Hall of Fame Festivities Have Begun!

Tonight, Niels and I took Daniel to see the hot air balloon launch. We didn't actually make it to the festival grounds because we saw so many balloons being launched from various backyards in residential areas. Daniel was quite intrigued by these balloons, especially since he was just introduced to regular helium balloons two weeks ago! We stopped at one place and were maybe fifty feet away from three different balloons just as they launched. Pretty cool! But we were back at home by 8pm for a little boy's bedtime. Ah, the exciting life of parents of a 7-month old!

Four Sets of Hands

One of my goals when we were on our Midwest Adventure, was to get a four generations picture, with Daniel, me, my mom and my gramma. I didn't get the exact picture I was hoping for, but as news of my gramma's hospitalization reached me yesterday, I'm glad we were able to get what we did. This poem came to me tonight. My creativity isn't what it used to be, so I'll likely make some edits to this, but I like the sentiment of history intertwined.

Four Sets of Hands

Four sets of hands

Lay still on the green cloth

Four sets of hands

Representing four lives

Intersecting, intertwined.

The great grandmother’s hand

Still wears the ring of her late love

A testament to her years,

The depth of her heart,

And the fullness of her life.

The grandmother’s hand

Is marked with rheumatoid bumps

Her life has not been easy

And her hand shows the marks

Of a life filled with dream-chasing and dreams fulfilled.

The mother’s hand

is reaching out

first to her elders, gleaning wisdom from experience

and then to her son

as she learns to nurture him.

The baby’s hand

is curled up tight

life is too new

to fully embrace yet

he is drawn to hands:

the safety of his mother’s hands

the delight of his grandmother’s hands

the serenity of his great grandmother’s hands.

he reaches to them

making their hands his own.

- Jen Abbas de Jong

7/30/09

de Jong family on our 2nd anniversary

Two Years of Wedded Bliss

best.anniversary.present.ever.

Picture of the Week: Week 33

Our big boy

Soon the swing will be added to the list of things Daniel has outgrown. We really can't complain since he stayed so small for so long. We got great use out of everything we have. He's still is mostly 3-6 clothes, although we are starting to put some 6-9 month clothes in the mix. Here's our chubby bunny filling up his swing:

Cherrio!

Daniel has hit another milestone! He's using Cheerios (and now, puffs) to work on his pincher grip. He does pretty well, although some of the Cheerios land in strange places. Bailey is most excited about this new development. She watches him very carefully and has even taken charge of cleaning up any Cheerios that happen to land on the floor.

The Kennedys & de Jongs...together again!

The whole Kennedy family stopped by for dinner and dessert yesterday on their way back home after a month long adventure around the States. It was the first time we had seen the entire family since our wedding almost two years ago.

Of course, we were far too focused on spending time together that we didn't take many pictures. We did get this one of Hannah (our goddaughter) with her god-brother. We're very happy that the Kennedy family is now only eight hours away. MUCH better than a 13 hour flight!

Bye Bye Bumbo...

...Daniel's legs are too jumbo.

Our little boy is growing up! Daniel's been making it clear to us that his beloved Bumbo was getting too small. Since we had just shelled out for his new carseat, we were hoping he could at least make it to the next paycheck for a new highchair. Nope. Alas, we knew this wouldn't be our year of great savings, so off to Target we went tonight for the new chair.

Picture of the Week: Week 32

Daniel's ready for some football! And to keep his Fantasy Football crown--yes, he won the league last season at the tender age of 2 weeks. He did have a little help.

Fun Weekend

The de Jong family had a good time this weekend!

A few weeks ago (maybe a few months now!) I sold my new sling on CraigsList. The mom who bought it actually lives about a mile away from us and invited me to a "Mommy and Me" group for women in Green. They have a website, and I'd been lurking for awhile but hadn't posted or attended any events. I'm a little intimidated meeting new people, and, with the head injury and being a new mom, I really don't get out much. I miss my 5-mile radius of comfort in Grand Rapids since my friends are much more spread out here in Ohio. So, I was really excited about meeting new friends who are closer, but was having a hard time getting motivated to meet them!

Friday they were a Mommy's Night Out. I thought that would be a good first event because I wouldn't be distracted with Daniel. I introduced myself on the board a few weeks ago and knew a few names. Friday night, Niels pushed me out the door and away I went! I ended up having a great time. All the women were very friendly and spent most of the night talking to two or three women.

