The Saturday Six

One.

I found this list of 21 places every American should see before he or she dies. The bad news? I haven't seen ANY OF THEM. (That actually surprised me.) The good news? I have seen so many beautiful spots in this country, so if I haven't found the 21 best yet, then this really IS a beautiful country.

Two.

This blogger used drop cloths to make porch curtains. First of all - genius. Secondly - HER PORCH IS ADORABLE!!! While we don't need curtains on our front porch, I'm filing this idea away for our pergola (pierogi, for those of you who have been around for a while) just to dress it up. PS - the rope she used to tie them back is an extra adorable touch.

Three. 

You know that coffee grounds exist in abundance around Shafferland. So when I found this article with ideas of how to use them once they're...used...I was so happy! Sure, I'd heard a few of these before, but some were brand new to me. Let's get coffee-grounds-crafting!

Four.

This little playhouse renovation (in the spirit of Fixer Upper) is cute as a button. Am I too old to want a playhouse????

Five. 

I don't know if I've ever shared this one before or not, but even if I have, it bears repeating. Before Ryan and I got married, I prayed for him often - even though I didn't know his name. I saw this article on Pinterest this week and thought I'd pass it along. I really like the idea for the using your hand as a prayer guide. That works for praying for anyone. If you're one of my single readers, I just want to pause to encourage you today! My heart still remembers that season and how much I longed for answers. Sometimes it's hard to have the courage to keep praying when you don't see answers. Don't give up!

Six.

This post is about how to make this DIY plant stand. I don't know if I'd use it for a plant stand, but it is cute as a button, I think! Knowing me, I'd probably fill it with books. :)

Would You Rather....

This week has been mostly summed up this way: I painted. So today I want to have some blog fun. Wanna play a game with me? I found some summertime would you rather questions, and they were good ones!

Here goes!

1. WOULD YOU RATHER...go one a one week vacation anywhere in the world that you want OR go on a month-long vacation, but have to stay within 200 miles of your hometown?

Are you kidding me? Give me the month and get out of my way! I can think of MANY places within a 200 mile radius that I'd love to visit, and I have no burning desire to see the farthest reach of the globe. So yes. I will take one solid month and knock a WHOLE BUNCHA places off my list!

2. WOULD YOU RATHER...go to the beach, but forget your towel OR go to the beach, but forget your sunscreen? 

I don't like getting in the water anyway, so I'll just take my sunscreen. Fun fact: on our recent trip to Silver Beach, I actually did forget our towels (because of the aforementioned disdain for getting in the water) so we were the weirdos out there with our blanket from our car. (Giggle.)

3. WOULD YOU RATHER...get to have ice cream as much as you want this summer, but only have vanilla OR only get to have ice cream three times this summer but get to have whatever flavor you want?

Hmmmmm. Knowing my fond affection for ice cream, I think I'd have to go with vanilla. You know, if you get a good, creamy vanilla, it's really not bad. I don't think I could make it through a whole summer with only three ice creams.

4. WOULD YOU RATHER...be in an Independence Day parade OR host an Independence Day party?

Good question! I've been in parades before (for the station) and they are kind of fun, but they also can be very hot! (And I was always able to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but I sure felt bad for the guys out there in mascot suits. 90 degrees and a fur costume? EEEK!) I do love a good party, so I think maybe I'd go with that. And let's hope it ends with fireworks, because they are my favorite!

5. WOULD YOU RATHER...have the best summer ever but not be able to remember any of it OR have an ordinary summer and remember every detail?

That's a tough one, because I do love extraordinary moments, but I think I love memories more. What's the good in having the best summer if you never remember it? I'd rather have good memories of the ordinary, I think! (This answer comes to you, in part, by the ordinary days I've been scrapbooking lately. They still make me smile.)

6. WOULD YOU RATHER...vacation on a deserted island OR a crowded beach?

Just how deserted is this island? If it's JUST me, I think I would have to go with the beach, because I'd get awfully lonely! But if I can be deserted with Ryan, then I would pick that over a crowded beach. (And this island has a bathroom and no mosquitoes, right?)

7. WOULD YOU RATHER...build a campfire OR a sandcastle?

I've never tried to build a sandcastle and I cannot imagine for one moment that I'd be any good at it. (Although can we pause to talk about the people that build the AMAZING art sculptures in sand for competitions? I do love looking at those pictures and someday hope to see some in person at a beach.) Campfires, however, usually mean s'mores. Sign me up for that, please.

8. WOULD YOU RATHER....eat popsicles OR watermelon?

I adore watermelon and Ryan can't stand it. It's one of our very few food differences. Because I fear I would eat the entire watermelon alone, I just choose not to buy them. But my choice here would totally be a watermelon. I don't like popsicles all that much. Give me an ice cream bar if you're giving me a frozen treat. So definitely a watermelon. (And since he won't like it, I guess I get to eat the whole thing by myself!)

9. WOULD YOU RATHER...have a backyard that is a huge bounce house OR a huge ball pit?

The bounce house would block my view. So I pick the ball pit. I could pretend it's a pool! :)

10. WOULD YOU RATHER...live on a houseboat for the summer OR live in a tree house? 

(Clarification: the tree house in this question is one of the really cool fully functioning tiny homes in the treetops. Not like your kids' backyard rickety playset tree house.) Even so, I pick houseboat. Floating down the river for the summer with no grass to mow? YES!!!!


Tell me your favorites!

Remember Father's Day?

No, I didn't forget about Father's Day...and yes, we did celebrate it! I thought I'd give you a little peek at it today.

Father's Day was kind of different this year. If you've been reading here for a while, you may or may not remember that this is the one event every year that's a HUGE bash for Ryan's side of the family. Allen and Nita have always hosted it at their beautiful cabin, and they invited all of Allen's side and all of Nita's side and then anyone else who needed a place to go (like my parents) were included too!

This was Nita's biggest hosting event of the year, and while it utterly exhausted her, she loved it. (Here is a peek at last year's party, which ended up being the last big event she hosted.)

Allen told us at Mother's Day that he still planned to host it this year, as usual, and I have to say, he did a fantastic job in pulling it together. I know that Ryan's two sisters (who have both really been wonderful about spending tons of time with their dad and helping fill the loneliness for him) helped a lot too, but I was really impressed with how hard he worked to make it normal for himself and everyone else. 

Normally I'm a bit of a shutterbug at this event, but I tried to keep it low key this year. I know everyone is trying to find their new place in Nita's absence, and I didn't want to seem like I was imposing on the hostessing/memory making. But I did manage to sneak a few just for the scrapbook! I'll share a few with you!

Unfortunately, my parents weren't able to join us this year. Dad was sick earlier in the month with a really bad cold, and then Mom caught it. She really was too sick to come, and even though Dad could have, he didn't want to risk picking up any new germ variations and bringing them home to her, so he chose to stay with her. We stopped at their house before going to the cabin so we could at least see Dad on Father's Day and drop off his gift!

Then we went to the cabin!

Allen had gotten pink roses in Nita's memory and had them in a vase on the food table, along with her picture. A very sweet tribute. 

It was a bit of a grilling party out there. (And all of it tasted SO good.)

Ryan has a lot of cousins, but this one doesn't usually get to come to this particular get-together. I was so happy she was there this year!

Had to get my annual photo with Ryan...

...and one of him with his dear Grandpa. 

Grandpa hates pictures, but he humors me. And sometimes he just hams up the picture entirely. Case in point:

(That's Nita's sister and Grandpa's brother there in the picture with him.)

And Allen with his kids:

We thought it ended up being a really wonderful day! 

Happy Father's Day (again)!

Wedding Fun

June is wedding season...any of you out there have a June anniversary?

