Mackinaw City to Frankenmuth via Mackinac Island

Today we hit the ground running.  Our ferry  began running at 7:30 and we wanted to be first in line.  Ok...so by the time we all got up, dressed, had breakfast....we were on the 8:30.  Can't say we didn't try.  Sheplar's Ferry took us over to the island and the ride over, on top of the ferry, was chilly....but fun.  We arrived in Mackinac Island and it was everything I ever dreamed it would be and more.  We walked down two blocks and got our schedule for our horse drawn carriage ride.  We were pulled by two beautiful Belgain draft horses  Our tour guide was named Kayla and a character.  She could not make her mike work so she just used her big girl voice.  At the halfway point....we switched to a three horse drawn carriage and our driver was Gene....he took us through the park and let us see Arch Rock and since it was Weds. we got to see the inside of the Governor's mansion....how cool is that?....and it didn't cost us a penny.  We walked down to market street from there....and did the First Annual Michigan Fudgies fudge tasting.  We tried Murdicks, Ryba's, and fudge stores.  They all do them differently....they all taste different.  We lunched at the Pink Pony and then we all split up and did our own things....well....the girls did...Mary and I messed around and looked in different kinds of shops.  At 2:15 we met the girls on the docks for our departure back to Mackinaw City.  We rode on top again....but it was choppier this time and we got sprayed a time of two.  Back in Mackinaw City we hit a Gelato place and a few more stores and then headed our for Frankenmuth.  We want to be there in time to shop at Bronners and eat at Zehender's.  "Winner winner, Chicken dinner."  It appears that people come from Detroit on Sundays....just to eat their famous chicken.....you all know....I am from the south....and let me tell you.....it was good, and moist, but it was not anything to write home about.  I have NEVER in my life paid 20.00 for a chicken meal for just me!  The sides were wonderful.  After dinner we went back by Bronners to see if they turn their lights on after dark.  We were not disappointed.  Bronners is a Winter Wonderland....361 days a year.  We have to go back in the morning for more.  There are a few more places we want to check out in Frankenmuth...and then we are headed to Ann Arbor.  Michigan has not been a disappointment.  The ONLY disappointment I have had this whole trip....is WHY DID I NOT DO THIS SOONER?  I could so live here....not in Detroit...but in the smaller towns.  I loved Traverse City.  I can't wait to explore again tomorrow.  Night for now.  Hope your Wednesday was as good as mine.

Traverse City to Sault Ste. Marie to Mackinaw City

Wow what a day.  We got up early, ate, checked out of our hotel and headed for Mission Lighthouse.  What a gorgeous ride and wonderful way to start the day.  We met Eric, a volunteer lighthouse keeper...who is there with his wife for the month of July.  I am so here.  This would be my dream come true and Eric gave me all the information I would need to do this same thing.  We then headed back down the hill....stopped and bought sweet dark cherries....ate some....delish....then we stopped and enjoyed photo ops along the way.....stopped and made pictures of cherries....and bought some more.  Then we headed up to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Wow......Mandy and Kat climbed the dune....it was something else.  After the dunes we stopped at a Day Lillie farm....then went to Front street and ate lunch at the Pie Company....and then shopped at Cherry Republic...and several winery's and souvenir shops.  At 3 p.m. we loaded back up and headed north for Sault Ste Marie.  We crossed the Big Mac at Mackinaw City, then in the upper peninsula crossed over the bridge between Huron and Superior.  We have now seen three of the Great Lakes.  We drove to Sault Ste Marie, Canada....saw the locks, got our pass port signed, checked out the place.  Drove back to Sault Ste Marie, MI and headed to Mackinaw City....where we planned to spend the night.  We got to our hotel and went to supper at the Dixie Saloon.  Mandy and Kat split a ribs dinner and Mary and I split a filet.  It was good.  After dinner we walked around town, went to see Big Mac in night lights and then returned to the hotel....I am tired....this has been a looooong day.  It is a good thing we have longer days and nights....we are getting a lot done.  Tomorrow....I am going to eat a pasty (Pass Tee),  I will tell you how it is once I have tried it.  Have a good Weds.....and hope your Tuesday was terrific!

We Don't Travel Well.....

"Look Tom," I said, nudging his arm. "A couple who actually like each other when they travel." I nodded my chin towards a couple who were cuddling and laughing over an article in a magazine.

"God, what's wrong with them?" Tom wondered and we shared a smile.

