Vacation Chronicles - Part Two

We spent the second part of our Michigan vacation in and around Cheboygan. We stayed with another of Jon's sisters, Julie, and her husband Bud (and their dog Charlie). They live right on the shore of Lake Huron... and they have a bunk bed. So the boys were in heaven there!

Here are some pictures of this part of the trip:

Mackinac Bridge! This beautiful bridge connects Michigan's lower peninsula and upper peninsula. Jon has fond memories of visiting this area as a child and he was excited to bring the boys here. We all enjoyed reading about the amazing feat it was to build this bridge. In this picture you can see the boys chasing sea gulls on the shore.

We drove across the bridge and visited this wonderful site tourist trap. We had fun playing miniature golf (again!) and finding our way through a cool maze.

Ice cream! Although I SHARED this big scoop of ice cream with Jon, I do have to admit that I was not able to stick with Weight Watchers as much as I had hoped. The good news is that I did not gain any weight back. The bad news is that I'm having a difficult time getting back on the wagon.

I took this shot standing in Julie's yard. Although it was pretty cold, they boys insisted on daily beach expeditions.

How sweet is this?! Ray wrote "I love mom and dad" in the sand. I wish I could have gotten this shot without my shadow in it.

I just love this shot. He is growing up so fast! It is so fun to watch him study things.

Here's Ray standing outside Uncle Bud's furniture store.

Julie and Bud make and sell this really cool wooden furniture! The boys wanted to bring this bunk bed home.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Bud... very fun people to be with!

Aunt Julie took us to a fish hatchery. We all had lots of fun feeding some beautiful trout.

This is the world's largest crucifix! It is part of a beautiful shrine called "Cross in the Woods." Jon and I visited here when we were dating and I loved coming back with our boys. (I just wish it was closer so our homeschool group could take a field trip!) The Cross in the Woods Shrine includes a beautiful church which has a wall of glass behind the altar... through which you can see the crucifix. We had the privilege of celebrating Mass there on Pentecost. It was amazing! Shopping in the gift shop was fun too!

Here Jon and Ray are praying at a beautiful sculpture of the Holy Family. The grounds at Cross in the Woods are filled with lovely little shrines and statues as well as outdoor Stations of the Cross.

Could this be my future bishop? Adam was in rare form as we walked through the really cool displays of priests and nuns. They actually had nun dolls (much smaller than these mannequins) from every congregation in America, each with that group's particular habit. So cool!

After Mass on Saturday night we went to a great Italian family restaurant. After dinner we played next door at this park. The equipment had to have been from the 50's or 60's. We had a blast!

Coming soon: The final installment of the "Vacation Chronicles"... our trip to Mackinac Island!