Days with the Dorans

We had a rare moment with all of us home and it was WONDERFUL but it didn't last too long. Soon Joe was back off to school/work and the rest of us were off to a DCFC game. The games really are a lot of fun and not too expensive. Of course we first stopped to get some good Polish food! We had Kielbasa Kapusta dogs and Pierogi which was SOOOO good! It is really such a fun vibe. We sat on the opposite side we usually sit because it was packed. We actually really liked it and had a great view of the game and the area where everyone eats/drinks/hangs. Zach got a new shirt and owes me for life. I'm glad I have that down in writing now. Unfortunately it was an awful game. The other team scored in the first few minutes and then nothing much happened on either side. We decided to leave a bit early and beat the crowd. We actually saw Dave Baldwin there which was really cool too. I put together THIS quick video of more of my pictures.

It was the end of an era for Ali but I think that she didn't feel it as much as I did. We moved her out of her "Apartment" which was more like a house (that's her bedroom window up top). She lived there with five other girls and to be honest, I was impressed they lasted as long as they did. Four of them decided they wanted to live elsewhere and so Ali and her college bestie, Hannah, will be be heading to a new apartment in August. Because her one lease ended before the new one started, she had to move her things into storage so Jeff and I decided to make a weekend of it and scratch off some of our adventures. Jeff and I went up separately and we took Joey and his friends Mike and Liam out to dinner at Jon's restaurant. It was great to see him too. After dinner Jeff and I went to Bells. We had some yummy drinks and I ran into a coworker (Danielle- such a small world). There was a Led Zepplin tribute band that we could hear and that made it fun too!  Ali got to Kala...

We have been trying to visit Jeff's mom for a bit now but we were gone for a week up north and it seemed the dates we could make, she couldn't. We were happy to finally be able to connect. All of the kids were working so it was just Jeff and I that went up so we decided to do a quick adventure date as well. Bay City is not far from Grandma's house and the adventure was to go to the "Tummy Ache Candy Store." It was a very small place too so we knew that it wouldn't be a long stop so we hit it before heading to Saginaw. I LOVED how colorful and unique the place was. There were baskets with candy that you could pull down from the ceiling and drawers that you could pull out with candy in them. There was also a retro-looking fridge that had yummy chocolates inside. Although it was small and we spent some time looking at everything, I am sure that we missed somethings. We got a few things (retro like candy that you don't see around anymore and Jeff got a caramel...

  We weren't expecting to have Zach home this summer but when he was on a waitlist for a class he needed, it looked like we would get another summer with him which I was secretly THRILLED about. They actually called him and told him that there was a spot that opened but that was after he moved home and finding a place up there would have been a pain and a scramble.  The good news was that Zach could work full time this summer with no classes on his schedule. Zach has had the most interesting track record with work. First there was the crazy-ness with the boss that wrote a bad check and then didn't pay him after the restaurant went out of business... That still blows my mind. Then when he moved home, he got hired to be a lifeguard and work the front desk at Lakeland. He had to do all the trainings (like we teachers do) and he filled out all the tax info he needed to but time kept going by with no mention of when he would start. He had contacted them and when he didn't hear b...

I feel like this may have been the longest we have spent in Elk Rapids but it went by so fast. On one hand it was nice not having to worry at all about the dogs. I know my folks don't like watching them and although Garrett is awesome, it is nice to have them staying with family. On the other hand I hate that we didn't even have ONE day where all six of us overlapped and I'm hopeful that next year will be the year when we ALL are in our happy place! On our last night we hit the beach with guitars which is always a favorite for me. Z has recently started playing bass which is fun. I think that Sean needs to figure out a string instrument to play so he can join the males in this family. Playing music at sunset is always a favorite way we love to spend the time. The weather overall wasn't super hot (which I LOVED) but it meant not a lot of swimming and no pool time. I remember when the kids were little, that's all they did was SWIM! It was great having Ali up even if i...

  On Saturday, I was still a bit sore from my kayak adventure, but I got my miles in while Ali ran and the boys did disc golf. After we were all home and showered it was time to hit the Wineries. We decided to do a similar thing like we did when we went snowshoeing in February but Jeff would drive since it was a bit hot. We hit two wineries we had before and then one new one. The first one we went to was Bowers Harbor. I love the way they serve their flights and it is such a cool place. There is a lot of outdoor seating (which we also took advantage of in the winter). It was so cool to see it all greened up! Of all the places, this one is my favorite. We got a flight of red, a flight of sweets and a flight of ciders. While the wine was pretty much mine and Ali's thing, Joe will have an occasional glass (more than Jeff's once a year wine when the kids decorate the tree) and he really does prefer ciders to beer so he liked it took. Sean got a lemonade (which is usually his drink ...

  So if you are reading this in order, you know that on Thursday we did one of our "Adventure Dates" and went kayaking which was a ton of fun. After that we decided we would go to a Pit Spitters Game. We went last year with the boys and it was such a fun day at the park. Forgot to add this "Group Shot" to our Kayaking adventure. As I mentioned my arms had started hurting a bit on our way to the game. They just felt achy. The game was OK. There was a Bronco on the team and we loved watching the fun things they do in between innings. We had beer and a pretzel, Joe got dinner and Sean opted for popcorn. As the innings went on though, my arms REALLY started to hurt and so we left in the 6th inning. The boys didn't mind because they also wanted to get home to watch the World Cup. But on the way, Jeff stopped to get me Tylenol and Icy Hot. I popped that Tylenol in my mouth as soon as I could and lathered up my arms but it didn't seem to help one iota! That night I...

  We took our scratch tickets with us up north and found two nearby that both had to do with kayaking. Since we had our own kayaks, we had Z bring them up when he came on Tuesday so that we could used those to avoid a rental fee. Of the two we decided to do Bellaire because it was close and just really entailed kayaking and checking out a food barge on torch lake. We decided to go after Joey got to down so the four of us (Z had to go back home to work plus he spent most of his time with Kat), the boys had a kayak and Jeff and I had a kayak. We blew them up in the parking lot and were on our way. I was a bit nervous about parking but it actually wasn't a big deal. I was nervous for a bit since we went so far we could no longer really see what was happening on that shore. Jeff and I defintely went faster than the boys but it was fun to watch them having fun and catching up. We did an out and back since Torch lake it big and according to my watch, we did about 3 miles. The food barge ...

Elk Rapids has been our happy place for as long as I can remember. I know my parents got it right after I left for college but I feel like every summer we have been lucky enough to take our kids and enjoy Lake Michigan. It feels even more special now that Z goes to school so close and knows Traverse City (20 minutes south of us) so well. Because of work schedules, there wasn't a day when all of us were together which was a bummer. The good news (I guess) is that we didn't have to have anyone watch our zoo. Still I wish that we could have ALL been together. Those times feel so precious to me. So it started out with just Jeff, me and Sean. I walked every morning (5 miles) and Sean even joined me once and we walked to a beach about a mile away that I hadn't been to. Thankfully Jeff picked us up after his disc golf because it got buggy. Speaking of disc golf, I joined a few times (to walk the course and listen to my book). Sean is not a disc golfer so he caddied for Jeff since ...