Here's the thing: we don't travel well together. It's why I know we could never be on The Amazing Race. We'd constantly snap at each other and then articles would be written up saying that we were in an abusive relationship. It's happened to other couples on The Amazing Race where the man or the woman barks at their partner constantly. "Obviously it's an unhappy relationship," bloggers will gossip and I always want to say, "No, they probably just don't travel well together."

Our bickering always starts at airport security. I'll snap at Tom because he's moving too quickly and he'll retort that I need to pick up the pace.

"I'm dealing with two children, you ass," I'll say. I know, I know, name calling is not proper, all the experts will say it and Dr. Phil would most likely faint if he listened into my conversations with Tom while we're at an airport.

Then after airport security he'll sigh as I gather all my things from the conveyer belt. I'm anal and sometimes think that the X-Rays will cause our airplane tickets to disappear so I always have to go through my bag and make sure they're still there. Tom sighs as he stands above me, waiting, and will say something like, "The tickets are there, okay?"

"I'm just checking, don't rush me!"

He also has a habit of walking quickly and I trail behind. Or sometimes it's me who is walking quickly and he's behind.

"It would be nice," Tom said as we walked through the Denver Airport, "if you'd wait up for me."

"No thank you," I'll answer.

When we get to our gate neither of us likes where the other choses to sit. Like I sat down at Denver and Tom blinked at me and went, "This is where we're sitting?"

"No, I just sat here for no reason," I replied.

Another time Tom settled down somewhere and I said, "Can we move closer to our gate?" and Tom went, "No one is stopping you, sweetheart."

By the time we've gotten on the plane we're ready to throttle each other. It drives me crazy how Tom sighs and looks irritated when I ask him to pull something out from his backpack.

"Can I get the DVD player?" I asked him.

"Ugh, fine." He acted as though it were this huge feat to bend down and pull out the DVD player.

Heaven forbid if I ask for something an hour later.

"Did we just DO this?" Tom will grumble and I'll want to throw the airplane peanuts at his bald head.

Lucky for us, we make up by the time we land. One of us will poke the other's arm or leg right before we make it to our destination....this time, as we were about to land in San Antonio, Tom pressed his finger into my arm and made a goofy face and all was well again.

Of course sometimes when we pick up our baggage the bickering starts again.

"What baggage carousel are we?" Tom will ask and I'll shrug and go, "Not sure yet, we have to wait for our flight to come up on the screens," and Tom will take offense that I'm not psychic and I'll call him an inconsiderate prick.

But then by the time we make it to our final destination, all is forgiven again.

We fly back home on the 29th.

Wonder who will snap first?

And tomorrow we get to the beach. No Wifi. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm told you can get a connection in the lobby but who knows how often I can do that with two kids running around.

I'm hoping to be surprised and have Wifi in the room.

Because hi, I'm Amber, and I'm addicted to the Internet.

(Hi Amber.)

Louisville to Traverse City, MI

Last night when we got to Louisville David took us to Lynn's Paradise Cafe.....this place was the coolest ever.....Bobby Flay had a throwdown there...and Oprah featured this place on her show.  I hate a hot brown...and it was to die for.  We got up this morning and David had fixed us an awesome breakfast.  We all showered, ate, dressed, loaded the car back up again....and drove approx. two blocks from Davids were we went to the Mary Alice Hadley place.  How cool it was.  I bought the cutest Christmas tree ornament.  You know me, I am a sucker for Christmas stuff.  After the Mary Alice Hadley place we went to the Louisville Slugger factory.  In front of the factory and museum was a baseball bat that was every bit of four stories tall.  It was awesome.  We toured the factory and museum and took crazy pictures but had a ball.  After the Louisville Slugger factory we went to Star Bucks for Mandy to get a coffee fix.  Then hit the road and began the drive towards Michigan.....Indianapolis was our first big city to go through and traffic was terrible.  Then we hit South Bend - home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish!  Grand Rapids was our next leg....and by the time we got there we realized we could make it to Traverse City.  First we would have to eat....so we picked an exit and ate at Rosies Diner.  Rosies is the place where the bounty commericals were made, AND Guy had been there with Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. How cool is that.  Although...none of us ate the dish guy came and tasted.  It was a cute place.....Traverse City.....ahhhh.....  What a lovely place this is.  Our hotel is the Cherry Inn and it is right on Lake Michigan...and lovely.   We walked down to the shoreline, then got into the jacuzzi tub.  It was so relaxing.  My left knee has been giving me problems...but the tub made it feel great.  Tomorrow we are going to the 43 parallel (the midway point between the equator and the North Pole.  We are also going to climb Sleeping Bear Dunes and do a chocolate tour.  Then we are headed to Sault Ste. Marie and Canada.  I am so excited.  Kat and I got our Michigan magnet today....so I am good to go.  See you tomorrow.  I will have pictures for you tomorrow too...so be prepared to be bombarded with pictures.

