One thing that Nathan and I have always prided ourself on is being somewhat spontaneous. We'd been itching to get out of Midland and spend some time exploring Up North. Originally our plan was to head up to Traverse City for the day. But we decided to through in a last minute change and go to Mackinaw City instead. Mackinaw City is located at the very top of the lower peninsula. Then there's the bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsulas. So we passed on printing directions and put out travel faith in the good ole map. (you can skip to below the boxed section for the short version.)
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The drive up to Mackinaw was beautiful. There were even plenty of rolling hills that kind of reminded us of Kentucky. Upon arrival we decided we'd take a couple minutes to orient ourselves. That proved to literally only take two minutes. The 'city' was essentially a tourist town with a bunch of little trinket and souvenir shops. We decided to go ahead and cross the bridge into the UP. We drove a few miles past St. Ignes and found a marshy little spot to get out, snap a few pictures, and touch the ground to say we were in the UP. The scenery and lake was just stunning. After heading back to the LP we strolled around the shops and looked for somewhere to eat lunch. We ended up have a not so great lunch. But aside from the disappointment in MC, the views were beautiful and the water crystal clear. I didn't know if I should jump in it or drink it. We did neither. We went ahead and got some fudge because that's what your supposed to buy in Mackinaw.
Now let me add that we chose not to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island where the only motor vehicles are snow mobiles. You either bike, walk, or ride a horse drawn carriage. I have not doubt that it is a really neat place. But Nathan and I are not big into the touristy destinations. So we decided that we saw the same views and made it to the UP and that was good enough for us.
As we got back in the car to leave, we were definitely on the same wave length. We looked at each other and said, Lets do it. We looked at the map and decided to take the route along the western coast and head down to Traverse City. This was the highlight of our trip. At least 50% of the drive was actually along Lake Michigan, other lakes, or the Bay. We passed by orchards and passed through some adorable towns. One town we were really impressed with was Petosky. It was an absolutely charming town that overlooked the lake. Adorable houses, lots of culture and character... our kind of town. We drove around Petosky for a few minutes and continued on down to TC.
Arriving in TC was funny because it was kind of like... Now we are somewhere! We parked and did more strolling. A lot of the stores were already closed for the day, but some were still open. Just being in that town, taking in the scenery, the culture, the charm. Ah. It was the best! We found a local brewery to eat dinner that ended up having the best carrots and asparagus! So yummy! We strolled some more then grabbed some ice cream and walked over to the marina. It was sunset by then. We just strolled down a few docks and just enjoyed being together.
I know this is long, but let me now add some commentary about some of my thoughts. Midland sucks. OK. That's not nice. I'm sorry. Midland is just not our kind of town. For our personal liking, it lacks culture and character and charm and diversity and cute little restaurants and art and street musicians and live music. And its not that we need to be entertained all the time, but its just nice to be in that kind of a city culture. I know we took Memphis for granted, but in the evenings we'd walk over to Beale Street and just walk up and down the street taking in the sights and sounds. We don't 'party' but we could appreciate the music and the food and the people. We found Europe to kind of be that way. Everyone sitting at the cafes were all faced towards the people walking... they were people watching... just enjoying their surroundings.
So then we raised the question... which is more important (obviously providing for your family is #1)... career prestige (I know Nathan's jobs is not prestigious but it is a great photo paper) or feeling at home in a place that suits who you are while taking a less prestigious job. Now we know that early on its important to go with the job. Like everything else, I think its about finding your balance. Being in towns that we adore makes it harder to go back to Midland.
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All in all it was a fantastic day. We enjoyed the natural beauty of Michigan, charming cities, but most of all just being together. And not just being together physically... but emotionally being together. We are still very at peace with things. I never could imagine not having kids. But I've come to love and appreciate our relationship as freestanding. It doesn't require anything else to be complete. We are complete. However, we still very much would like to grow our family. And we will in some way. But I think God is just showing me some things right now.
However, we are both really feeling like we need something. We need something to change. Anticipating a major life change like a baby and then not receiving it is not an easy thing. We have a few other significant things that we are praying for and really just feel like we need one of these answered. To stay in the same life position with such serious disappointment is hard... kind of like someone pushed you down on to your bottom. We need someone (meaning God) to give us a hand and give us a reason to get back up.
But I know He is working in us and preparing us for what lies ahead.
That should do it for now. We actually took pictures so we should have some to get posted soon.
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