Torch Lake 2009

Don't let the picture throw you. This was actually our 6th year vacationing at Torch Lake, up in Michigan. Eli and I took a picture on the beach that first year (the year we were married), and then the next two years we took the same picture on our anniversary, as we celebrated up there. So now we take a picture holding up the number of years we have been married. This was our first year having more than just the two of us in the pic. :)

This year was definitely very different from previous years for a multitude of reasons. Of course, this was our first year with the twins. And that was the biggest change for me. In the past I was ready to get out and do something, anything because I just didn't want to sit around for one more day. This year, though, I couldn't wait to get a minute to just sit in the sun and read. Or take a dip in the lake. I didn't really feel the need to go anywhere, but we did get out a little.

Afraid that the kids wouldn't make the whole drive, we decided to leave in the evening and arrive at Traverse City, MI at night. That way Charlie and Liv could sleep through most of the trip. They did so well. We stayed the night in Traverse City and took our time getting ready the next morning. Charlie and Liv had their first bath in a real bathtub...okay, they've had a bath in a tub at Mom's, but they have always used a little tub seat. This time they were on their own. No bath seats.

Then we headed into downtown Traverse City to grab a bite to eat and do a little shopping. We visited Up North Kids which is my favorite store up there. They have the greatest books and toys! Then we visited Eli's favorite Michigan shop...The Cherry Stop. Can anyone guess what Eli likes about that store? :) After that we headed to our little cottages on Torch Lake and began our vacation.

For the most part we stayed at the lake enjoying the speed boat, jetski, tubing, reading, sunbathing, and playing cards. Oh yeah...and watching the kiddos. There were a million of them! At least that's what it felt like. We had 11 adults and 7 children. Great ratios for a child care center, but still busy for a vacation. :)

Charlie and Liv did so well. They loved the sand, and Liv loved the water. She almost fell asleep in her floatie that first day. Charlie enjoyed the water on day 1, but didn't really care to get back in the rest of the trip. Believe me, that wasn't for lack of trying on our part. :) They both spent a lot of time in their baby pool though, so it was true fun in the sun for them. And I think we wore them out, because they slept a lot. I mean a LOT. Some days we were forcing them to stay up long enough to have their bottles and their meals.

When we did leave the lake, we did some fun things. We went to a put-put place that also had a zip line, bumper cars and a ropes course. We ate out at our favorite restaurants, Pearl's (just Eli and I) and the Red Mesa Grill. We had a great time. On our way home we stopped off to visit our friends Abbey and Nic. Their daughter, Ella, was having her first birthday party on Saturday, so we were there for the festivities. That was the second birthday we celebrated on our trip, as Charlie and Liv's cousin Grey also celebrated his first birthday.

This was our first trip to the Lake without my Dad. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and I think that's because I was so busy with the kids. But I definitely had my moments. He would have loved that so many people were there, and he would have loved watching Charlie and Liv have their first Lake experience. Despite missing him, it was so nice to be at a place he loved so much. While we were there, Laura and I spread a portion of his ashes on the lake. We decided to wait until it was dark, and then the two of us walked out into the lake until the water was up to our waists. She still had on her hoodie, and in the pocket (which hit at her hips) she had Dad's OSU bottle opener. It plays the fight song when you use it, but she had forgotten about it. So out we walked. We held the urn together and emptied it. Then she rinsed out the urn and held it above the water, and I rinsed out the lid and just as I reached up to place the lid on the urn, the OSU fight song went off! We laughed and cried, and then walked back to the shore. Everyone was waiting for us and said they had heard the song. They thought I had taken the opener out there and set it off, but of course, that was not the case. Neither of us were close enough to it to touch it. Whitney told us later that she had been playing with it earlier. No matter how hard she pushed, she could not get the song to play. I guess Dad was glad we decided to spread his ashes there. :) Love you Dad!

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