Holland, Michigan

Matt had some time off so we decided to take a weekend and visit the west side of the state and see someplace new. We really went at the wrong time of year because I am sure it would be beautiful to see all of the flowers in their glory, but we still had a wonderful time.

Our first stop was to the farmers market.



Matt was enthused by the flute player.



Yum!



The greatest variety of apples and of course some apple cider.



Fancy painted pumpkins...SO expensive!



Windmill restaraunt in Holland...who would have thought of it?



Wouldn't this be a fun place to stay?



We had to hike through the forest to end up at this part of Lake Michigan, but it was worth it and a fun hike.



It was super chilly down at the water and Matt was wishin he had a sweatshirt.



The bike ride we went on was rough. It was through sand and I really didn't enjoy it that much, but since I am very stubborn I kept going. See how close these trees are? Yep, I almost ran into them a few times because they were that close throughout the trail.




At the end of the day we went to the beach and it was so cold, the wind was blowing so hard and I was grateful for a hood to put over my ears.




So, there were about a dozen guys out in this frigid water surfing! They were mostly covered in wet suit appearal, but a couple had bare feet and heads. One guy was kite surfing, where you hold a kite and it is what keeps you up in the water. It was the perfect weather for this, but it looked exhausting!




Rough water, it kind of makes you forget that you are just at a lake and not an ocean.



This was such a fun weekend!

New Haven

The next day we went for a drive to New Haven, which is another city along the western edge of Michigan on Lake Michigan.



Walking out to the lighthouse. There was a sign that said something like 70 people have died out on this pier because of the weather, currents, and huge waves that hit this area. Crazy!




I am trying to hide from the chilly wind.



Love the leaves and they sure looked beautiful on our drive home.

Sister Allred

Sister Allred, 1st couselor in the General Relief Society Presidency came and spoke to a couple of stakes in our area. I had the privilege of meeting her. What a friendly and warm lady! She has such a great spirit about her and has given me a renewed sense of how I should be living my life. She gave a really fantastic talk a couple of weeks ago about forgetting your own troubles and serving others. Yesterday, she talked a little bit about praying with a purpose and remembering that Heavenly Father is listening, but don't forget his plan. We may not always get the answers we want, but he will guide us.

Love/Hate Relationship

About a month ago I came home from work to a surprise from Matt...a new bike! Now, this wasn't really my idea of a fun present and I debated even getting on it at all, but I know how much he really wanted me to get a bike so we could go on rides together.



Ready for our first ride. We had to take it easy the first time out because Matt knew if things went badly then I would never get back on the bike.




The first time on the bike was hard, and I had trouble getting use to the gears, but I thought I should give it a second try.





So, the first ride went ok and I agreed to go a second time. I didn't like the bike much the second time we went...does it show at all?




With all of the drama of the bike, you have to love the wonderful scenery we get to ride through.



Since things weren't going the best with the bike Matt decided to sweeten the deal with a bribe to go to the cider mill and then on an easy ride. Nice one dear! Well, it worked and I got back on the bike.




Matt took lots of pictures along the way and got some great pictures of the ground, but this one turned out.





This ride was going better than the other two until it wasn't...it was longer than I thought and since we had just gone on our last ride the day before, my butt bones were killing me! I had enough and let Matt know that this was the last ride of the season. :)



Beautiful scenery...I love the fall!




Now here it is, a week later and I finally got my helmet (after MUCH drama at the bike store) and I must have forgotten about how much my rear end hurt from the week before so I told Matt we could give the bike riding a go on an actual mountain bike trail. I have to say, that it wasn't that bad and I am really stubborn so I was bound and determined to make it work. I was going to beat this bike, and luckily my butt has gotten tougher so that part wasn't a problem. It was a baby trail, but I did it!







We wanted to make sure and get a picture by this sign because we went through several trips to the bike store, ordering and reordering so that I could get a helmet big enough to fit my huge head and the right one;) Anyways, I hate wearing hats, but for the sake of safety I am going to wear the helmet.



Yes, we had to stop by another cider mill on the way home to get some cider and donuts...you have no idea, they are totally worth it and you have to stock up since you can only get them in the fall.




I think we may have come to an end of the bike riding season, but I think I might finally be on the upswing of my love/hate relationship with the bike. Until next bike riding season that is.:)