Christmas in Michigan

Let me start by saying that East Lansing, Michigan is MUCH FARTHER from Baldwinsville, New York, than I previously thought. We left last Thursday to spend Christmas with my brother Mike, sister-in-law Tammie and nephew Mike. Mom was already there, having flown up from Knoxville on Tuesday.

I won't go into detail about our visit except to say that we had a lovely time and to share these highlights:

• We saw some very unusual signs along the way, particularly in Michigan. There was a jerky shop that stated in large letters "We are not a gas station", which begs the question: do people frequently get jerky stores and gas stations confused? But our favorite sign read: "Prison Area Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers". Eek! I was not able to get a photo but you can see a similar one here.


• Before our visit I (of course) looked to see if there are any yarn shops in the area. I found Woven Art and Tammie was gracious enough to take me there on Friday afternoon. What a lovely shop! I was dazzled by the luscious yarns and Tammie, Mom and James also enjoyed touching and admiring the yarns. I did not do too much damage, just a skein of Sweet Pea Fingerpaints (hand painted sock yarn from Cherry Tree Hill) and a fun felted bag from Frabjous Fibers.


• Aidan twice went to the Michigan Athletic Club with Mike and Michael, and splashed around in the indoor pool. On Sunday, he even got to try his hand at racquetball. It was a great way for Aidan to get his yayas out and to spend alone time with his uncle and cousin, although Michael is now quite sure that he does not want children any time soon!


• Tammie and Michael also took Aidan to Impression Five science center where the highlight of the trip was making slime. Who wouldn't enjoy making green slime?

We ate lots of delicious food, had some hearty laughs and generally had a good time. Santa Claus even found us there! Yesterday we loaded up the car and made the long drive home, this time with Mom joining us. She will stay with us until New Year's Day, when she will fly home from Syracuse.

And if I ever get caught up on laundry and get things put away, I will post some photos from our trip.