Michigan here I come!

I'm headed back to my home state for the weekend! Hooray! I've been waiting for this weekend for so long. My sister and I were not able to make it home for the holidays, so now it's time. I'll be celebrating my birthday with family and friends and braving the cold.

Last May, an overcast chilly, windy day.

But I will definitely make it down to the beach. My favorite part about my hometown of Muskegon is that it is right on the water. Exactly one mile west of my mother's house is the lake. A five minute drive to an awesome public beach. Talk about lake-effect snow, they definitely get it. One thing I don't miss about Michigan: snow! It's been quite a mild winter, so I don't think I will see snow, unfortunately. 

Here are a few pictures of lovely Lake Michigan..... 

July 2010. Toes in the sand with Rachael.

July 2009. Kayaking on the weekend of the fourth.

May 2008 with my dear friend and fellow fashion designer, Sara.

January 2010. Rachael on the cold, cold beach.

Ah!!! Words can't express my excitement to see my family and friends back home. Since my last visit home, my older sister, Sarah, has moved back from Hawaii! She hadn't lived in Michigan since my first year of college, so most of our visits in my adult life have been short, and I haven't seen Sarah since July 2010. 

Funny outtake from our family photos in 2008.

It's weird to have to count back to the last time I've seen family members, or the last time all six of us were together, makes me sad and ache for the days I'd see them all everyday. But that's a part of growing up, right? I'm unsure if I'll ever move back to Michigan so I have to really appreciate every second I get to see them! God, I'm crying a bit just writing this. I'm so homesick all the time, and it'll be so so so so good to be back. If only my sister, Rachael, could get leave from the Navy and come home, we'd be all reunited again! I'll miss you this weekend, Rach!

Enjoy your weekend everyone and cherish your family if they are close to you!