I came home and told Niels about it and told that they also had Family Night Out and that I'd like to do those with him. The next night we had our first opportunity. One of the women I spoke to for quite awhile on Friday is a doing the 3-day for Breast Cancer. She planned a "Bowling for Boobies" fundraiser. We called our friend, Ashley, to help with Daniel-watch and away we went.

Daniel wasn't a huge fan of the bowling alley, though he was quite enamoured with the pink balloons. He did charm everyone he met though (of course!). The bowling was pretty entertaining. I don't think any of us will be joining the pro tour soon!

Auntie Ashley with Daniel

Family Portrait

Sunday was a very low key day. I don't do things two days in a row very often, for good reason. I was beat!

new favorite CD

I've had some great luck checking out children's CDs at our local library. First, I found The Barenaked Ladies' Snacktime, and now I'm in love with Plumb's Blink. It's a collection of ethereal lullabies. The lyrics are simple, beautiful thoughts of a mother for her new baby.

Here are the lyrics of my favorite song, "My Child:"

Peacefully you are sleeping
Silently you dream
And I cannot help but feeling blessed
While watching you

Your eyes
My eyes
Your smile
My smile
Your love
My gain
Your hurt
My pain
Your laugh
My joy
Every time, it's mine
You are my child

I will always protect you
Oh and I will even let you go
I'll spend the sweetest time holding you
And will let you grow

Your eyes
My eyes
Your smile
My smile
Your love
My gain
Your hurt
My pain
Your laugh
My joy
Every time, it's mine
You are my child

Don't ever be afraid
Don't ever be afraid
Cause I am here
And if you start to fear
Just close your eyes
And hear me say

Your love
My gain
Your hurt
My pain
Your laugh
My joy
Every time, it's mine
You are my child

Fun-fact from Wikipedia (since it's a lullaby CD...): "In My Arms", the first single off the album, was remixed by Kaskade, Scotty K, Bronleewe & Bose, Gomi, and Bimbo Jones and hit the number one spot on the Billboard Dance Charts.

red crocs

A few months ago, my sister-in-law. Kelly, sent Daniel a pair of red crocs. Daniel doesn't really wear shoes yet, but we let him try out this weekend. Since Kelly lives so far away, she couldn't have known how much I love my own red crocs. I pretty much wore them exclusively when I was pregnant. What a perfect gift!

Mackinaw Bridge Panorama

Created with Autostitch Demo... not bad... ;-)

From Midwest Tour

Daniel - Joel

Some of you my know the story behind DJ's name. We didn't name him after our biological fathers, grandfathers or other branches of the family tree. Rather, we named him after two friends we respect a lot and consider part of our family.

Daniel: Dan Kennedy, an adopted brother on Jen's side. A married father of 4 kids and a great example what a healthy, Christ-loving family looks like.
Joel: Joel Vriend, an adopted brother on Niels' side. Also a fellow Christian, married and recently became a father for the first time.

Besides being excellent examples of how life is to be lived, they are also extremely good friends and we hope to share many more memories between our families in the years to come.

In order for Daniel Joel not to forget his name-heritage, we reserved a little space in his room to help him remember these two men we hope he'll look up to as role models. (We finally got a picture of him with Dan Kennedy so we were able to update that picture.)

Picture of the Week: Week 31

From a year in the life of daniel joel

Portable, foldable Toy Chest

During our Midwest vacation we got this great portable, foldable toy chest from Granny Pat and Papa John. It made its way down to Ohio and as you can see Daniel has figured out he can reach in and grab a toy...

Understanding TBI

If you have 30 minutes, here's a great video to help understand Traumatic Brain Injury. I relate a lot to Anita's story.

The Fairest Bookstore in the World

We're still five month away from our big European adventure, but Niels has found at least one place for us to visit. I think a full day is in order...

On a dreary November day in 2006 the Dutch pulled-off an impressive feat. What to do with a beautiful 13th century church in the middle of town and no congregation? Well, you find another use for it. They tried boxing matches, car shows and even - how Dutch - bicycle storage. But, it's last designation hit the sweet-spot; a book store...

Selexyz Dominicanen, as it is called, is located in the city’s old Dominican Church. After many months of renovation the magnificent building was finally ready for its new purpose. It stands tall in the center of the city. The 13th century gothic church offers its visitors a breathtaking high ceiling, a majestic nave, grand ornamentation, and an opportunity to worship: not at the great altar of God, but at the many altars of literature.

Recently rated the world’s “fairest bookshop” by the UK’s highly-regarded Guardian newspaper, the Dominicanen has quickly become one of Maastricht’s tourist attractions. “After the Guardian article, this place has been a madhouse,” remarks William Remmers, General Department Head of the store.

The bookstore fits almost snugly between Maastricht’s two dominant squares, the Markt and the Vrijthof. The renovation project was led by Selexyz, a large Dutch bookstore chain, in collaboration with the city council of Maastricht. Selexyz Dominicanen also represents the first project in the Netherlands to turn a church into a bookstore.

In Maastricht, the Dutch, both young and old, the students, and the expatriates constitute a unique and vibrant reading culture. Appropriately, now they all have an equally splendid place to congregate.

Note: We blatantly copied text from Crosswords Magazine ;-)

Daniel's first movie

This morning I took my little man on our first movie date. A local theatre is offering free kid-friendly movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the summer. I heard about it this week and decided to give it a try. Daniel was so good! Just a few whimpers before he fell asleep for a nice 20 minute nap. When he was awake he was mesmerized by the giant screen and even laughed a little t the puppies. All in all, a good date. I think we'll go out again!

Big Boy Car Seat

Yesterday we ordered Daniels big boy car seat from diapers.com and today - within 24 hours!! - it arrived. We had to get him a new seat as Daniel has officially outgrown his infant carrier since he's well over 1" taller than the maximum length of 26" of the carrier.

Hence, the big boy seat. That seat will go to 20 pounds rear-facing and to 40 pounds front-facing. We decided not to use the high capacity seats (to either 65 or 80 pounds) since he is below the 50th percentile in weight, by that time he'll probably want something different and a simple booster seat doesn't break the bank.

After beaucoup de research we settled on the Britax Roundabout 40 in a tan color, matching the interior color of the 06 Fusion. Niels put the seat in already and tomorrow we'll swing by the North Canton Fire Department for a safety check as we feel it doesn't fit entirely snug yet.

Update: after the Fire Department visit, the seat is now properly installed, snug and safe. Happy travels, Daniel! ;-)

By comparison, below is Daniel in his infant carrier... Our boy is growing...

Compare that last fitting to his first one leaving the hospital...

Picture of the Week: Week 30

Eindhoven gets breastfeeding cafe

From the Eindovens Dagblad (local Dutch newspaper):

by Kim Van Vlerken. Tuesday, July 14, 2009 | 13:14

EINDHOVEN - Eindhoven will get a breastfeeding café. After Utrecht, Apeldoorn, Zwolle, Vlaardingen and Breda, Eindhoven is the sixth city in the Netherlands where the initiative will be picked up. The cafe opens early September in restaurant La Place in the Woensel Shopping Center.

The breastfeeding café uses a corner of the restaurant. It offers young mothers a place where they are in a relaxed atmosphere to share experiences and able to ask questions to experts. This may involve their children and can happen in public without strange looks from bystanders.

Ingrid van Lierop, a lactation specialist from Eindhoven, and one of the nine women behind Eindhovens first breastfeeding café: "The first eight days after birth a new mom has access to a lactation specialist, but after childbirth, it usually takes another three to four weeks before they enter into the Dutch system of ambulant postnatal care. At that point, many women are already experiencing problems such as sore breasts and doubts about the milk production. Later on they are starting to worry about breastfeeding at work. Women who are not well managed, are inclined to stop and that is a shame. Good information is very important and sometimes can be as simple as a tip or a pep talk ", says Van Lierop. The lactation specialist has a private practice besides being a midwife notes that women need some place at talk about this."

Eindhoven mother Jolanda van Zuijdam walks with her baby through the shopping center and welcomes the initiative. After the birth of her first child she lacked support. Meanwhile, she is pregnant with her second child. She knows that they will visit the cafe when the new sprout is there.

"The breastfeeding café is neither a doctor’s office, sales office nor a substitute for a consultation ", stresses Van Lierop."If there really is a problem, women will still need to make an appointment."

Opening

Starting Wednesday September 9, young mothers can go to the breastfeeding cafe in La Place. Thereafter, the cafe is open every Wednesday morning between 10am and noon.

