Refreshed & Recharged at Saugatuck, MI

I’ve heard it all the time, a girls’ trip is good for the soul…I never took it really seriously until this last weekend.

My three best friends from high school and I said “hasta la vista” to our kids, husbands, fur babies and other responsibilities and traveled to Saugatuck, Michigan for 3 days. Honestly, we didn’t want the trip to end.

If you’ve never been to Saugatuck, it’s a perfectly idyllic coastal town on Lake Michigan. We Airbnb’d an adorable yellow house with a big front porch just steps away from the water. The town is splattered with art galleries, ice cream shops and small boutiques.

We enjoyed an amazing brunch and dinner at Mermaid, which was directly on the water. We devoured delicious meals, like Street Corn Salad from Wild Dog Grille in Douglas, MI. We also jammed to some rap tunes from the Broadway play Hamilton from a Kenny Rogers lookalike, haha. My personal favorite meal was at Grow where we brunched on avocado egg sandwiches, carrot cake pancakes and chocolate milk infused cold brew coffee. YUM!

As for us girls, we laughed until we cried talking about old times and people of our past. We also cried until we laughed touching on some deep discussions on life, stuff I can’t really talk to anyone else about. There really is something remarkable about spending a few days with people who know you best. The people who have been there for you for as long as you can remember. It was a great reminder of how important best friends really are. It also showed me of how crucial it is to maintain and nurture these relationships even when we are in the eye of the storm of raising babies, wiping noses and trying to work all at the same time.

But back to the lake house, did I mention the peace and quiet?! We woke up every morning, sipped on coffee without little humans demanding breakfast and activities. The first morning, we sat on the front porch in our pajamas drinking Bloody Marys and didn’t even leave the house until almost 2 PM. Talk about relaxation!

We paddle boarded and frequented the beaches, and spent our evenings watching Netflix and laughing like elementary school girls at a sleepover.

Last night, I spent several hours at the Chicago airport working on my laptop, eating junk food and reflecting on the trip and the week ahead as I snap back to reality. I boarded my airplane and landed back in Columbus, Ohio. I grabbed my bag and rushed out the sliding glass doors. At the very end of the passenger pickup lane stood my husband, with the tailgate open and Luke and Eden screaming “MOMMY!” with pure excitement. I had an overwhelming feeling of happiness and relief.

The kids climbed over the backseat and ran into my arms. As I bent down to hug them, I slipped in a pile of vomit. I kid you not, some clown threw up on the ground of the airport and no one cleaned it up, so my black flip-flop fell victim. C’est la vie cute seasonal shoe.

Despite snapping back to reality and two ruined flip-flops, I spent last night showing my kids videos and pictures from our girls trip. I took them upstairs, tucked them in, prayed with them, and kissed them goodnight.

Having the opportunity to step away from my chaotic life was something I needed more than I even realized. And today, it’s reminding me how wonderfully fantastic my chaotic life is.

*Special thank YOU to my wonderful mother who kept the kids while I was gone and Jeff was working. You are a saint!*

xx