then we got dinner at DQ and went to the beach. Lucy had been begging all day to go to the beach so at last I relented, although all I really wanted to do was go to our VRBO and relax. We went to Alexander Henry Park and found a small beach front. Grams and I had just settled down in what we thought was a safe spot and then a random wave swooshed up and soaked us (phone, shoes, blanket,everything). It caught us so off guard and we were quite the sight struggling to get up and get out of the wet. It was embarassing.

Our last stop of the day was at Walmart, where I had some major bowel issues (thanks to the ice cream at DQ), and we got some breakfast groceries. Then we went to the VRBO in Toppinabee- a very small and quiet town. It turns out the lady who owns it lives next door. She had the tiniest yorkshire terrier and it was eager to say hello to us. We ended our day with the girls taking baths and then watching some "Nailed it". I would love to say that we all slept well that night but Lucy did not. She got the floor in the room with Penny and I because there were only 2 small beds in it. Unfortunately she kept rolling into the door of the closet and waking up and freaking out "Where am I? I'm scared!". I ended up having her sleep in my tiny bed (because her and Penny refuse to be in the same bed) and didn't get the greatest sleep of my life. I ended up doing some midnight Amazon Prime Day shopping since I was struggling to fall asleep.

Thursday we got up early and made our way to the ferry. We got to wait in line by a really cool pirate boat that I would love to take Ben on. We also were behind a super large dog, that made the girls a little nervous at first, until they realized he was pretty tame. When it was time to board, the girls wanted to sit on the open air deck. My parents were smart and stayed on the bottom (much warmer) level. The ferry took us under the Mackinac Bridge first and that was really cool but as it sped up to go to the island, the wind was strong and cold. We were freezing. 

Once on the island we booked a carriage tour and then did some shopping. At one of the shops, Lucy had a thin shelf with cards fall on her- a toddler had tried to climb it. I told her it was because she was sending out such bad vibes. She was in such a mood. We went to grab a quick bite before the carriage tour and Lucy was disgusted by everything at the market (the bread did not look the same as Subway bread). She ended up getting Apple Jacks and then claimed that the cereal didn't taste like Apple Jacks. Penny on the other hand got trail mix and I discovered she loved it.

The first half of the carriage tour was nice- we saw some good sights, heard some interesting stories (stomach digestion was discovered on the island), got told some funny jokes and then were dropped off by the Grand Hotel Carriage Stables. They told me they weren't nervous about horse rides as long as the horses weren't black, so thankfully our carriage horses were brown. Once off the carriage we went to stables and the kids were impressed by a horse named Woody because he was HUGE! We also saw a forge and Penny declared that she wanted to make a knife so she could stab someone. I worry about that kid. She is dark. Then we enjoyed some delicious doughnuts and were off on the second half our carriage tour. 

On our second half of the carriage tour we had a guide named Elliot with a rather dry sense of humor and he frequently said "Oh Elliot you're so funny and handsome." We went through the forest and saw a few cemeteries and learned that there our native american remains all over the island and they have to do a special ceremony anytime one is discovered. Then we stopped at the arch rock which was ridiculously peopley but a beautiful view. I would love to come to the island sometime when it is less peopley.

After the arch we heard a bunch of tree puns from our guide Elliot and then we were dropped off by the Governor's mansion. The girls wanted to be dropped off their because the guide said you could roll down the hill and be in town in 30 seconds. The "hill" was asphalt, no rolling down that. But we stopped inside a pretty church and checked out a wigwam. 

Then we did some more shopping which apparently was stressful for Penny because she just wanted to pick the best souvenir ever and it was so hard to know what that would be. She ended up with a tie dye hat that looks real cute on her. Lucy got a Minecraft style shirt that she had no problem picking out. We also made a stop for hot dogs since Lucy never really had a real lunch. We ate them by the beach and the girls dipped thier toes in the water. Lucy was mad that I wouldn't let her climb around the rocks more. Sometimes I think she has a death wish.We also a good view of a giant cruise ship that apparently was docked at Mackinac. Maybe it's because I live in Michigan but going cruising on the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron seems strange.

After everybody got their souvenirs we got back on the ferry. This time we all sat on the bottom level. Lucy upset Penny by taking the window seat again. She refused to move and therefore Penny pretty much pouted the entire ride back. Super fun the drama with these girls. Then I couldn't find the shirt I got Lucy so she started to melt down. Luckily it was just buried in my bag. I almost wished it had gotten lost though with the way she was behaving. 

We ended our long day at the beach by the Mackinac Lighthouse. It was extremely rocky and rough on the feet. Lucy had brought her crocs but Penny hadn't brought hers so she ended up borrowing Grandma's swim shoes which surprisingly fit her. The water was super shallow and the waves were tame this time and the girls had a good time. They were not happy about having to leave but the grown ups were tired and ready to eat something. We ended up eating at a Subway in a Walmart, that way I could get Penny something to eat. Then we were back at the VRBO where the girls took a bath again and then watched some "Nailed It". After that it was bedtime and I slept much better that night, even though I was still squished up next to Lucy.

Friday morning we were in no rush, although Poppy was up early, humming away. We got ourselves packed and ready and then headed back home. On our way home we stopped in Frankenmuth. We had a bit of a hard time finding parking because most of the lot was blocked off but after driving on the wooden, covered bridge, we managed to find some parking. In Frankenmuth we saw some parrots, ate a lot of delicious samples at the Cherry Republic, found some cute Beanie Boo's and peeked in on another blacksmith where Penny could someday make a knife to stab people with. She could also make a wand which is way less violent. Then we were on our way back home.

When we got home, the boys had also gotten back from their camp. We unpacked and chilled for a bit and then I took the girls and Ben to Jesse's baptism. The talks and baptism were short but they had a slideshow of Jesse pics at "intermission" that lasted at least 20 minutes. The kids started to groan each time a new song would start and there would be more pictures. So rude but also, I understood. I think baptisms should be short and sweet. Afterwards we enjoyed some refreshments and I enjoyed chatting with my friends. 

Saturday we took my parents to the John K King bookshop in Detroit. It is such a cool bookshop but usually we go in the winter. In the summer it is a little warm and stuffy. I still found a couple fun books and I still enjoyed exploring it. Then that evening I had some teenage girls from church over because I am a glutton for punishment and they were needing a night away from their parents. I got them to play a game with Steven and Max for a quick minute but then the opposite genders were done interacting. The girls showed me a super inappropriate snapchat that shocked me and I wasn't sure how to react. But then they were on to something else. They also appeared to be bullying someone on Instagram and I had to curb that. There was a lot of uncomfortableness for me but it did make me super appreciative for my teen. He may be prone to laziness and love video games too much but he does not get into the trouble that those girls were getting into. I think it was probably a good thing I saw that snapchat pic too so I could be a tattle tale and make parents aware. It perpetuated a rumor that needed to be squashed, true or not. They may be upset that I broke confidence but someone has to be the grown up. We shall see how it all pans out.