Link to the original Dutch article

+/-25 things about being 7 months old

by Daniel, with help from Mommy and Daddy

1. I'm not exactly sure, but I think I'm over 17 pounds. I was 16 pounds, 12 ounces at my doctor's appointment on June 22.
2. Everyone thinks I'm bigger, but I'm still holding to the 25% percentile for weight. The chubby cheeks throw everyone off!
3. I am now 27" long. My doctor tells me that's the 70% percentile. I'm a tall, skinny guy... go figure!
4. I still wear my 3-6 month clothes comfortably. Except for Gerber onesies...
5. I now wear a size 3 diaper. I should be here for awhile!
6. No teeth yet, but I can slobber with the best of them!
7. I'm now an expert sitter-upper. I can lean all the way forward to kiss my toes or grab a toy and get back to a sitting position.
8. I can stand up if Mommy or Daddy prop me up on something first. I've stood up against my exersaucer and in my pack-n-play.
9. For that reason, I no longer need the insert in my pack-n-play and my crib will be lowered any day now.
10. I can't crawl yet, but Mommy and Daddy think it will happen any day now (!). I can get up on all fours and rock back and forth. I can also scoot backwards.
11. I'm now enjoying two meals a day. I get fruits for lunch and veggies for dinner. So far I've had rice cereal, oatmeal, pears, peaches, bananas, prunes, applesauce, green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and peas. I like it all except the peas.
12. Daddy turned 35 this month. Mommy and I took him to Red Robin! Yummy according to Mommy and Daddy!
13. Daddy had his first father's day this month. I made him an art project with my feet!
14. I'm showing much more personality. I love to laugh at my daddy, and I slap my hand on my leg when I really like something.
15. Sometimes when I laugh, it sounds like I'm just panting really hard. It cracks my parents up.
16. I took my longest trip ever! Ten days, six states, five different places to sleep, and countless new people.
17. I had my first overnight without Mommy or Daddy. I stayed with Gramma Chi at my Uncle Chris & Aunt Kelly's cabin. Gramma said I was a good boy!
18. I went on my first boat ride...also without Mommy and Daddy. I hear these grandparent people are good at spoiling.
19. Oh...I had my first taste of chocolate cake. Guess who gave me that? Hint, NOT Mommy or Daddy!
20. I had my first taste of Culvers custard. Guess who gave me that? Hint, NOT Gramma...
21. Besides the pontoon ride I also went on a boat ride in my OWN little boat! Thanks Auntie Kelly!
22. I had a great time re-connecting with my Aunties Carisa and Liz.
23. While crossing the street at the Mall of America a Minnesota cabbie told me I'm cute... I guess 'Minnesota Nice' is real!
24. Got to check-out a real radio station... Thanks, Uncle Ted!
25. Saw lot's of fishies at the Minnesota Zoo
26. Can't wait to show Mommy and Daddy what I can do when I'm 8 months... stay tuned!

Picture of the Week: Week 29

On the pontoon boat with Uncle Chris, Auntie Kelly, cousin CJ, Gramma Chi and Gramma Ann. I love being on the water...

Midwest Adventure 2009 done

We are home and created a couple posts for each day so we can remember what happened where and when, how and with who. We kept it at bullet points (except the first day) and without pictures. We'll update the bullet point posts later in the week when we can both see straight again... ;-)

What a crazy trip!!! If you want to see a graphical view... here it is:

View Larger Map

Midwest Adventure Day 11: Home...

• driving...
• driving...
• ... drove through the night
• Daniel is sleeping while we drive (as he usually does)
• Arrived at 6.30am, VERY tired, but safely
• said many thank you's to Ashley
• went straight to bed... in our OWN bed...
• zzzz....

Midwest Adventure Day 10: Siren, WI to home...

• saying goodbye to Mom and Gramma Ann
• hanging with the Abbas sistas
• dreading a 12hr drive home
• looking forward to sleeping in our own bed
• left at 4pm
• last stop at Culvers for a little while
• driving
• driving
• driving
• driving
• ....

