The Cottage

For the past three summers, my parents have rented a cottage for a week in Holland, MI, right on the Lake Michigan shore (this happened during the week after the 4th of July...I'm trying to catch up on the blogging!) It's a big enough place to sleep our entire family--siblings, spouses, and cousins. That would be our family, my brother Tom and his family (wife Stacia, Taryn and Seth), Jenny and soon-to-be husband Mark, my brother Adam's children Kahalah and Wasson, and of course my mom and dad. There is a big open room with two impossibly long oak picnic tables where everyone can gather for meals, a movie room with a huge screen in the basement, a loft sleeping area with bunk beds for the kids, a hammock overlooking the lake, and a beautiful staircase that descends right to the sand of Lake Michigan.

It's an incredible gift that my parents give us every year---the lazy days on the beach, the shared meals at night, nights playing fast scrabble and Boggle with the adults, watching the cousins play for hours in the sand and water, taking bike rides, going on a dune buggy ride, the fellas playing endless games of bocce, long walks down the beach, picking blueberries, s'mores by the campfire, riding the sea kayaks, and just having tons and tons of time to talk to each other.

I remember the first year that we did this, I was a big skeptical that a whole week with family in one house was going to be fun. I remember telling myself that by the end of the week, I might really be tired of everyone! But that first year took me by surprise...it was a perfect balance of togetherness and separateness. Sure, we were together a lot. But if you wanted to steal away for a solo walk, or better yet...leave the kid with someone and talk a walk with your spouse!...it easily happened. People would do their own thing, then come together for dinner or a swim. It is also great to be at a neutral location. No one is "entertaining" and so the tasks of keeping a house running for a week---the meals, clean-up, shopping, laundry, sweeping, etc--get easily shared (at least I hope my parents feel that way!) Everyone feels equal responsibility.

I also love being with family for a week and having ample opportunity to take photos...at a gorgeous location. Each year we have gathered for a big family photo, then attempted to take individual family photos, depending on the mood of the children! What a joy to watch Rowan with her cousins, chasing them around, looking up to them; she awakes each morning wanting to know exactly where each cousin is and what they are doing!

I know that the weeks at the cottage will be an enduring childhood memory for Rowan (and future children!), and for that I am especially grateful. There are certain events in my childhood that stick out above others, and I often think back on these events. What could be a better memory for life than a week in the sun, with sand always in your suit, surrounded by people who love you the best in the world?

A highlight of the cottage for us this year was an unexpected visit from our good friends from Jonesboro, the Wilkies. Jason has family in MI and they just happened to be driving near Holland while we were there...so they stopped by for the afternoon and dinner. Jason and Julie (and their children: Duncan, Quinton, Lillian...and that's cousin Noah along, too!) were a big part of what made Jonesboro feel like home to us. For the last few years that we lived in AR, we faithfully carried out this tradition: each Monday was Cebulski/Wilkie night. So one Monday, Julie and I would go out...the next Monday, Jason and Joe would go out. Then every once in awhile we'd get a sitter and go out all 4 of us. But the Mondays that were just the guys or just the girls were awesome--it wasn't just meeting for coffee, although sometimes it included that. It was a whole evening...sometimes we'd take a walk, do a little shopping, and just talk talk talk for hours. Julie also has a special place in our family because she delivered Rowan, and took amazing care of both me and Rowan during a fairly traumatic labor and delivery! It was fun to catch up with them and see how the kids had grown in so many months.
To see LOTS more pictures from the cottage (thanks to Joe for all the editing) click here.

Oh, and a quick current update: we moved out of our big house of athletes yesterday (Friday) and are at Tye and Amy's this weekend...then into the RV temporarily until the next thing. Lots of big plans and decisions are being made this last week...so we will have something to report soon!