Great vacation, not so great travel experience

This past weekend, we went to Michigan for a little vacation. We were supposed to leave on Thursday night and fly into Detroit and then drive to Brad’s parents house, but our flight was cancelled due to weather. What weather I am not sure, but I think it may have been because of the little storm we had in Philly, but not even at the airport. Frustrating!! And Thursday was the day they were banning liquids from the flight and everything so we expected there to be a huge wait at the airport, but there was no line to check bags and no line at security, it was kind of eerie! They booked us on a flight on Friday morning, so we headed home, had some dinner and then went to bed.

Friday morning was a totally different experience at the airport. It was completely mobbed!!!! It was worse than Midway at Thanksgiving. It was pretty outrageous. We were standing in line to check bags (which took about 35 minutes), and I decided to take the liquids out of my bag and put them in Brad’s so I could go get in the security line. Thank goodness I did because it took an hour and 15 minutes to get through security!!!! We got the gate at exactly the time our flight was scheduled to leave. We would have missed it if they hadn’t been waiting for a flight attendant! So, we were so happy to get on the plane and be on our way to Detroit.We met my mom and Detroit and were on our way to Kalamazoo. We took a small detour through Ann Arbor so my mom could see the campus. Once we got to Kzoo, we took a tour of Helen and David’s beautiful new bedroom. I am jealous, it is absolutely gorgeous!!! Then we headed to lunch at the Moors, and then Brad and David went and played a round of golf to get ready for the weekend. The ladies went and did some shopping!

We got up early on Saturday morning to head up North. The main reason for the trip was a golf vacation for Brad and his dad, but Helen, my mom and I were just tagging along for fun. I wanted my mom to see Northern Michigan because it is absolutely beautiful up there!!! Saturday, we went to an Art Fair in Charlevoix and then headed to Petoskey to check into the hotel. (More on that later.) Then we headed up to Harbor Springs, which is definitely a boating town! All the shops closed at 6! We decided to head up to Cross Village, where Helen said there was a “Funky restaurant” where we could eat dinner. It turned out to be Legs Inn, a Polish American restaurant in a beautiful outdoor setting. Inside was a little “funky,” but the food was good and the view was spectacular! Brad also felt the first kick from the baby after dinner, which is a momentous occasion!

The hotel was interesting because all 5 of us were in the same room, which they described as a suite, but it was actually just one big room, complete with a large Jacuzzi tub and a pull out couch. My mom slept on the rollaway. And we also had Riley, the bichon. So, it was interesting for sure!! I would have gotten more sleep were in not for all the snoring, but oh well….it was just one night!

Sunday, Brad and his dad had their first round of golf, so the ladies headed off for more shopping. We went to Traverse City, which is a very cute little town, with lots of great shops, including several baby shops! We had a yummy lunch at the Mackinaw Brewery and then headed to Elk Rapids, where all the shops closed at 3!!! (I guess it was Sunday after all, so not much shopping there.) We stopped at Helen's friends house where we were staying for a little rest and then we met Brad and David in Bay Harbor for dinner. It was the longest.....dinner....ever, but the food and conversation were good, and Bay Harbor is one of my favorite spots in Michigan!!!

Monday morning, Mom and I headed to Detroit around 10 AM. (It's about a 4 hour drive.) When we were about 45 minutes from the airport, I realized that Brad still had the keys to both my car and the house! So, I didn't really freak out about it until we got to the airport, and the Motor Club guy said they couldn't tow my car home because the tow truck wouldn't fit in the parking garage. I thought I had everything figured out. Not so much.....so I tried to think of what I could do because I had to get into my car to get the garage door opener. I had no other way to get into the house. I called one of my neighbors, Jodi, to see if she could pick me up, and she is a lifesaver!!!! When we landed at the airport, I called the motor club again to see if they could send someone to jimmy into my car, and the tow service they called said lock out is offered as a service from the airport. I called, and sure enough, the Philadelphia airport offers free services such as lockouts and jumpstarts. Amazing!!! They were a little confused because the keys were not in the car, but I got what I needed and Jodi picked me up and we were on our way. I was so exhausted by the time I got home. I am so thankful that we had an extra key to Brad's car here. I don't think I could have faced going back to the airport.

So, being in Northern Michigan was really fun! I absolutely love it up there, and I wish we could have stayed longer! It was great to see the Scheiners and my mom!