Hello, Michigan!

Planning a kid-free getaway for me and my husband brings equal measures of glee and anxiety. While the reward is great, the planning required to make it a reality is riddled with stress. There are endless details to work out, underlying feelings of guilt at leaving the kids, not to mention the sense that we are over-burdening family and friends who are helping us out while we’re gone. It’s a miracle we ever go ANYWHERE. And, yet, that is exactly what we did. Off to Michigan we went for a wedding and then a reunion with some dear friends.

Day one started in typical fashion – a mad rush of kids to school and us to the airport. Phew! Made it on time. What?? A 3-hour delay?? Thank goodness we’re at homey Manchester Boston Regional Airport. I’ve got snacks, a book, some tunes, and my guy — let the relaxation begin!

[TANGENT alert: Funny, isn’t it, that they named this sweet little airport to sound like it’s near Boston Logan International? It is, in spirit, SO FAR from Logan it may as well be in another solar system. On this day, it was very un-busy, with only a handful of passengers at the check-in when we arrived. The shuttle driver and passengers greeted us with a cheery “Hello!” when we climbed onboard. The security personnel smiled and respectfully directed us during our screening, even apologizing for needing to rifle through my handbag. And the gate area was quiet and practically empty, allowing us to spread out with our stuff while we waited for our plane to arrive. At Logan you keep your head down, your loved ones close, and try not to draw attention to yourself.]

We arrived that evening just in time to attend our friends’ rehearsal dinner — a BBQ complete with ribs and green bean casserole, and a heated game of corn hole.

Ribs!

Saturday we had the entire morning to ourselves, which meant a good workout at the hotel before enjoying their free breakfast.  I got to make my own Belgian waffle!

Belgian Waffles and Fruit

We made sure to make some time to see the sights in South Haven, a small lakeside resort community with scenery galore, shops, and plenty to do.  We checked out Black River Harbor…

Black River Harbor

Walked out to the lighthouse…

South Haven lighthouse

And even got in some physical therapy for my torn calf muscle by Lake Michigan — almost ready for volleyball’s summer season!

A little PT by Lake Michigan

We eventually wound our way up to the main street to check out the shops. We were really just poking around with no plan, but stumbled upon this cool little shop, The Olive Cart, that specializes in infused olive oils and balsamics.  The store shelves were lined with silver vats for tasting all the varieties…

Olive oils and balsamics

We tried many different ones, from Cinnamon Pear, Smokehouse, and Strawberry balsamics to Tuscan Herb, Chipotle, and Lime infused oils. There was even Savory Bacon oil — this bacon thing is really catching on!  The owner, Jeff, who creates all of these blends himself, was a huge help as we picked out several gifts for friends. He even packed them up and shipped them for us himself!

Jeff, owner of The Olive Cart

As our morning made it’s way to noon, we made a mandatory stop at a locally famed ice cream shop, Sherman Dairy Bar.  Why mandatory, you ask?  Simple.  The groom, who grew up in South Haven, is the grandson to the man who started this family business back in 1958.  Besides, it was lunch time 🙂

Sherman's Dairy Bar

We loved the old-fashioned ice cream shopped feel…

Sherman Dairy Bar since 1958

And the ice cream was some of the best I’ve ever had. Creamy and rich and absolutely delicious!

Cappuccino chip ice cream

Full of ice cream, it was time to get on with the wedding festivities.  It was one of the most fun weddings I’ve ever been to, thanks to the down-to-earth fun-loving nature of both the bride’s and groom’s families.  Thanks to June and Joe and their families for making us so welcomed and for giving us such a great reason to get away!

Now, on to the food…while all of the wedding grub was excellent, I really just want to mention this one appetizer…Bacon zingers!!  Yes, bacon makes a celebrity appearance again, this time with its pals jalapeno and dried apricot.  The combination of sweet, savory and pop! was so good, I had quite a little collection of toothpicks going…

Bacon zingers!