With November wrapping up, I cannot help but reflect on how thankful we are… In regards to our trip, for a safe journey, a healthy family and friends to spend it with, luxurious and spacey accommodations in comparison to our minivan and popup, and to be blessed with the most incredible gift of time to follow this dream of ours. I am reminded daily how precious this time is, and how important it is to prioritize the things that are most important to us. There are countless incidents every day, many of them way too close to home that lead us to count our blessings always. With that, there are never enough minutes in a day, and it is with great purpose that we squeeze everything we can out of each moment. If only each day was a little longer 😉
We finished our trip by spending a few days in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my family. It was a privilege to have all of them take the time off to escape for a few days to a place we loved visiting as we grew up. We started off by enjoying one of our favorite parks, Chutes and Ladders in Houghton.
Up next, we met up with my mom at my alma mater, Michigan Tech. After almost two months of not seeing Grandma, the kids were elated (and of course, she spoiled them a bit too)!
Our oldest guy is already claiming he wants to follow in my footsteps.
It’s amazing to have a grandma that loves these kids so much, and for the kids to know how lucky they are. We also joined some of our favorite annual travel buddies, my cousin John and his kids. After a couple days at the awesome Hancock Campground,
we took one of my all-time favorite drives
and headed off to the northern tip of the UP, Copper Harbor. This is what we think of when we picture a perfect campsite…
In contrast to the rest of our trip, where we raced from site to site to “get it all in,” Copper Harbor was a refreshing reprieve. We sat around the campsite,
just listening to my bro play his guitar,
ate some of the best home cooked meals made by mom,
picked berries,
played in the creek catching crayfish,
kayaked in my sisters kayaks,
and swam in and across the Fannyhoe Lake (something I always dreamed of doing as a kid)
and spent precious time with cousins we rarely get to see!
We were excited about my sister’s growing family!
The farthest we went from our campsite was walking to local Fort Wilkins,
hiking by the big Lake Superior,
and driving over Brockway Mountain
all the way to Jacobs Falls
which was not nearly as spectacular as we remembered! (although only a few of us made it to the top)…
The Jampot (run by local monks) is also a huge hit here, but there was no way we were spending $50 on their famous fruitcake!
One of the most fascinating things to me is the ability to connect with people all over the country (this summer we met up with over 70 friends and family), some who live much closer, yet we cannot seem to find time to spend time together throughout the year. On this particular weekend, we were able to watch our good buddy Jeff Zematis race in the Copperman Triathlon, placing third overall! Not bad for a guy in his 40s!
We loved connecting our worlds and having the family cheer him on throughout the race!
Sometimes, it is so therapeutic to slow time down and just savor each moment. A great trip, over again… leaving us with amazing memories that we will be forever grateful for.
As we go into December, “the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.”
Time. It goes sooo fast, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. Spend it intentionally and soak up every minute!
