My brother Dain (see below) is getting married next weekend. In Minnesota. Where it is still SNOWING despite the fact that it is now May.
(This is what happens if you hand Dain some cookies and say "try and fit these all in your mouth!". He's a team player that way)
Since my parents didn't relish the thought of driving straight from New York to Minnesota, they stopped in Michigan to visit Chris and I for a few days before we all trek west.
I wanted to treat my parents to some fun while they were in town, but since they lived here for 20 some odd years, its hard to find new things to do. I was able to come up with a few. Here they are:
Stop #1: "Family" Dinner at RyeBelles in St. Joe
(from Left to Right: Dad, Mom, biological brother Chris, adopted brothers Mike and Will. DJ not pictured because he was late)
My brother Chris always travels with an entourage. If I'm meeting him for drinks, I always count on him bringing at least 2 extra people. Believe it or not, after that picture was taken, another dude showed up. Still, family is family!
[Sidenote: we totally scared that couple behind us away with our shenanigans After that, the restaurant didn't seat anyone within 3 tables of us]
Stop #2: Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer
My mother went off to a Ladies Tea at the church that my father, brother and I had no interest in attending. Since it was nice out I thought it would be fun to check out a local brewery.
Greenbush has an excellent Maple Brown Ale that I really like, but that sucker is like 8.9% so you must sip slowly and eat lots of Pub Cheese. Trust me.
After that, we stopped in at the Sawyer Garden Center just because its an awesome place to walk around. Oh, and maybe they were having a small wine tasting? And maybe I ran into a few friends from my old wine class? It was awesome. I bought a Rose that I'm excited try. Just for the record, I think Rose gets a bad rap. Seriously, red wine drinkers! Its a red you can drink in the summer! Win Win!
Stop #3: Salt of the Earth in Fennville.
Since Mother's Day is next Sunday and we'll be in the midst of post-wedding madness, we celebrated a week early at one of my favorite restaurants. I have never had bad food at Salt of the Earth and this trip was no exception. We had fried risotto and pierogies as appetizers and then I got the hanger steak. This picture is terrible, but the steak was incredible. It was a really nice family outing!
I think the moral of the story is you can always find new and fun things to do in your local area, even if you've lived there for 20 something years.
Happy Monday!
Next Stop: Dain's Wedding!