Ryan and I had planned to attend a wedding this month, but it ended up being canceled. I always find those decisions to be a mixture of sad and brave. I had so been looking forward to this wedding and was heartbroken to find out it had been called off, but if indeed it wasn't the best fit, then I have incredible respect for the bravery involved in making such a difficult decision.

So even though we're not going to be celebrating a marriage this month, I found this little fun wedding post on another blog and am borrowing it for today. Because today I feel like celebrating something!

1. What's your favorite wedding movie?

Oh, man. Only one???? I actually had to look up wedding movies so I could make sure I hadn't forgotten any important ones. (Turns out I've seen more than I thought!) And I still stuck with my original answer. Father of the Bride. I just love that movie. My most quoted line from that movie? "George Banks is saying no to the superfluous buns." I think Ryan knows when I pull out that line, I have really had it with whatever situation is in front of me. (My close-tie second favorite movie is probably The Wedding Planner.)

2. How many weddings have you been in?

Well, I was a bride in one, a bridesmaid in four, a maid of honor in one, and a flower girl in two. I also remember being a gift attendant in one, a guest book attendant in two, a coordinator in one, a bride's assistant in one, a cake server in one, and a photographer in one. I think those have been all the levels of involvement. 

3. What season did you get married in (or would be your ideal)? 

I had always dreamed of having a fall wedding. My reasons were twofold: perfect temperature and easy decorations. I did NOT want to get married in the summer, because I knew I'd sweat to death here in the Midwest. I did NOT want to get married in the winter, because I feared being blizzard-ed out of my own wedding. I'd been to a couple of fall weddings that had such easy-to-find beautiful decorations with the fall flowers and pumpkins and such...and I decided that was the best season. Alas, Ryan and I got engaged in the fall, and neither of us wanted to wait a whole year to get married. So we decided a fall engagement was superb and we'd get married in the winter...and travel somewhere warm to do it. Even though I still think fall weddings are gorgeous, I have to say that being able to see amazing Christmas decorations every year for our anniversary totally makes up for not having a fall wedding.

4. Would you rather honeymoon in Europe or at the beach?

Though Ryan and I dearly love traveling, we're more inclined to travel state-side. Neither of us has a burning desire to travel abroad. So we pick the beach...and we did! A whole week in Siesta Key!

5. What is your favorite fictional wedding scene?

Here's a sad fact. I think most of the books I've read end with the couple just getting together - and they don't actually feature the wedding itself. So I don't know that I have a favorite fictional wedding scene. WHAT?!?!?!?!? How is this possible?

6. Where do you dream about creating a gift registry?

Since Ryan and I had a destination wedding in a short time frame, we didn't even register for gifts prior to our wedding. We did register in between our wedding and our at-home reception (which took place three months later). We registered at Target and Kohls, because we thought those would be the easiest-to-visit locations for most of our guests. If we were to be doing this adventure now, I'd pick one of the online sites that allows you to add items from all over the place - including Etsy and other more independent locations. 

7. Did you have a "something blue" on your wedding day?

Indeed I did! Our wedding colors were royal blue and tan (sort of a nod to the colors of the beach) so I had blue toenail polish, a blue glass pendant necklace, and blue beads in my earrings. (I also had a hint of blue in the accents on the lantern I carried in place of flowers.)

8. Would you ever consider an outdoor wedding?

That was a hard no before we got married, and apparently an absolutely by the time we did! I always said I would never ever ever ever ever get married outside, because you can't control the weather. And then we had a sunset wedding on the beach. So apparently yes. I would consider it.

So there you have it! How about you? Any answers? 

A Behind the Scenes Peek at Life

I'll begin your Tuesday with good news/bad news. It's actually the same news, but for some of you it may be good and some of you it may be bad! 

No podcast today. 

Womp womp. Ryan and I were gone almost the entire day on Sunday, which is when we normally record it, and by the time we did get home that night, we were exhausted clear to the middle of our brains. Trust us. It wouldn't have been our finest offering. So we decided rather than forcing you to listen to long (possibly pointless) stories we forced ourselves to tell, we'd just have mercy on us all and wait a week. 

