Thanks to Maria and Bree's excitement for raising their Monarch 'Parker', she got us interested into raising a few of our own.  We found a few eggs and small cats, and began.  I tell you what, there is a LOT to learn, but OH, so VERY fun!  I have the description on each of the photos.

A piece of info.  It is illegal to cross state lines with any kind of monarch in any stage. For that reason, we have to make sure we do this process only in MI while we're here. They will all be released by the end of August so they stay in their home area. 

We have been planning this site and campground for a year!  Reserving site 63 at this resort meant we were at the end of the loop.. Privacy.. Beautiful view, and evening shade.. NICE!

Maria reserved most of a week with us, and we all had a great time!  Papa Mark showed them how to look for treasures, and of course we all went swimming together.  The resort itself is so peaceful and quiet. Even though it was quite a way from family, it's always nice to spend time here.

Visited brother Nate and wife Barb up at their cabin. It was a cool and windy day, so it wasn't very fun to have a fire outside, but the boat ride was nice and refreshing. Pica does enjoy her new cot and staying off the ground. :-). The guys had a great time together, and it's always nice to get 'caught up'. :-)

We always love arriving at the Grand Haven resort. It's a campground that's part of our membership, so we can stay up to 3 weeks for free. This year will be the first year that we're utilizing our park-hopper upgrade, so we'll see how that goes.

For my note, we stayed on site 226 this year, but we'd prefer 225 next time. We love NOT being under the trees. :-)

​A quick trip to Grand Haven is always fun, and even though it was still a little cold, we enjoyed the pier walk with new concrete!  :-)

A few photos of one of our favorite parks.. The resort is one of the oldest owned by Outdoor Adventures, and they purchased it from Yogi Bear parks. It has gorgeous trees, nicer spacious sites, and nice people. The amenities include a pool, putt putt, go carts, and a beautiful playground and activities.

Mark and dad went to Washington D.C. via the Amtrak train which took 13 hours each way. They definitely found out it was NOT ADA accessible enough to navigate where they wanted, but with Mark's help, they made it all work. It was a very treasured trip together. One of their main goals was the see the International Bible Museum.  They were able to see hundreds of scrolls and bibles, along with the historical record of its preservation.

Back on Mother's, I planted a Lily for mom. It finally bloomed this week!  :-)

During our stay at mom & dads, Mark's sister Beth made us a beautiful doily for our table. What an awesome job and a LOT of work!

As we were hooking up the RV in preparation for travel day, mom & dad came out to visit and watch. To them, it's amazing how far (and big) campers have gotten, but it was awesome for us to share all the information they wanted to know. We're starting to feel like pros at this! I was also very lucky to get this pretty awesome picture of them.

This was one of the best travel days yet. Neither of us got very much sleep though, so we were looking forward to taking a quick break at a rest area. Pica was tired too, as you can see her snoozing in her bicycle basket.  At the rest area, the bedroom slide is in, so the foot of the bed is right against the dresser. Pica LOVES that spot because she can look out and stay on patrol. We had a beautiful cool breeze with very little traffic at the rest area, so it was quiet!  Needless to say, it was a VERY good nap.  :-)

Joe and Ashley have been having a rough go of life lately, but are thankfully holding strong and getting through all the challenges. Ashley hasn't seen her son in 3 weeks because the father is refusing to return him. There is a lot of fear for her son's safety, and we are so very glad that Joe and Ashley have each other to get through this.

Anyway, Joe had to work all day, so I spent the day with Ashley having a much needed 'Girls day out'.  We had a wonderful time and got to know each other and a more personal level. We ate lunch out, took food to Joe at work, watched the movie Sonic II, then chatted for a few hours before heading back to meet with Joe for dinner.  I definitely want more days like this with my kids, we had a blast, and we made some pretty awesome memories.

Maria and Joe came over with their families. We had a nice meal together, watched old family videos, and just caught up with Gma and Gpa. We definitely miss our kids in the winter, but we LOVE our catch-up time throughout the summer!

We even took a small walk to the RR tracks where Mark proposed to me in 1996!  :-)

If you don't know Ashley, you are really missing out!  She is Joey's new wife!  So, we celebrated Ashley's 33rd birthday by a nice evening visit and dinner.  It's always nice to be back home with family!  Love you Ashley!  And of course we love you Joe, Arlo, TT & Mia!

Maria invited me to tag along on a bus trip she had for the school. It was going to be her, Bree and me (3 generations) to spend time together during her off-time in Petoskey. We really had a great time, looking for rocks on the beach, eating out, and walking the town. Thank you for inviting me Maria, it was also great to be your "wing-man" during travel!  :-)

Maria won a scholarship from the Community Choice Credit Union for her amazing contributions to the community, specifically the special needs kids. Her scholarship will help pay for tuition and books toward a web degree at Washtenaw Community College.

We are so proud of you Maria!