We enjoyed our trip to Petoskey so much two years ago, we had to make a return trip. Petoskey is a resort town but not too overgrown and overpriced to ruin the charm of its location. We were able to get the same room we had last time with the two queen beds, pull out couch and bunk beds. The top bunk ended up being a source of contention for the girls (Gita was always maneuvering to have it to herself) but by and large it was nice to stay somewhere familiar. We unpacked and headed down to the waterfront just in time for golden hour.
The long shadows stretched as we meandered back to the car,
The ability to make fresh waffles at the Hampton Inn is a big reason why we stay there. The girls came down with their fuzzy hair and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Sydney was particularly delighted about those Nutella packets. She not only had plenty of them for breakfast, she squirreled more away to snack on throughout the day.
Who doesn't love a warm waffle?
Gita had been bugging everyone about jumping off the breakwall. Honestly, I thought that would wait a day- you have to time that kind of thing since you will be wet. Then we decided to just go for it since the parking was ideal. Brent and Sydney missed out on this right of passage last time and we insisted they come along this time. The water was lower, and colder making the jump a lot more intimidating. I jumped as quickly as I could- before I got in my head. Gita went in right after me.
Fighting some nerves, Brent and Ireland agreed to go together.
His "Oh no!" right after he jumped made us all laugh because that's what you feel like when you are mid-air- what have I done? Here are some still shots of their jump.
The "Oh no!" moment.
Even though last time Liesel not only jumped off the breakwall, she flipped off the breakwall and then she jumped off the choppy side- she was reticent. Again, the jump looked a lot further since the water was lower and she had gotten in her head. Finally she made the plunge.
I wish you could have seen her face coming back out of the water because she had a look of complete shock at how cold the water was. You can tell by how quickly she swims back to the ladder.
Sydney sort of jumped. She climbed down and let go of the ladder for a few precious seconds before going right back up. We told the girls they could have a t-shirt from Grandpa Shorters only if they jumped and decided this was enough to earn Sydney her t-shirt. She was pretty terrified and overcame a lot to get there.
Ireland was the brave one and after a jump with Brent, then helping Sydney, she wanted one more good jump.
Away she went.
Cheesy as it sounds, this was really a bonding moment for our family. Encouraging each other while grappling with fear and then cheering each other on when we made it was a sweet time. We snuggled in our towels and walked away feeling triumphant.
On Sunday we went to the local branch- something we couldn't do two years ago due to the pandemic. It was a really great experience and Ireland even bore her testimony about jumping off the breakwall. As he concluded sacrament meeting, the Branch President invited everyone to jump off the breakwall and the congregation laughed. Liesel and Ireland ended up going to the youth class which consisted of two young men from our home ward taught by their parents. It was nice to see familiar faces on vacation! The Sunday School teacher played a clip from a talk by Elder Oaks and didn't realize how loud the volume was so Liesel and Ireland heard a booming, "I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY" in their own classroom. It was pretty funny.
We went back to the hotel to change, rest and play some games.
Cards Against Humanity- Family Edition was hilarious!
It was such a gorgeous day, we went for a long walk. First we did the waterfront again where we enjoyed watching people jump off the breakwall. I'm glad Gita had urged us to do that early because it was much more enjoyable watching it with that experience under our belts.
We decided to take a walk along the waterfront which was just lovely! We found flowers to put in Gita's braid.
We came upon a pretty park where Sydney dubbed this the Little Mermaid rock and asked that I take this photo.
We had no idea there was this sweet waterfall! The girls all scrambled around the rocks and of course, more photos.
Next to this was a big staircase which had stunning views of Lake Michigan at the top.
We found this adorable pavilion with telescopes and I just happened to have some quarters in my bag.
On a whim, we decided to stop at American Spoon for some gelato.
Gita and I shared the coconut and the pineapple. That pineapple tasted just like a creamy Dole Whip and it was SO good! In the corner of this picture you can the the little boy who was watching Gita intently.
On the 4th of July we figured Petoskey State Beach would be busy so we got there early. I decided to rent a kayak and oh man, we had so much fun with that! Liesel and Ireland had both been kayaking at camp but I had never gone kayaking with them. Gita and Sydney tried it and I was so impressed with both of them. There was another family in kayaks and the parents were doing all the paddling while the kids sat back and just looked around. Gita and Sydney both paddled their little hearts out and they were really good at it too! We had so much fun and I put a pin in this for our upcoming trip to Hawaii. I have some video but everyone is so far it out, it's not that great. Here's Brent and Liesel.
Just before we returned it, we let Liesel and Ireland go out on their own. This is just another sign of our family growing up. The girls used to be content to just play in the sand on the beach. This was a fun, new memory to make with them now that they are old enough.
Even though everyone was still in swimsuits, we were good and hungry. There is a place in Petoskey called The Back Lot which has a central seating area and then a bunch of food trucks. The alleyway to get there had some really cool photo op spots.
While we were deciding what to get, a mother accidentally spilled her beer all over her little girl. I happened to have wipes in my bag which I offered and they gratefully accepted- smelling like beer is awful. We were able to snag seating inside out of the sun and next to what became our favorite food truck- Happy's Taco Shop. The street taco was fantastic!
Not only did the skies cloud over, but it started to rain and I took the girls to the big Kilwin's on the outskirts of town. This is a 3ft tall, hand-crafted, chocolate bunny we spotted while waiting in line.
I dove into the coconut chip while the girls dove into theirs!
Especially Ireland:
Again, carrying those baby wipes came in handy!
It started raining pretty hard so we decided against going anywhere to see the fireworks- even though it had cleared up, the ground was stilly soggy. We were again able to watch them from our balcony which was lovely and we didn't mind missing the crowds.
Then of course the oldest three needed individuals (Sydney didn't care so much).
It was another great trip to Petoskey! Next year we are planning to do the Wisconsin Dells- apparently the fact we live so close and have never taken the kids is kind of considered child abuse in these parts but the year after that? We may just have to return to this lovely place! We always have so much fun in Petoskey.
1 comment:
I'm catching up on your blog. This trip looks amazing.
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