Meanwhile, I feel like we do have things to tell you, even if not in the form of a podcast!

So today is officially catch-up-on-news-day.

* One of Ryan's family members asked me at Father's Day on Sunday what I was up to in the world of writing. Another book, maybe? Well, not really as such, no, but I am working on writing a small group curriculum study that we plan to use with our small group starting this fall.

I don't take these kinds of assignments lightly. (And yes, I call it an assignment. I assigned it to myself!) To write about the Word of God is a tremendous responsibility, and I analyze every.single.word. about a thousand times. I am learning much as I research, study, and pray over each lesson, but I still feel that huge weight!

I really do hope that I can have the full year's study written prior to any of it starting this fall, but given the addition of bullet points you're about to read, the likelihood of that actually happening is a bit on the low side. So I'm going to power through and have as much written as I can, but I don't want to rush for the sake of marking off a checklist, you know? 

* Because we've been spending all our spare time at Ryan's dad's house since the end of March, we have a big stack of projects here at home awaiting our attention. We are just about to wrap up our time of helping him get his house ready to sell, and we are eager to attack the space we live in every day and finish some of the projects. (START some of them, actually.) We have realized just how much we love being home and attending to the space entrusted to us, and in fact, I think we've learned that when you do own a home, it's important to understand that it is a commitment. It's not just about racing through the yard to mow it before you lose a dog in it, but it's about tending to its care inside and out. We're purposing to be more intentional about this!

And then!!!

* A couple of weeks ago, we were led by the Lord to accept a couple of new responsibilities through our church. It really is a whole huge story of how God had been preparing our hearts for weeks (probably months) leading up to now, when we had noooooooooooooooooooooooooo idea what was coming. He's good like that, isn't He?

As you know, for the last two years, we've led a small group through our church, and we have loved doing it. We have a great group of people - of varying ages - who come together and teach us as much as (probably more than, actually) we teach them. 

The staff pastor at our church who has been shepherding all the small group leaders recently resigned, and in the redistribution of her ministries, Ryan and I were asked if we'd be willing to oversee the group leaders.

We'll still be leading our own group (see point number one), but we'll also now be investing in a new way in the others who are leading their groups. This is brand new for us. We've led small groups together before (this is our third, actually) but we've never led the leaders.

We are so excited about the chance to minister together, because that is always one of our goals) but we are also aware of what a very weighty responsibility it is, and we want to do it well. We want to show love and care to the leaders, invest in them as people and not just as servants in the church, and if God desires it to happen, we'd love to see the ministry grow and flourish!

* Another ministry under this pastor's umbrella was the women's ministry that I've been helping with over the last few months. And similar to the small group opportunity, I was invited to step in and oversee the team I've already been part of these last few months.

It's been well over a decade since I had a role like this, and while I am so excited to try it again, I also feel the huge weight of responsibility of being able to invest in women this way. Parts of it are very fun, of course, but parts of it are a huge task, not to be taken lightly. Though I am starting to feel like I can't claim the whole "I'm young" thing in life in general anymore, I do feel like in this case, I'm very young, and I want to make sure I approach this opportunity as a chance to learn from women who have been believers much longer than I, while also leading confidently with the opportunity entrusted to me.

* All of it kind of feels like having a bunch of babies around. Like we just had quadruplets. A writing baby, two ministry babies, and a house baby - all of which need our careful attention and our investment, and we ache to see them grow and thrive to maturity!

We are excited, but we are aware of the responsibility. and we are trusting the Lord to lead us!

So that's a peek behind the scenes in Shafferland...and perhaps part of the reason we're podcastless this week! 

If You Feel a Nudge...

You've probably said it as many times as I have.

You see someone and open with, "I was just thinking about you..."