Midwest Adventure Day 9: Siren, WI

• fire-alarm batteries in a hotel room are NOT everlasting...
• Daniel met a LOT of people
• Niels went tubing and did very well
• Daniel loves water and his new little floating boat
• both biological grandparents present
• Jen is much better at croquet than Niels
• Last full day of the trip, but ready to go home

Midwest Adventure Day 8: Minneapolis, MN to Siren, WI

• dressed-up in Viking gear
• Ted reading the Viking story book to Daniel
• Jen reading her childrens book to the Rossing girls
• didn't forget the milk
• joining the rest of MN heading Nort (no, not a spelling mistake...)
• daniel reaquinting with Gramma Chi
• daniel meeting his (Great-)Gramma Ann, Uncle Chris, Aunt Kelly, cousin CJ
• daniel's first sleep-over
• our first night away from our boy...
• jacuzzi, spa and pool at our (almost) 2 year anniversary hotel

Midwest Adventure Day 7: MN - Metro area - 2

• down day!
• sleep
• slow rise and nice breakfast
• good conversation
• Minnesota Zoo
• good food
• good conversation
• looking at 13yr old wedding pictures (future Facebook fodder... ;-)
• sleep
• did we mention it was a down day...

Midwest Adventure Day 6: MN - Metro area

• Sista time with Carisa
• Visit Dad in Buffalo
• Niels' Golf lesson
• Visit John and Pat in Big Lake - fixed the turn-signal, D got golf clubs and a portable, foldable toy chest
• Dinner with Jen's highschool friends in Maple Grove
• Revenge of the Pears...
• Staying at the Rossing Ramada in Brooklyn Park

Midwest Adventure Day 5: Oshkosh, WI to South St. Paul

• blueberry pancakes
• driving day
• Daniel's still a champ
• TomTom trouble
• Viking store
• Cab driver loves Daniel--and we didn't even take a cab!
• arriving at Auntie Carisa and Uncle Andy's
• yummy dinner
• Gin 13 evangelism
• gave Dad his bday gift

Midwest Adventure Day 4: Oshkosh, WI

• Laid back morning
• Walk along the lake.
• Daniel meets ducks.
• Tour of Jen's life in Wisconsin.
• Culvers!
• Woodmans
• Brats!
• Meyer reunion.

Midwest Adventure Day 3: Grand Rapids, MI to Oshkosh, WI

We planned to start-out bright and early. We got up in time, packed-up in time and actually were able to drive off in time. Wow, that's a first! That was until Jen saw the Babies R Us sign and realized we forgot ALL the breastmilk, including the big 12oz from this morning... OK, so let's double-back and get the milk, right? Right! Guess not, since the VV's are in California and with them returning on Tuesday we locked the house and kept the key inside since nobody else needed to be there before the VV's returned. So, there we were. Ready to head-out, sleepy son in the back, but no food for him... Oops.

Jen remembered two people that might have another key and after the 2nd call we actually were able to reach someone with another key! Hallelujah! With a 40 minute delay we turned onto M-131 heading north towards the Upper Peninsula with a planned stop in Mackinaw City for some good 'ol fudge! Our boy kept on sleeping until about 20 before Mackinaw and the drive north was nice, smooth and surprisingly light on traffic.

Since our boy was asleep for most of the ride we didn't stop and were getting pretty hungry so a stop at BK was in order. Daniel got his veggies while mommy and daddy feasted on some steamed items called burgers. They were actually not too bad... ;-) The lady at BK actually was able to give us directions to one of the best fudge places in town, so the BK experience was doubly good.

Niels is a chocolate fan, so you would think a good piece of fudge would be on his radar-screen, right? Wrong. Dutchies are goofy. Fudge is made out of chocolate, but somehow he's more of a solid chocolate fan. Anyway, meeting me opened up a lot of new doors for him including discovering some taste buds he didn't know he has. He actually liked some of the fudge, so we both a nice assortment for the remainder of the trip and made our way towards the Mackinaw Bridge.

I was never a fan of heights and looking at the bridge those feelings were quickly re-affirmed. It didn't help that the two center lanes were NOT paved, but steel grates. Looking straight ahead worked for me. Niels, however, was marveling at the water colors that resembled a blue more like Caribbean blue than the dark blue you'd expect from a lake in northern Michigan. That was not the only surprise the Mackinaw Strait has in store for us...

Apparently, the MDOT that manages the Bridge is a little old-fashioned. They do not take credit cards or have an electronic payment option like EZ-Pass or I-Pass. Even more troubling is the fact that they don't tell you this until you actually cross the bridge and can't return. The only option is to pull-over and pay inside the building (where you CAN pay with a credit card) but besides the $3 tolls they now charge you an additional $2.50. Well, in the grand scheme of the trip that might be nothing, but at the time my easy-going hubbie was pretty PO'd and it earned the bridge a nice comment card. Not that we have even the slightest sliver of hope that it would change anything, but at least we told them...

