Mother-Daughter Weekend

Mom and I finally got around to doing another Mother/Daughter weekend, but this time with a twist. Mom had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. We packed up and headed out for a mystery vacation. I told her we were going to an undisclosed location, and I had booked a secret activity for us, and that we'd have plenty of time for relaxing and hanging out. We arrived Friday night in Grand Haven and checked out the lighthouse. We had been in town less than half an hour and Mom ran into someone she knew from home. Crazy.

From the lighthouse we watched a sailboat come into the pier, and I was DYING to tell mom that was our surprise activity for the following evening. But I resisted and kept the secret. We also checked out the World's Largest Musical Fountain before checking into our hotel and getting some scrumptious late-night pizza. Nom nom nom.



Rise and shine for Panera breakfast and SHOPPING!!
We spent the first part of the day hitting the downtown. What great shops they have! Great little boutique shops without the gimmicky souvenirs or high prices of most touristy towns. We bought some great stuff - bracelets, scarfs, and mom got some shirts. Mom found a great hat too, but for some reason I couldn't convince her to buy it. ???
Next stop, the beach. After a nice lunch together, we picked up a couple of sweet treats at the old-fashioned general store and headed to the beach when the sun came out (it had been just a teeny bit overcast).


We laid in the sand listening to the water and watching this guy fly a really cool kite!

Then home to change into some warmer clothes just in time for the secret activity. I was SO excited for mom to find out what it was! I told her I needed to find a hoodie or something to stay warm with and I drove to the pier, which had some shops. I couldn't find a good sweatshirt and said I was going to go ask "that guy on that boat" where I could find a hoodie. I approached him and quietly asked where we check in for the sailboat cruise. Mom approached and asked what was going on, and I told her, "See that sailboat? We're riding it. That's our activity!"

Admittedly, it was pretty cold once we got out there. It was foggy and cloudy and there was a chilly breeze. But we grabbed a couple of coffees before we left and they had blankets for us on board. And it was still so fun! I even got to put up one of the sails!


The crew was amazing. They were so friendly and funny, and chatted with thte group throughout the trip.

We woke up our last morning there and got breakfast at a FANTASTIC little restaurant one of the crew members on the boat, Jay, had told us about. It's called Morning Star (if you're ever in Grand Haven, EAT THERE!). Then we headed to a park Jay had told us about, as well as my Aunt Lori. There's a small hike throught the woods, before the trail emerges on the dunes and down to the beach.




The weather was perfect - warm and sunny. We spent our last couple hours laying in the sun, talking, and finding rocks on the shore. What a perfect moment, and what a perfect way to end our mother daughter weekend.