And if you've had that phrase said to you, you probably have the same thought I've had when I've heard it: "Mmmmmhmmmmm...suuuuuuurrrrrrrre you were."

But I know it's true. We really do think of people as we flutter through our days. Their names pop in our minds for any one of a number of reasons.

Maybe we drive past a restaurant where we ate together, and that makes us think that dinner or the conversation shared. Maybe we see a shirt at the store and know it would be the perfect gift. Maybe we see a commercial for the TV show our friends can quote in its entirety. Maybe we see a verse in the Bible and know it would be perfect for what they're going through.

But then...do we do anything?

I know I'm guilty of not following through on those little prompts. And I know I've been recently convicted about it.

Over the last few days, I've been trying to pay careful attention to moments when a name flutters through my mind for whatever reason, and then if at all possible, I stop right then to send a text (if I have the number) or a Facebook message or an email. If I can't stop right then, I do my best to follow up at the next available moment.

I will say it's an interesting habit to learn. I don't think I realized how many people come to my mind until I felt convicted to pay attention to those little nudges. And most of the time, I never know why they come to mind right in that moment. Maybe they just need to know someone is thinking of them. Maybe they need to know they matter. Maybe they need the actual words of encouragement sent their way.

Maybe the reasons aren't ours to know.

The little phrase I've started saying to myself is this: if you feel a nudge, you'd better budge. I'm trying to remind myself that those convictions are important, and the few seconds of pause I take to reach out could end up meaning more than I know to the person on the other end. (And even if not, I'm still being obedient to reach out, and that's what really matters.)

You don't have to have this conviction just because I do, but I also believe we could pretty quickly spread a lot of hope if we all slowed down enough to pay attention to the nudges.

Something to think about for your Monday!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Happy Father's Day!! I'm sending along a special greeting to the three fathers and one grandfather we have in our family (none of whom actually read this blog, so it'll just be an honorary shout-out) because they have had - and continue to have - a profound impact on our lives. We're grateful!

* Last Sunday was the end of the graduation season for us. We had an open house to attend (made more exciting by the fact that we'd been given the wrong address) and it was fun! The graduate is the son of one of my former Financial Aid bosses. I remember when we was born. (The graduate, not my boss.) So not that I was feeling old or anything...sigh. Anyway! He is quite a long jump champion so the boards on the cupcake stand were actual boards from some of his winning long jumps. (The sand in the centerpieces came from there too, his mom said.) We loved the food, and I loved introducing Ryan to some of my pre-marriage friends he hadn't met! Or was it Brian? According to our lunch receipt, that's who I was with. HA!

* Ryan took some pictures of me working out on the Total Gym on Monday. I did one of their recommended workouts almost every day this week and I am sore now! Whew! We went to work at his dad's house that night. Ryan was on cleaning duty. Bless him. He is so much better at that than I am. (And yes, I do know how fortunate I am. I do not take it for granted.)

* I had a podiatrist appointment on Tuesday and sent this picture to my sister while I waited. (It was kind of a rough day in there - not at all because of any medical reason, thankfully, but just because the office crew didn't quite seem on their game.) Ryan and I went to an evangelism class at church that night, and Ryan made us lattes before we left. He really is my favorite barista. 

* I found Braeya "hiding" behind the curtain on Wednesday. I hope it's not her favorite hide-and-seek spot because...well...obviously. I spent the day writing, and that night we had a meeting followed by more work at his dad's house. More cleaning for Ryan and more painting for me.

* Thursday I had my first taste of Moxie. Never heard of it before, but I was told I should try it. Of course, I was also told it tasted like carbonated Robitussin, so I'm not sure that was a winning way to get me to WANT to try it, but I did! (It wasn't as bad as I expected, but it does have an interesting aftertaste.) While I was fixing dinner that night, I looked up to see a family of ducks waddling onto our porch. Guess they wanted to eat with us! Or use our porch for a bathroom. It was another work night at Ryan's dad's that night - and this time, Ryan joined me in the painting!

