Michigan Week One

Week One of our trip to Michigan, the Reader's Digest Version: Everybody is sick.

Well, that's not all, I guess.

The train trip that we nearly missed was fairly uneventful, unless you count the old people that sat behind us in the lower level seating. It was an elderly couple and their 60 year old son, and another older guy who had a bad case of emphysema and I thought at any moment, I would be beginning CPR. They were all hard of hearing, causing them to shout everything from the time we got on around 9:00 p.m. until well past midnight. Then began the trips to the bathroom, one every 30 minutes or so. Naturally, they were sitting behind us and had to hold our seats and step over my children, who were sleeping partially in the aisle, on their way. We were very happy to reach Chicago and see Papa and Grandma waiting for us.

We have been busy doing a whole lot of nothing, but we've all had colds since Wedneday, and like every fall cold for me, it turned into bronchitis. Thankfully (?) I have been on antibiotics for the 10 days prior to getting the cold for something else, so hopefully, I won't need more. And I would like to add that I'm a little ticked off because I had a nasty cold three weeks ago that I also shared with all my children. I'm hoping for a healthier winter...

Spent the first couple days playing outside, shopping, and seeing family. On Wednesday, we loaded up the truck and headed north for the cabin, passing through Sanford, which is a town that Allen's great grandfather settled. We don't know his name, but his daughter was Lily Belle Sanford, and she married Clarence Clevland Strawn. Ten miles north of there was Edenville, so we had to stop and take a short tour. We then went to the nursing home to visit Allen's Grandpa Ittner. He was hard to track down, but we found him 22 minutes into his daily hour long ride to nowhere. He was in very good spirits and was happy to meet his newest great grand-baby, Elia Clara. It was a short visit, but well worth the time.

Two hours later, we were passing the big wooden Kenny sign and unloading stuff into the cabin. Eden & Lars found their name on the sign, along with Elia's before checking out the 'really cool' loft inside, picking which bed they wanted to sleep on.

The weather was beautiful while we were there, the campfire was perfect, the wind was rustling through the trees and my kids didn't know what that sound was. It was surreal and I felt like they were a little deprived, but then Lars spouted off all the kinds of tractors that were in the fields on the way home, impressing everybody who was listening, so it was Ok. The lake was low and I was too miserable to take Ened & Lars in the canoe, but we took a walk down to the banks. The three of us went on a bear hunt around the lake but never found one. Lars wanted to have Dave's boat for the lake, but I convinced him it was too small and the boat was too far away. Papa found a mysterious four clawed cat print on the morning walk, but we couldn't figure out for sure what it was. Lars spent several hours in the sandbox and Eden spent equal time on the tire swing. It was a good time, even though everyone was hacking with runny noses.

The drive home was twice as beautiful as it was on the way up. The red and black oak trees are in full color and when the sun hits hundreds of them in just the right way, all at the same time, you're pretty sure it's a taste of heaven.

Last night was the first hockey game of the season, so we parked ourselves on the couch and watched the season start off well. I went to bed early when Meegan arrived with the blessed Vaporizer. She held Elia until nearly midnight, when I took over, sitting for the 4th night in a row propped up, pretending to sleep.

Today, we are hanging out at Meegan's house. Me, mostly on the couch and the kids being entertained by the cousins. Elia is not happy no matter what at the moment. Which means that tomorrow will have to be better :-)

Lars misses his house and his friends in Nebraksa, but is willing to stay the next week, as long as we can get on the train to go back home.

That's all for now...