Sisters in SoHa

When my mom suggested we have a sister/mom reunion in South Haven, Michigan and my sister offered to let us use her family’s camper – I was all in.

I did have to jump through a million ‘mom’ hoops to get things organized so I could be away. You know, just the usual –

• child care while daddy worked,
• rides to and from practice for 3 kids because dad can’t be in 3 places at once,
• laundry done,
• make a few healthy meals so they aren’t living on chips and candy for 3 1/2 days, etc.

When all the details came together, we met on a Thursday evening and started our weekend on the beach.

Listening to the waves, smelling the fresh air, watching the water roll in and out, and feeling the sand under my toes was the perfect way to relax and unwind. It allowed me to take a deep breath in and just be in the moment.

My sisters and I used to spend summers in South Haven when we were children. This was our first time back there together in 30 years!!

After sunset, we drove into town to have a late dinner at a restaurant called Taste. We loved getting to chat and eat – with no interruptions from all our kids (there are 12 children between the four of us).

Friday, we got to sleep as late as we wanted but were all up before 8 am. We slowly drank our coffee, read, and chatted.

Eventually, we left and got quiche and breakfast sandwiches from a cute local bakery. After breakfast, we explored downtown South Haven – reliving some of our childhood memories. We found the house where dad lived, we walked inside an old steamboat/restaurant he used to take us to (The Idler), we saw the beach stand where we used to buy hotdogs and Blue Moon ice cream, and the local store where we’d stock up on junk food (because #dadsrules are different than #momsrules).

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After exploring, we spent the rest of the day on the beach – searching for unique rocks and sea glass like hidden treasure. We swam, walked, and read some more (I was reading BoyMom and Prevail).

We stayed until the sun set, then got takeout from our favorite local Mexican restaurant (Su Casa). I love their homemade tortilla chips and spicy green salsa.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed the South Haven Farmer’s Market. We got local berries and picked up a cinnamon roll from 6 chicks. One roll cost $5.95 and was as big as a dinner plate. We went back to the camper and shared the warm Cinnamon Roll, topped with the fresh berries we had just purchased at the Farmer’s Market. YUM!

Saturday was incredibly windy, so we went to the beach (with sweaters) and watched the Kite Boarders and Surfers ride the waves. Have you ever seen this before? I had not – and it was so fun to watch. Check it out in the video below.

That afternoon, we drove into Fennville. This town has beautiful vineyards and has several places to try local wine and cider.

For dinner, we went to Salt of the Earth. We shared a wood-fired pizza and delicious appetizers!

Sunday morning, we walked the beach one final time, then packed our things, cleaned the camper, and headed home. I felt relaxed, refreshed, and wishing the weekend hadn’t passed so quickly.

I’m so thankful to my mom for organizing it, getting us there, and feeding us all weekend. Thank you to Krista for letting us use her family’s camper. And for our husbands, who cared for the kids and encouraged us to get away. It was so nice to have a break from quarantine life and relax with people I love so much.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you get a break from #quarantinelife too!

Here’s a one minute ‘wrap up’ of our weekend: