Wow, it has been a while since I have sat at the computer! I have been on quite the "writing hiatus" for the past few months! So much has been going on, but I am back and ready to share exciting adventures and experiences.

I woke up this morning to the window open, the birds chirping, and 60 degrees at 6:00 a.m. Oh how I love Michigan. It may be the first day of spring break for my kids, but that does not mean that I get to sleep in.

In the past, spring break has been cold and rainy... however, today is 80 and sunny! Easter is this weekend so there are a variety of things on our crazy schedule that we will be doing. However, the challenge comes next week. Next week when I am ready to send the kids back to school and they are ready to get out of the house and DO something.

I came across Kingman Museum's previews for their new planetarium shows and I cannot wait to take my kids... because I can't wait to see them myself! The first one, the Future is Wild, is imagining what the world will look like in millions of years to come! It's quite interesting! The second one, Violent Universe, looks to be another great show! Check them out!

Also, for a complete list of things going on during spring break this week, be sure to check out Battle Creek/Calhoun County events!

I am spending the next few days on a Circle Michigan FAM tour on behalf of Battle Creek. The FAM tour, also known as a familiarization tour, is throughout Southern Michigan, and today is day one.

This has been a phenomenal trip so far! And I can't wait to tell you! First, we started at McCamly Plaza Hotel in Battle Creek. The staff was so friendly and they had a great reception room for us waiting until we could board our bus.

Once boarded, we met our driver, Dezzi - amazing guy! And, we headed out to the Kellogg Manor House. Kellogg Manor House, sits on Gull Lake and has such an amazing history. W.K. Kellogg used that as his summer home and it is absolutely incredible! The inctricate details, all the rook tile and the 400 year old tapestries that lined the wall would have anyone stunned! The House prepared lunch for us, and we sat overlooking Gull Lake; could not have asked for a better day with the temperatures in the 80's and the sun shining!

From there, we headed to Gilmore Car Museum. It doesn't matter if you know cars or not to be fascinated by this place. Set on a large piece of land, different barns house different period cars; there is everything from 1930's luxury cars, to race cars to miniature cars! It is outside, and with the sun beating down on us, it was getting roasty. So... we headed over to the diner and enjoyed some soft serve custard! It was definitly the perfect treat!

As the afternoon progressed, we went to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. Now, this was my first experience and I can say I was highly impressed. When you walk in, you walk through this hallway of clouds and it gives the illusion of walking into space, then, you enter a large room with a hand painted mural covering the wall! The planes placed throughout the room are so unique and have their own stories, but we didn't have much time to hear everything. My kids would love it! And, they are doing free general admission all summer. However, my favorite part, was when we sat in a movie-theatre like room, and had a 4-D experience... the story of the 'Kalamazoo Gal'; an aircraft in World War II. You felt your chair move, the screen jump out at you and even air blew at you! Quite the experience!

Then, to finish the evening we headed out to Marina Grand Resort in New Buffalo MI. It is beautiful! The rooms are very welcoming and, to my great pleasure, they had chocolate waiting to greet me... definitly a great start to the evening.

Come to find out, they rent out bikes for free as a compimentary service. So, of course, I had to test it out. They have the old-school bikes that don't have handle breaks (only back pedal breaks) and I rode out to Lake Michigan. The sky was the clearest of blues, the temperature was perfect and the sun was setting over the waters. Now, if you have never experienced a Lake Michigan sunset, it is definitly something you need to do. To finish off the evening, I enjoyed a glass of wine at the hotel's restaurant overlooking the harbor. I miss my kids, but today was quite the experience. I look forward to part 2 tomorrow!

It looks like winter is here! The official first day of winter is December 21 but if you were to look outside, you would know it's winter! The cold temperatures and all the snow predicted ensures us a Bing Crosby style Christmas. I know my kids are thoroughly excited to play in the snow and I, for one, will enjoy this winter blast...for now. Our tree is fully decorated, I am continually trying to sneak moments to wrap presents and baking between it all! I love Christmas and am looking forward to spending time with the family. With all of the excitement for the day, my very favorite time is at the end of the night; the kids are laying on the floor watching a Christmas movie, my husband and I relaxed on the couch and all just seems right with the world. So, a week from today I will be doing just this. I am curious as to everyone else's favorite holiday moment... No matter the holiday that you celebrate, I wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.