Easy Living in Big Rapids, Michigan

Tyler's mom is some kind of miracle worker. When she decides she wants to do something, she does it, and she makes it looks easy. She threw us a secondary wedding reception that was probably a bigger deal than our first. She started her own company helping people holistically rehabilitate their injured bodies. So when she decided she wanted to orchestrate a family trip between all of our busy schedules to visit her dad Michigan, you better believe she made it happen.

Tyler, Juli, and Ryan made the 3-day trek to and from Michigan by car, and Papa D and I flew in later so we didn't have to miss so much work.

Michigan is a magical place. Tyler's Grandpa Thompson has a gorgeous 80 acre farm right on the creek, complete with a couple old dogs, a barn, a pet goat, a tree house, a swing, and lots of feral cats. It's a really special place because it's where Tyler's mom grew up and the Daltons have so many wonderful memories there. I felt so much peace while I was there, far away from the fast-paced life I'm used to and superficial things that don't matter really but that we start to think matter when we're surrounded by them long enough.

We went fishing, tubed the river, visited Amish country, went to the fair, golfed, and ate our weight in butter (Grandpa Thompson says it makes everything taste better. And yes, I did gain 5 pounds while I was there). I loved visiting Momma Dalton's family. You can definitely see where she gets it from :)

Meet Grandpa Thompson. He is jolly, sweet, and he always goes out of his way to make other people happy. He made sure we had all the food we could eat and followed us around with a camera snapping pictures until he figured there was probably at least one good one in there somewhere.  

My first fish! He was a beaut.

This is Ginger. She has a lot of energy but she's very plump and doesn't move very fast. When Tyler and I tried to go on runs, she would trot after us as fast as she could, trailing behind us until Tyler felt so bad for her that he walked her home.

Shucking home-grown peas in true farm life fashion. Nvm my lobster burn (only on my front half from tubing down the river for an hour without sunscreen) and my odd facial expression.

I think I like goats more than is normal?