* I woke up Friday morning to find Ryan and Braeya easing into the day. So sweet. I was trying to sneak a picture and didn't realize my volume accidentally activated, so there was a big "KER-CHUNK" when it took. (Eyeroll.) Ryan and I had a proper at-home date night that night. Neither of us could recall the last time that happened. We went to get coffee (Ryan had saved up points and cashed them in for this cup) and then ordered pizza and rented a movie. It was delightful.

* Ryan worked yesterday - and I tried to catch up on the MILLION things I'd gotten behind on at home throughout the week. Phoebe came to stay with us for the afternoon and evening, but she had to hang out with me, because Ryan went back to work at his dad's. (There are no photos of that adventure because I wasn't there.) WHEW! What a week!

The Saturday Six

One.

You know I love a good party theme and ice cream. So an ice cream sandwich themed party for the 4th of July? OH YES! And this isn't talking about buying a box of ice cream sandwiches and throwing them in a cooler. It's talking about a buffet of cookies and ice cream for your guests to make their own sandwiches. I'm ready right now!

Two.

This week, Anne over at Anne In Residence did an update on her progress of her 19 in 2019 goal list. I realize it's almost July, so probably none of you are really thinking about goals for the year, but I think a 20 in 2020 goal list would be a lot of fun, and I also think there's no time like the present to start brainstorming the list. Just an idea in case you want to start thinking of a list for yourself!

Three.

Charcuterie boards (you know...with all the meat and cheese?) fascinate me. I actually follow an Instagrammer who posts all about them. She makes tons of them and no two are ever alike. I tried to make a fruit board once and make it look all fancy. I think it showed that it was my first try. LOL!! But I found this post (which, granted, is a bit heavy on the "sponsored post" side) that shows a really cute fruit/cheese/cracker/nut board that is both adorable and normal. (So if you have picky kids...or husbands...or friends...everything on this board is stuff they should be familiar with and might even like!) If you need a last minute idea for Father's Day or an upcoming potluck, this might be the winner!

Four.

I am not great at memorizing from the page. I've told you that before. Now, I can quote large chunks of TV shows without pausing, so memorizing from repeated listening seems to work well for me. But I found this post with advice on how to memorize sections of Scripture from the page. I haven't tried it yet, but I find the idea extremely intriguing. I still imagine that for me, an audio Bible would be the fastest way to memorize. But this might work, too! (I'm also accepting other tricks to memorization if you happen to have any that have worked for you!)

Five.

One of my friends vacations at the same lake location every year, and he and his daughter have had a longstanding tradition of searching for sea glass. He would always come back from vacation with a new stash of really beautiful pieces, and he kept them all in a jar. I stumbled upon this article this week that tells some of the best beaches in the world for finding sea glass. (Spoiler alert: none are in Indiana. HA!) I also learned quite a bit from reading through this - about the colors that are hard to find and what generally makes a beach a good option for having success in finding treasures. An interesting little read!

Six.

I may be putting this one on here more for myself than for anyone else. I confess I'm not always very *ahem* consistent about cleaning out my makeup brushes. You know how it goes: you put on your makeup in a hurry, so you just put the brushes back, and then you don't think about them again until the next day when you put on your makeup (also in a hurry) and alas, it never gets done. Fail. Found a post with a couple of concoctions for cleaning your brushes. If you're in my forget-to-clean-them boat, check it out!

Silver Beach!

Can you handle one more peek at Michigan? :)

I wanted to tell you about the end of our trip! After we left the dunes, we drove back into St. Joseph to enjoy lunch at Silver Beach Pizza. We'd eaten there the last time we visited town, but it was MUCH less populated that time. (Frigid days don't draw crowds to the beach.) So our favorite thing about this time was getting to experience it in the height of summer!

I forgot to show you this picture the other day when I talked about watching sunset at the beach. It's a panoramic I took overlooking the lake, but Silver Beach Pizza is in this picture, so I'll include it now.

