Vacation, Sponsored

We're back from a marathon family vacation on Glen Lake (and a tacked-on weekend in Petoskey), and I could't be happier at how it went. The weather forecast before we left looked iffy, so we mentally prepared ourselves for lots of indoor games and maybe a trip into Traverse City for a movie. But we got lucky and found ourselves in a 1970's-style cottage (original carpeting, curtains, lamps, dishes, appliances, furniture) on a week during which not a single drop of rain fell. We hiked, we kayaked, we swam, we caught frogs and crickets, we watched sunsets and made campfires and had s'mores and just generally loved almost every second of being in such a beautiful place.

So thanks to our sponsors, which include

Petoskey stones, found everywhere we went

the giant dune climb

Instagram

bitty babies and their jammies

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

daily hikes

this tape, found in the cottage, and specifically "Elvira," listened to daily

the Tooth Fairy

Cherry Republic

beaches

Jason's guitar (and time for playing it)

Cheryl Strayed, Anne Lamott, and L.M. Montgomery

Joe's Friendly Tavern

a 500-piece puzzle

Otter Creek

nightly family happy hour, featuring local beer, Izze, cheese, and the game Shutbox

drip castles

frogs, crayfish, snails, and crickets - several of whom gave their lives for the cause

Moomers ice cream

the green frisbee, and games of monkey in the middle with it

Also: Glen Arbor Farmers' Market, mint Oreos, my Nikes for my daily four-miler, the Weber charcoal grill we used nightly, and the in-laws, for putting up with us when we swooped into town on Friday afternoon, said, "Here are our children, take them please," and escaped for a much-needed grown-up dinner at Chandler's, complete with sushi and martinis and dessert.