Memorial Day Weekend

Last Friday at precisely 5:40am, my family and I set off to the U.P. for memorial day weekend.  It was my Mom, my Dad, my dog Mimi, and I in cab of our truck.  It was pretty cramped, but we made the 10 hour trip without too much fuss.  Upon our arrival at my Grandpa Lee's late Friday afternoon, we were able to stretch out, relax, and sleep.  It is amazing how exhausting it can be sitting in a car for hours.  You would think you would be rested, but sleeping on trips just isn't sound.  And if you are the driver on a long trip, kudos to you.

On Saturday afternoon, my cousins David and Hayley and their significant others came over.  Grandpa Lee took us four-wheeling for a few hours.  We got lunch, got muddy, and had a great time.  Hayley and I rode together and took turns driving.  Here is a picture of us:

 

Later on, my parents, David, David's girlfriend Jenny, Mimi, and I explored the rock piles near Grandpa Lee's house and discovered a few ice caves.  It was amazing to see these caves with snow and ice.  In one cave, I could hear ice dripping from the top.  It had been hot that day that to feel the cool air from the caves was crazy.

 

 

On Sunday morning, my Mom, Grandma Elizabeth, and I set off for Duluth to visit my Grandpa Steve.  We had lunch with him and helped him do some errands.  My Grandma and I also took a nice walk near Lake Superior in a beautiful park.  We couldn't believe how much ice still covered the lake despite it being shorts weather that day.  To this day there is still quite a bit of ice where we visited.

 

Late Sunday afternoon, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the Yoop.  I took Mimi for a walk and reflected on what had happened that day.  My Grandpa Steve was in rough shape and it was hard saying goodbye to him knowing that he was struggling.  It is especially hard since he won't let us do much for him.  Plus, we don't live near him, so it's harder to check up on him.  We try to visit him at least once a year though, and I know he appreciates the effort we put in to going to see him. 

 

We spent Monday at my Grandma Elizabeth's.  We made food and shared laughs.  It was the perfect ending to a great weekend.  And our goodbye on Tuesday morning, was just a see you later.  The Upper Peninsula is still our home and will always hold a big part of our hearts.  Thinking about the U.P. brings back memories of visiting my grandparents, exploring the nature, and hanging out with my cousins who come up from Wisconsin.  It will always be a special place to my family and me.  Every opportunity to visit is a joyous one, but always seems to go by too fast.  And last weekend was no exception.