And here is the daytime view:

I was surprised how quickly they got us in; we were told there would be a 20 minute wait, but it was more like 5! And they seated us right by one of the open garage doors overlooking the train tracks, splash pad, and the water beyond that!

We were pretty gross looking from our morning of hiking, but we thoroughly enjoyed our seat and our lunch!! (The pizza made four meals for us!0

After lunch, Ryan wanted to pose with the photo opps outside, and then we went to stash our pizza.

We walked around town a bit, found sugar cookies for a dollar each (YAY!) and some souvenirs.

And then we hung out on the beach for a while! It was really hot out there! We didn't have umbrellas or anything, so we didn't stay too long.

 We dipped our toes in the water just to cool off. It actually helped quite a bit!

 BUT IT WAS SO COLD!

After we left the beach, we headed back home and Ryan had just enough daylight left to squeeze in a quick yard mowing while I unpacked and got us settled back in.

It was a great little getaway, and we were so grateful for it.

Dunes!!!

Last Saturday, Ryan and I went hiking at Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan. This was a new park for us, and we just so happened to show up on a free admission day, so that was extra exciting!

This park really has it all in terms of trail opportunities. It has a number of sand dunes (bet you didn't see that one coming!) you can hike, and from the top, you can see spectacular views. It also has regular trails through wooded areas, and though we desperately wanted to love them, mosquitoes quickly killed that. (More on that in a moment.) It also has about three miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan, so if walking a quieter beach is your happy place, you can do that!

We started with the big dune, because I feared if I didn't knock that one out at the beginning, my legs might knock me out later. My only sadness in capturing this is that you can't really fully appreciate how tall and how straight-up-and-down this dune is unless you're climbing it. (Then you come to appreciate it REAL quick.) I tried different angles, and I came close to capturing it a couple of times, but still...I promise you...however steep you conclude it is, it's really steeper than that.

I believe I read on something that it goes about 260 feet up, but I could be wrong about that. It felt like that (and more) climbing it.

Ryan went first, and he started out running, as he likes to do on dunes, but this one even got a little steep for him to run, and he had to climb at the end. (That made me feel SO much better.)

He was almost to the top before he had to really climb. He's a rock star! And he made it to the top!

If you heard the podcast, you heard about my climb. Gracefulness is not one of my gifts. But please let the record show I did make it to the top, I did not drop my phone or camera in the sand, and I did not get a picture of Malibu Barbie climbing effortlessly next to me.

(Another photo that makes it look like a gentle slope...sigh.)

 Forced to climb - WITH the phone and the camera - and NO pockets.

We interrupt this climb for a leg cramp.

MADE IT!

Hello, little matchbox cars!

The views really were breathtaking. As was the climb.

 Sorry for the backside view. But below is the photo I was taking in the photo above! Picture within a picture!

Going down went SO much faster.

I feel like this photo above came the closest to showing the angle. But still...steeper.

We tried the trails in the woods, but most of them were on lower ground, and there has been so much rain that there were pools and puddles everywhere. Stagnant water, of course, means MOSQUITO-VILLE! And we got eaten alive. It got to the point where it just wasn't fun anymore, so we escaped up a steep trail back to the open dunes, where there was a good breeze and no bugs. (We had two different bug sprays with us and both failed.)

(FYI, that's a puddle over the entire trail. We had to go off the trail into the woods to get around it.)

We ended up on the beach, so we just sat for a while and listened to the waves. (They really were pretty tame for Lake Michigan!)

On our walk back to the parking lot to get our car, we dumped a lot of sand out of our shoes, and passed this really intriguing...I'm not even sure what to call it!

Water was cold! :)

I think we stayed in the park about four hours - maybe a little more. We would have stayed longer if we'd been able to tolerate the interior trails better. We thought it was a really beautiful park, and we would definitely go again if we were in the area!