Good morning!!! Oh, my goodness we are all dragging today but thankful to be home safely after a whirlwind four days in Michigan. The coffee is extra strong this morning after rolling in the door at 1:00 am. If you happen to be on Instastories you may have seen that we headed off to Detroit, Michigan for my son’s hockey tournament. It was an intense and busy four days but one we won’t soon forget. Such a fun adventure and so thankful for the time together.
FALL IS HERE
Please brace yourself for photo overload. Usually I would do an entire travel recap on Detroit but let’s face it, we were in a hockey arena 85% of the time so it doesn’t exactly add up to the world’s best travel guide. But happy to share a bit of what we were doing over the last four days. The trees were beginning to turn and just so beautiful. Reminded me of my college days in the midwest. We don’t see this as much in California so I was soaking it all in.
HOCKEY TIME
This was big for our boys. Truly an invaluable experience to be playing against some of the best teams in the country. Our boys work hard and I am so proud of each and every one of them. My son loved traveling to hockey town and was all in for the entire trip. Never mind that his stick broke in the very first game! Did we travel with a back up?! Nope. Nothing like shopping for a new stick in between games. But something tells me he is pretty excited about his Detroit souvenir.
TIME OUT
sweater | boots | jeans | scarf
Of course we were in the hockey rink most of the time but snuck in a few spots for dinner and lunch. This Irish pub was a perfect spot to simmer down, rest, and just enjoy lunch with our boy.
YATES CIDER MILL
Sunday found us exploring the are a bit and we loved hitting up Yates Cider Mill. It’s an incredible spot if you are ever in the area. This was our travel day so my warm boots were packed. Let’s just say 40 degrees and flats aren’t the best combination but the warm cider helped.
*So many of you asked me about this coat. I LOVE it. It’s super lightweight and can be placed in a small bag for travel. It’s by far one of my best buys and it’s currently 33% off!
Not only are the ground and trails surrounding the mill gorgeous, but they run a tight ship and the line for this hot cider is crazy fast. I just wish we cold have taken a jug of it home with us. It had me dreaming of the holidays.
GORGEOUS TRAILS
The trails were so beautiful. Had it been a bit warmer we would have explored more. So much to see including a pumpkin patch and petting zoo.
FORD MUSEUM
We also carved out time for the Ford Museum. I was completely blown away. There is so much to see. You could spend an entire day there and not see it all. Without question it’s one of our favorite museums to date. Seeing all of the Presidential cars spanning decades was fascinating.
There is far more than just car exhibits but I have to say walking around all of these gorgeous cars made me think if my dad. It’s like his model car collection came to life. I kept wanting him to be next to me telling me all about them. He would have LOVED it.
One of the best parts of traveling with my son’s team is doing things like this. He was able to tour this museum with one of his buddies and his little brother and the boys had a ball. Memories that will last a lifetime.
HOME SWEET HOME
After four long days, seeing the lights of LAX was a welcome sight. We are so thankful for such a great trip to Detroit. My daughter was safe and sound with my sister and a dear friend. They took such great care of her and we are so grateful. She will be the only family member not hanging by a thread today. It may take us a week to recover but the trip was worth it.
Now to catch up on work! Holy cow I am behind. Be sure to pop in tomorrow for our Fall table and a go-to appetizer recipe. But if you’re craving a decadent sweet treat for the week, this will do the trick.
Hope you all have a wonderful Monday.
Flats in that weather are chilly! Glad you were able to catch a bit of fall. Love the memories made while traveling for sports tournaments. My son’s Squirt hockey years were some of my favorites! My daughter is entering that age now, and we are excited to make some of those memories with her now. (Although, I am not looking forward to hotel rooming with her goalie gear)
Love hearing this. Yes! The memories being made are incredible. But oh my goodness. Ummm. . . can we talk about the gear. And you have the goalie gear, too. How awesome is your daughter. We left it in the trunk of the car a couple of the nights. Figured it was cold enough and we didn’t have to room with it. Jeepers, it’s no joke!
Such a fun weekend! My sons both played in that tournament in years gone by.
You should suggest a hockey tournament up here in Canada. We have dozens every weekend – great hockey for sure!!!!
Oh my Courtney just reading this post.
I live in Michigan and would’ve loved to had met you.
My nephew plays hockey too and it’s so fun watching their games.
Wow that was a long way to travel for youth hockey.
If you ever have plans to come this way for hockey please email me .
Love your blog thanks for taking the time to share all of your talents and family fun.
Glad you enjoyed your time in Rochester, it’s a great town! We are lucky to have so many beautiful cider mills in our area ❤️!
So strange but I’m pretty sure I saw you at Yates, lol! I remembered seeing your son in his warm up suit, my 6 year old is in his first year of travel hockey and he was also in his warm up suit following his game, so he caught my eye. Was thinking how fast it goes and how in a few short years, he’ll be your sons age! Glad you enjoyed your trip to hockey town, Yates is one of our favorite places to go! Nothing like a cider mill in Michigan in the Fall. It’s the best!
I’m from Michigan, couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. 🙂 We are mid state closer to the shore line and big lakes. I’m glad you had such a great trip to Michigan and were able to enjoy our beautiful fall colors. What a great opportunity for your son’s team!