Vacation, Day One

We planned to leave home about 7 for our vacation, so last Thursday the kids got all their clothes for the trip laid out (please ignore all the stuff under the edge of the heaters - I rarely take the covers off to clean them in the summertime).

We hit the road right at 7, munching on Pop Tarts and OJ on the way. The drive was uneventful and we arrived in Mackinac City at 9:30 AM. While we waited for the shops to open we found a small play area for the kids. Just after 10, we started through the Maze of Mirrors - it was so much fun! Bryant stayed outside and I took the kids in, holding Pookie's hand so he didn't freak out. The kids all had a tremendous amount of fun in there and Pookie particularly liked the distortion mirrors at the end. He loved seeing himself overly tall and slim, short and fat, with a huge head and with a huge caboose (something the rest of us don't enjoy quite as much).

We stopped at a store called Enchanted Knights, just across from the Maze of Mirrors. This store is amazing! They sell full suits of armor, swords, knives, dragon statues (big and small), as well as D & D paraphernalia and lots of other "nerd" toys. Scooter found the perfect souvenir for herself - the bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's all cute and snow white, but when you squeeze the clamp to open it's mouth, it's all blood red and full of pointy teeth! She loves it!!

I took the little boys outside to wait while she and The Boy finished shopping and when they came out, Bryant held his hand out in front of me. He'd bought me a ring - a mood ring, to be specific. I've wanted one for years, but it seems like such a silly little thing and a waste of money. I probably never would have bought one for myself, so I absolutely love that he bought it for me - and the ring itself is gorgeous! At first it appears to just be a simple band, but if you look closer, the part that changes colors has sort of random swirls in it, giving it a lot of depth and interest. I tried to take a photo of it, but have you ever tried to take a picture of your own hand? It's surprisingly difficult to get a flattering shot...

We drove to St. Ignace for lunch, just a quick stop at a franchise restaurant we know we like. Then we headed to Sault Ste. Marie to get settled at the hotel. We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, which was pretty nice for what it was. We weren't expecting a luxury hotel, but it was quite clean and the staff were friendly (and they made sure we got adjoining rooms, just like we asked for). They let us check in three hours before the scheduled check-in time, since our room was ready.

After we settled in for a bit we walked around Sault Ste. Marie. We went to a park and then got ice cream.

Yeah, don't be like me. Remember to reset your ISO after you've been taking pictures inside the house at night. LOL

After we played and ate ice cream we headed back to the hotel for some slack-time. We agreed to let the kids watch television while we were at the hotel because it's a vacation, they should get to do something they can't do at home. They were super excited to watch new episodes of Scooby-Doo.

We went to a place called Great Wall for dinner since we all enjoy Chinese food. Unfortunately, it was awful! The price was insane and the food was not great. The food wasn't really even good. It was a disappointment, but not a big deal.

We headed back to the hotel after dinner. We snuggled up and watched television until we were all ready for bed. Pookie did really well that night - he barely banged his head and the other kids all slept quite well.

I'll be writing more about our vacation over the weekend, so keep an eye out for those posts. I've got a gazillion and one pictures to share, as well.