neebish island is located between the upper peninsula in michigan and ontario, canada, in the st. marys river, which flows from lake superior down into lake huron. eric's uncle owns a house up there, which was once his grandpa's, and they have been visiting the island for eric's whole life.
eric's family goes up to neebish island for thanksgiving every other year. two years ago, while eric and i were still dating, i was lucky enough to be invited along for the first time to join all of them. it was that week that i absolutely fell in love with the place. i mean, how could you not? check out this view:
i love every part of this island and the activities that take place there. there is a fireplace with two cozy, lumpy chairs in front that are perfect for reading. there is a great little kitchen filled with grandma jeane's blue glass collection, where people can mosey in to graze for breakfast. this kitchen table is also the perfect place to play chicken foot, where the loser, as grandma announces, "gets an ice cream sundae". i can't wait to lounge around the tv with everyone with our full bellies to watch "a muppet christmas carol". and if eric's new ACL is feeling up to the task, i can't wait to take long walks in the woods to scope out the perfect christmas tree to take home with us.
 |
| our little tree from two years ago |
 |
| perfect. |
so neebish is what i'm thankful for this year. i am thankful for my husband and an opportunity to reconnect with him. i am thankful that he has such an amazing, loving family that i love very much and enjoy spending time with. i am thankful for this tradition of theirs and how it has touched my life. and most importantly, i am thankful for my God that has blessed me with this addition to my life.
with a tradition that happens bi-annually, it's interesting to see the change that takes place in our lives. two years ago, i remember being absolutely certain that eric was going to propose. the night that we got there, a blanket of snow fell and covered the ground and trees. the scene was idillic. we went for long walks in the woods, and eric would stop in the middle of a clearing, hold my hands, gaze into my eyes and do nothing. at one point, i began to pat down his pockets. when he asked what i was doing, i admitted i just needed to know if it was going to happen. it didn't happen there, but one month later, it did happen on christmas day.
here we are, two years later, still in a blissful state of new marriage. we've added a couple rings, a couple dogs, and a wonderful ministry to our plates. it makes me excited to see what the future at neebish island holds for us. is it possible that by the next time we are there for thanksgiving there will be a bump? i hope so. for now, i think we'll take it one step at a time and enjoy this holiday filled with so much love and gratitude. and maybe we'll enjoy a few of these along the way:
 |
Posts
omg you just won me over bc you know where the U.P. is!! I'm from Sault Ste. Marie, MI! Well thats my hometown...I don't live there anymore, but it holds a special place in my heart :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place to spend Thanksgiving! Enjoy your holiday.
ReplyDeleteoh, desi, it's a little slice of heaven. what an amazing place to grow up. and yes, i do know how to pronounce sault ste. marie correctly :)
ReplyDeletetory, same to you! happy thanksgiving.