Summer on Lake Michigan

 I am a walking advertisement for the state of Michigan.  I love it here, especially the summers.  My parents always had a boat and so I grew up boating.  When Jerry and I got married, we continued to enjoy boating with my parents, and then about 6 years ago ended up buying our own boat.  We've loved being able to enjoy the beautiful lakeshore with friends and family.  One of our favorite things to do is take the boat to Saugatuck and go out to eat in that cute little town.  This summer we were blessed with calm waters and lots of boating days!  These photos are a compilation of the last several years and some of my favorites. 

Jumping off the back of the boat into the lake is always fun.....if the water is above 70.  It's always refreshing!

Dane and Claire: summer 2024

We have enjoyed hosting our friends for the past 3 years over Labor Day weekend and have been blessed with gorgeous weather!

The guys are usually always game for jumping in! 

My dad loved boating, and we tried to get him out on the boat as much as possible.  This was the summer of 2022, and he was still healthy.  He loved nothing more than enjoying the water and fresh air.  We still got him out on the boat a couple of times the summer of 2023 before he passed away that December. 

Summer 2023: My dad and me

Having cousins visit from Canada is always fun!

Summer 2023: We had a lot of visitors from Canada that week!  It was on that boat ride that Claire got the call that she had been hired for her first job at the Fertility Center!

The Kalamazoo River that leads into Saugatuck is a beautiful cruise!

Lisa and me the summer of 2024

Erin and Grandpa Sytsma

Mom and Dad Sytsma and Lisa

Ben was home for a couple of weekends this summer, and Mother's Day weekend we were able to go out with him and Ellie for her birthday.

Erin, Leah, and Andrew

Erin and I on the dock in Saugatuck

Calm waters and water temps above 70 are a dream!

Sunsets on Lake Michigan are spectacular!

Jerry and his dad.  I wonder who was driving?

I would choose this fresh glorious water over the ocean any day!

Another gorgeous day with calm seas. The best type of boating!

Mark and Teresa Jones are work friends from Dayton who came up for the day.  It's always fun to be with them!

Mark and Teresa

Andrew, Erin, Claire and Dane.  It's pretty rare when we can all get together.

Brian and Gina Bolger

Love those sunset shots coming in the channel into Lake Macatawa!

Jeff and Jerry at sunset.  This was one of the calmest waters we had seen.

The Holland Channel with Big Red is beautiful!

Last boat ride of the season:  Oct 2, 2025.  Jerry drove the boat to the other side of the lake to have it taken out.

Jerry likes to ride on the back from the dock to the marina where we store the boat.  Until next summer!

September in Texas

I started driving to Texas on September 22 and this time took 3 days to make the 19 hour trip.  On the Tuesday I stopped in Granger, Indiana and had lunch with my niece Julia.  Doing the trip over 3 days meant it was about 7-8 hours each day with stops, and I found it much more manageable and less tiring.  On Friday, Ben had his first intersquad meet to kick off the season.  He is still recovering from shoulder surgery that he had in April, and this was his first competition since this past March.  He looked great and ended up with a 20.22 which he seemed pleased with.  On Saturday Jerry and I came back to College Station for the A&M vs. Auburn game.  Ben was able to sit with us so it was great to spend some time with him on Saturday watching the game together.  It was an Aggie victory and a lot of fun to watch!  

Ben is the third one up from the bottom in the maroon cap.  

Ben's intersquad meet was maroon vs. white.  He was on the maroon team, and they lost by 1 point although they assume it's pretty rigged considering the swim team director was on the white team and assigns points for team spirit, etc. 

We were grateful when the shade came!  It was a hot day!

We joked with Ben that with everything he has going on he still managed to find time to open a pretzel shop. 

 A&M vs. Auburn with an Aggie win 16-10!

The energy in Kyle field is so fun to experience!

Banff

 Jerry had the opportunity to go to Banff for work meetings.  This was my first time there, and Jerry hadn't been there since he was a teenager.  Our trip was definitely marred by the death of my niece Shelby, and so I definitely want to go back sometime.  Everything was just so beautiful.  We spent time at Lake Moraine and Lake Louise.  We also went on the Banff gondola.