South Haven Fun, Sun, and Eats!

We spent the last week in South Haven, MI with Cody’s parents and additional family members throughout the week! This is our second (hopefully annual) vacation to western Michigan. Last year, we rented a cottage in Saugatuck, which we loved, but opted for something new this year! The home was right along a bluff, had access to a private beach, and had an amazing view of the water. You can’t ask for much more!

Cody and I spent the first few nights alone and we had fun sleeping in, reading, and relaxing. He treated me to some healthy meals too! One of our solo nights he made citrus-marinated shrimp and grilled veggies. A man after my own heart…

We took advantage of the outdoors and did some hiking, biking, running, and walking. We biked along the Kal-Haven trail one morning and walked into town along the beach from our rental house another morning. Spending time with Cody and Magic doing things like this is one of my favorites ways to spend time.

We had a few visitors throughout the week! Cody’s Aunt Joan and Uncle Pat came to visit one night! We spent that day on the beach and hanging out on the deck!

Don’t mind Robin’s carrier for her dog, Skittles! It actually is one of the best inventions for a little dog! Skittles loves it and it actually makes it quite easy for her to keep Skittles close by and take her on long beach walks. We got a good laugh out of it throughout the week!

The day my mom came into town it was too cold to be directly out in the sun so we walked around South Haven and went in and out of the all of the little shops.

The last day of vacation we had some additional family come up to celebrate Jerry’s birthday early! 

One of the best things about renting a house vs. staying in a hotel is the ability to cook all of your own meals. We had so many fresh vegetables, fruits, etc. around the house for the entire week. We actually could have probably survived for a whole month with all of the food we brought with us! A few of my favorite side dishes we had were grilled Romaine salads and a fresh caprese salad made with basil from Robin’s garden and an garlic avocado oil and cilantro balsamic vinegar dressing we bought at a store from downtown South Haven called the Olive Cart.

Cody and his Dad manned the grill and the smoker for the entire week! They cooked all sorts of things including ribs, pulled pork, brisket, cheddar and jalapeno brats, hotdogs, and more. One thing I have learned is you don’t mess with a man and his smoker.

My favorite dinner that Jerry cooks is pulled pork, so naturally I requested it for one of our vacation meals. We had roasted brussels sprouts and baked potatoes alongside of it. I don’t know what it was about that dinner but it just hit the spot that night! Cody tried a new recipe for the baked potatoes and I am hoping he is going to let me share it very soon on the blog! It is a potato game-changer.

Keeping on track with the 90/10 life I had some splurges throughout the week. One of my favorite treats was a brownie with salted caramel ice cream. I am a sucker for brownies and ice cream and when you throw salted caramel into the mix, game over.

I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. I always enjoy slowing down for a week and just taking life as it comes. No deadlines, no one to answer to, no house work, etc. True relaxation at its best!