Traverse City on Dwellable

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

**I made it to Texas safely and am at my parent's house. We don't leave for the beach until Wednesday so I still have Internet access!**


I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. I think I’m going to do this every Tuesday now. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your diary. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either.

Hey, It's Okay....


To always sit behind the one person on the airplane that wants to recline their seat to the point where their head is practically resting in your lap. It's like, "Hello, my name is Amber, and you are???"


To think that 90 degrees is a nice cool day in Texas after battling triple digit temperatures (this happened last year.....thought I would melt in front of the Alamo.)


To think that the Rachel chick on Big Brother is annoying. What's up with that laugh? She'd have made a fabulous Girl Next Door.


To hope that your husband doesn't accidentally clobber you with his man arm since you share only a full sized bed with him while in Texas.


To have been slightly mortified when your daughter peed on your parent's deck less than an hour after arriving. (I'm trying to keep the fact that my kids like to act like animals at home a secret from my folks....not going well...)


To think Lindsay Lohan needs to go to jail to help wake her up. Otherwise she's probably going to either A) overdose or B) totally lose her mind and stroll around Sunset Bldv in her panties, shouting things like, "I like cheese!" and "Tom Hanks made me do it!"


To love the movie Independence Day. I probably even already wrote this on a past Hey, It's Okay Tuesday but oh well. It's a fabulous movie.


To wonder why the Women's bathroom in the airport smelled like poo. Aren't we supposed to smell like roses? Why does it reek in there? I felt like I was walking into a man bathroom (no offense.) Who are these women who dare to poop in public?


To hope that your DVR is doing what it should be doing and is recording episodes of Big Brother , Army Wives, and Hell's Kitchen. Sometimes the thing acts bitchy and doesn't record what it ought to. One time I was trying to record Grey's Anatomy and it recorded Supernanny instead. It was almost like my DVR was saying, "Lady, you could use some parenting advice over watching a angsty doctor show."

Leaving. Again.

I’m an only child.

And my Dad stayed at home with me while my Mom worked.

Back then (ugh, I feel old when I say that) not many fathers stayed at home. I remember I’d be at school and people would find it odd to know that my Dad was at home with me. I remember thinking it was odd that a mother was home. I just always thought that Dads being home was how it was.

I get to see my parents tomorrow. Mom retired as a Colonel in Texas and they live in a nice home with a backyard that reminds me of a Disney movie. I say this because they’ve trained squirrels to take a peanut from their hands. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Mom also love plants (ironic, since I don’t) and they grow all over the place in her yard.

We’re staying there because we always go to the nearby beach for a mini family reunion. It’s also a way for Tom to say goodbye before he goes.

Have good thoughts that our plane makes it to Texas safely.

And that the kids sleep during the flight so I can read my latest Jennifer Weiner book.

If I don't always get to update my blog, I do update my Facebook. I'm there under Princess543@yahoo.com. Rumor has it that the place we're staying at while at the beach has no Wifi.

Cue scary music.

On the Road Again

It is Sunday morning and I am playing hookie from church because I am leaving for Michigan today.  I am so excited I feel like I could pop.  I had company this weekend...and I got up this morning, fixed breakfast for the gang, cleaned up the kitchen, and now I am ready and raring.  I will miss Frank.  The original trip was just Kat and I but as the trip progressed we added two more travelers and it looks like the making of a fun trip.  This is my first vacation in two years.  Fall and Spring Breaks of last year I had to cancel plans because of the deaths of my father and aunt so I am looking forward to getting away and just taking care of Karen for a bit.  We are packing a lap top so hopefully I will be able to upload pictures along the way and show you what we are doing.  Today's journey will take us to Louisville to see my nephew.  We will be spending the night with him and getting up in the morning and hitting the Mary Alice Hadley Factory.  How fun will that be?  Did I mention I will miss Frank?  If not...well I will. Have a blessed Sunday!