Nick and Amy

After our relaxing time at Kris and Eric's, we hopped in the car they graciously let us borrow and made the trek up to Michigan.  Our first stop here was an overnight with good friends Nick and Amy and their 3 kiddos.  Nick and Amy have been dear friends for years and we loved the time we got to spend catching up with them.  

Our friends were generous hosts!  I think these sleeping arrangements were the best the girls had for the whole trip!  Amy set up the infamous 2 person tent that Nick and Dave shared with two other guys when they hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in college.  One of my favorite memories of the trip was cramming our two families inside and laughing again over Nick and Dave's stories of this crazy camping trip.

We stayed up way too late talking and laughing.  We played Trains and Just Dance.  The kids had fun playing outside together.

The next day Nick and Amy showed us their hometown a little bit with a drive around the lake and a hike to the top of a lighthouse.

The lighthouse was also a museum.  Above, Delia rings an old ship's bell.  Below, Ella points out the, now three, Michigan lighthouses she's seen in person. 

And then we ran around on the beach a little bit.  Most of our days in Michigan and Chicago were pretty chilly, but as we read about the triple digits our friends were enjoying back at home we didn't mind getting to wear sweatshirts or hear thunder at night.  And no matter what crazy weather this area has to endure, they do have one of my favorite things in the whole world-- lilacs!

Our time with Nick and Amy and their three kids was really great.  God put these wonderful people into our lives during Dave's college and seminary years-- a very formative time.  We have been long blessed by their influence and friendship!