Happy Birthday Jenny!

Last week we celebrated Jenny's birthday. The kids and I got her a red velvet cake, some truffles, and some frosted cookies for the kids.

Pure Michigan

I'm sure you've all seen the "Pure Michigan" commercials that showcase the natural wonders of our state. Well, I was reminded of those commercials during our recent trip this weekend to the Upper Peninsula. For those of you who may not know the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (otherwise known as the "U.P.") is our own private natural playground. It's our little Alaska/Colorado/Wyoming where we go to play in the woods and get our "nature fix" when we can't get out west. It's full of wilderness, natural wonders, beautiful great lake scenery, and it's sparsely populated. It's one of our favorite things about Michigan. We average about one visit a year, and the funny thing is we know people around here who were born and raised in Michigan, yet they've never been to the U.P. For many a trip to the U.P. is "too far" and "too much work," (even though it's only 2 1/2 hours from us.)
Anyway, over Memorial Day weekend we drove to the U.P. to visit Whitefish Point and Lake Superior, and specifically the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The highlight of the museum is the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald (a giant freighter that sank off the coast of Whitefish Point in 1975.) Half of the museum is dedicated to the memory of Michigan's most famous shipwreck. Ben is fascinated by the story of the "Fitz," and Great Lake shipwrecks in general, so he had a special interest in touring the museum. The other purpose of our trip was visiting Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The park features beautiful waterfalls throughout the park, which are some of the largest west of Niagara Falls. We spent both days hiking and driving around the park (which is probably the nicest state park I've seen in Michigan.) We even rented a small rowboat and the kids got to take a boat ride on one of the small ponds. They loved that. Anyway, here are our pictures of the trip. As you can see we had fun hiking in the woods, hanging out on the beach, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Like the commercial says...it's "Pure Michigan." This is what makes the U.P. so special.

Go Mavericks!

The Dallas Mavericks are Western Conference Champions...and now they need 4 more wins. With their win last night against Oklahoma City the Dallas Mavericks are now headed to the NBA Finals for their second attempt at a championship. Back in 2006 Dallas had their first shot at a title, but wasted away a 2-0 series lead and eventually gave up a shot at the title to the Miami Heat. Years later...Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs finally have a shot at redemption. All they need now are 4 more wins. What has made this year's playoff run extra special is all of this success has been totally unexpected. Many critics didn't have the Mavs getting out of the first round, let alone reaching the finals. But Dallas is 12-3 in this year's playoffs (including a stunning 4 game sweep of the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.) The Mavs have always been my 2nd favorite DFW team (second only to the Cowboys) and I couldn't be more excited to see them get back to the NBA Finals. I was up till 1 AM last night watching all the post game analysis of the game, and texting back and forth with friends back in Texas who were staying up as well. First the Rangers are in the World Series, and now the Mavs are back in the finals. It's been a good year to be a DFW sports fan.