Anyway, the 'Welcome to the Upper Peninsula' sign lost a bit of its appeal at that time, but we made it to the northern-most part of our trip and Daniel was asleep again. The next few hours we filled with pretty lake-vistas, lots of green, lots of rural scenery and a nice relaxing drive. The first bit of real civilization was the town of Escanaba (in the daylight this time) which we had at about 6pm just in time for dinner. And with this being the Mid-West that means... CULVERS!!

Culvers is burger joint that uses real butter and their claim to fame is the butter burgers and their custard. The slogan is 'Get Culverized' and we actually 'culverized' Daniel a bit by letting him taste some milkshake (but only 3 licks... must... not... spoil... the... kid. ;-)

The remainder of the trip is actually SOUTH to Wisconsin which doesn't happen a lot... At about 7pm we entered the territory of the cheese heads and made our way to Green Bay to start my time-warp since I haven't been to this area in 10 years! We stopped for some pictures at Lambeau Field and drove to De Pere where I was a hall director at St Norbert College. We even shot a little video at the location where I met Brett Favre. Hey, I'm a football fan, so shoot me... ;-)

After a quick phone call to our final destination (Oshkosh, WI) we made our way over there but not before a quick stop at another Mid-West institution called 'Shopko'. Erin, it's a lot like Meijer... After striking-out on finding some Packer-gear we drove south through the Fox Cities continuing my time-warp and at 9pm we were finally done for today and able to meet our host for the next 36 hours, Mark, again.

We unpacked, put Daniel to bed and talked for a bit before we called it a night.

• forgot the milk!
• long driving day
• Daniel's a champ
• Mackinaw fudge!
• not a fan of the bridge
• Culvers!
• Lambeau Field
• St. Norbert College
• Mark

Midwest Adventure Day 2: Grand Rapids

This morning Daniel and mommy slept in a little bit so daddy was able to get a few things done for work. Once the rest of family woke up we had a nice pancake breakfast (thanks VV's for letting us ransack your fridge) before we headed out for De Reuze, one of the two larger Dutch Stores in Grand Rapids. This time Niels was able to control himself and only got some stroopwafels for us and a few for Carisa's husband Andy.

Across the street (44th in Grandville) is the Rivertown Mall where they have something very cool: a big Carousel ride. Since Daniel is able to sit-up now we took him on his first carousel ride. He loved sitting on the horse with daddy holding him. Every time he made another full turn and saw mommy he had a big smile on his face which made mommy very proud!

On the way back to Kentwood we called Melissa and Alex. They are missionaries in Central Asia and are back in GR for a number of reasons, the biggest being the birth of their second son Josiah a few weeks ago. They happened to be home and free for the afternoon and since we had planned this to be a down-day we got together for lunch and to simply catch-up since we hadn't seen them since our wedding. Before we knew it 3 hours had flown by which made it time for us to pick-up Beth and Erin for some sweet Mongolian BBQ.

For those not familiar with it, it means picking out your raw meat, carbs, veggies, fruit, sauces and spices before handing it off to the cook to be prepared to your liking on a big circular heated stone. It used to be all-you-can-eat for 1 price, but with the economy what it is, that is now a $3 option. Still, a very good deal and a lot of fun!

Since it is Saturday we went to the 'Saturday at Six' service at KCC. Normally we walk in with literally seconds to spare, this time we had and needed some time since Daniel was going to go to the nursery. This meant that we had to fill-out a bunch of paperwork (even for a visit) since two weeks before they had a security-breach which thanks to all the procedures got resolved within a few hours. Usually we see a lot of our friends at KCC, but not this time. Well, it was a beautiful night so a lot of people probably opted for one of the Sunday-morning services.

After church we repeated the last trip Jen was able to make before she was placed on bedrest; a trip to Grand Haven on the Lake Michigan shore for some excellent ice-cream. A big thunderstorm thread lead us to not do the 1 hour round-trip walk to the edge of the pier but since we left a little later than normal the clock still said 10pm before we got back to the VV B&B in Kentwood.

Since tomorrow will be the first big driving day (Wisconsin, by ways of the Michigan U.P) we called it a night.