‘How is your summer going?’ begins nearly every conversation these days. I’m sure this holds true for you as well. I hope it is also true for you that, like us, summer so far has been wonderful. Each time I’m pleased to answer that we’ve spent a lot of our free time outdoors on the golf course, at the lake and enjoying time with friends by the pool or on the patio. Michigan summer weather cannot be beat and we’re soaking in every last bit of it.
The 4th of July weekend was no exception to that trend. We joined Jeff’s family at the lake for boating, BBQ and fireworks. Thomas took his very first tubing ride on the couch chair with Grandma and his oldest cousin Emma. The golfers in the family snuck away for a very soggy round at Sunnybrook on Sunday morning. And Birdie Ball has officially taken over as the preferred lawn game beating out corn hole for the first time ever.
I was delighted to partner with my friend Shantel in the Blythfield Womens Invitational where we won our flight! The theme this year was Fiesta on the Fairway and Blythfield pulled out all the stops including thoughtfully planned menus, lovely favors and even a mariachi band during the closing dinner. I really enjoy playing other courses outside of Watermark and I’m grateful for friends who enjoy hosting.
In June we joined our group of friends who Jeff graduated high school with - the crew who I affectionally refer to as the Dutch Mafia - for an extended weekend of camping at Silver Lake. It’s become an annual tradition with this being our 4th year and something we continue to look forward to each summer. This year, upon arrival, we were surprised to find a trailer on our campsite. In years past, us Kladders are die-hards, insisting on sleeping in our trusty tent while the rest of the group hole up in trailers. But this year, their RV rental company insisted they ‘gift’ us a trailer because ‘it was going to be far too cold our first night to sleep in a tent’ - according to our sources. And bless them… because they were right.
Silver Lake RV Rentals truly are wonderful. They paid it forward and I’m more than happy shout the good word! Our experience was a 10 out of 10 and it’s highly likely we’ll rent an RV moving forward. So, if it was a marketing tactic - well done. Not having to walk up to the campsite public restroom in the middle of the night is worth the upgrade alone.
We had a blast with our friends hanging out at Dunes Harbor Campground. We fished, swam in the pool, roasted hotdogs and made s’smores. The kids biked the campground, sold bracelets at their roadside stand and made kites that they flew with perfect weather conditions. The guys chopped wood (not necessary but obviously completely necessary) and we played yard games in the field. And my favorite, we spent an entire afternoon at the beach running up and down the dunes and playing in Silver Lake.
In other news, our fish Stone II is still alive and well. In case you missed it, the full story about our new pet fish can be found in our June update.
Big news for Thomas: he begins travel soccer this year with MFA Revolution! Summer open play begins next week with bi-weekly practices to follow. This is our first experience with travel sports and so far we’re finding it to be a whole new world (there’s lots to take in!) but we’re really looking forward to watching Thomas play, learn and develop in a sport that he’s gravitated towards. Thomas also lost one of his front teeth last weekend and I’m still not used to it! His grin is always so big and bright so there’s no mistaking the whole in his grill. The tooth fairy came and left exactly one dollar.
Natalie heads to summer camp next week at Camp Roger with her friend Maxine. Natalie went to the same camp last year and she’s very excited to show Max the ropes who’s a first-timer. Natalie also continues through the summer with weekly gymnastics (she LOVES gymnastics) as well as piano lessons (as is Thomas) with Miss Haley.
The remainder of July truly has a winning agenda including a plethora of golf outings, an outdoor concert, a Broadway show, a work trip to NYC, Cousin Camp and our annual U.P. Cabin Trip… because… we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!
POSTSCRIPT - Other things worth mentioning…
Strong Dance with Lewis Richards - Jeff and I recently bought a package of dance lessons from a fundraising event we attended and have truly been enjoying relearning the basics with our instructor Lewis. The last time we took lessons it was in preparation for our wedding nearly 10 years ago! Lewis also does personal training. He’s fantastic!
Disney Pixars Elemental the Movie - I took the kids to see Elemental last weekend (in 3D!! So cool!) and we all really enjoyed it. It was a sweet love story mixed with hidden lessons on cultural perceptions. We ate two buckets of popcorn for our dinner.
Hancock’s Outdoor Patio for the win! - We biked with the kids to Hancock for some fried chicken and French fries and really enjoyed hanging out in their picnic area where we played bags with the kids while we waited for our food. We were not the only parents with this idea as we were surrounded by a handful of families that night.
