Monday, August 10, 2009

A visit to St. Joe, Michigan




Yesterday, we got back from our long weekend trip to St. Joseph, MI to visit T.J. and it became pretty clear why T.J. is anxious to get the heck out of there! It's a quaint, little town and the lake is pretty, but it's pretty easy to do all there is to do in St. Joe in about an hour and a half. And if it's raining, well, you drink. T.J. took us to some nice restaurants and we did get a couple hours on the beach, but beyond that you start to feel a little antsy. Of course, I always seem to find myself getting antsy on vacation whether it be St. Joe, MI, Costa Rica, or the Outerbanks, after a couple of days I just start to feel like vacation is just one, big, giant meal and I'm looking for ways to be active and productive. I think I may be better suited for vacations that involve hiking or volunteer work. It's strange how I seek out relaxation and end up looking for work to do.

We also realized pretty quickly that ten-month-olds and vacation don't exactly go together. We stayed at a Courtyard Marriott in Benton Harbor, MI and felt slightly disgusted and kind of yicky the whole time we were there. We immediately removed that mysterious bedspread that we've been trained to believe holds the bubonic plague and clamydia deep within its fibers, and then we looked hesitantly at the carpet and realized that Finny would be spending some time there on the dark blue carpet, the dark blue carpet which may also hold the H1N1 virus, gonorrhea and other microscopic yuckies deep within its fibers. I took a deep breath, put him down and let him have at it, praying that he not end up with tiny sores.

Realizing quickly that the hotel room was cramped and not the ideal place to hang out with baby, we headed into town to go to the beach. As luck would have it, Finny napped nicely in his stroller for about an hour and a half while David and I read quietly on our beach towels under overcast skies. It was actually quite lovely to be on the somewhat chilly, cloudy beach under our little umbrella. When Finny did wake up we looked hesitantly at the sand and realized once again that we were a little stuck with our ten-month-old who wants to move but can't walk. Severe weather forced us indoors anyway, where David and I continued our game of pass the baby.

It was nice seeing T.J., nice seeing the lake and nice to get away for a bit, but it is also nice to be home to my carpet, my bedspread, my high chair and my things that are relatively clean, clean enough for Finny to put his mouth on at least without saying a quick Hail Mary to ward off the tiny sores.

2 comments:

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  2. Hi Jill,

    Well, all of your aunts just read your blog and we were thoroughly entertained not only by the content but also the expertise with which you write. You are so amazingly talented! I absolutely love your descriptions and also your unbelievably wise thoughts at such a young stage in your motherhood.
    Keep writing, Jill. I can't wait to read the books you will be writing!

    Love,
    Aunt Donna

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