New Years Weekend Recap

Remember when I told you G and I decided to do gifts this year instead of a little mini getaway like we usually do for Christmas? Well, I lied. Three days after we purchased the Keurig it died. I can't say I was too surprised because I heard a lot of stories about this happening, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. And on a Monday morning of all times! So we talked about it and decided to take it back and we booked a little getaway to our fave b and b. They were running a good special so it was a pretty even trade. I can't believe we have been going to this place since 2009!

We took the Friday after New Year's Day off, slept in, dropped Manny off and headed out. We got to South Haven around 1:30 and walked around the town before heading to lunch. I got a hot toddy to warm up. 

G got a beer, per usual.

We always stop at Clementine's when we are in the area. We just love the food and the atmosphere is fun. I was obsessed with the decorations on the ceiling. So pretty.

After lunch we did some window shopping. I always love exploring the little shops in town while on vacation. We found this super cute pet store that had a few puppies for adoption so we played with them for a bit. I had to take a picture of this sweatshirt because it made me laugh out loud.

Then we met friends at Taste for drinks. Funny story: We had recommended this bed and breakfast to a co-worker and we found out we had both booked the same weekend! What a coincidence. So we met up with them for drinks and met his wife and we all just got along really well. We laughed and talked for hours. It was so much fun. The funniest part of the evening was when Stephen ordered a martini and the waiter said "how dirty would you like it?" He said it with a straight face, too, which just made it even funnier. 

After drinks we went to check in and be lazy bums.

Saturday morning we slept in and then went to breakfast. Usually when we stay at Martha's we get breakfast delivered to our room because we stay in the guest house. But our friends were in the main house and they were the only ones so we planned to have breakfast in the main house with them.

So fancy! It was a really fun experience. The main house is just gorgeous. So elegant. Having every course brought out one by one just made me feel like royalty.

First up was grapefruit with sugar, cooked a bit and a raspberry on top. Yum!

Next up was their homemade granola with yogurt and cherries. I always love when I get the granola. It is amazing!

And last but certainly not least we had sausage with blueberry french toast. So delicious! I'm a picky eater, but everything made here is fantastic! I always look forward to it and eating it with friends in a fancy house was even better!

After breakfast we just relaxed for a bit before heading out to Fenn Valley for wine tasting.

Stephen, Andrea, Garth and I. Good times! We each got 7 tastings and free wine glasses. Good deal! The lady giving the tasting was knowledgeable and seemed to really love what she did which always makes the tastings more enjoyable.

After the tasting we were STARVING. It was time for the main event. And I'm not even kidding when I tell you this is the reason we come to this side of town. Lunch at Everyday People Cafe. I thought it was ludicrous my boss and his wife would stay nearby for weekends just to eat here. But now we do it too. It's just THAT good.

We always go on a Saturday or Sunday to enjoy Bubbles and Bites. We went on a Saturday this time with friends and it was even more fun. You get unlimited champagne with your meal and it just is the ultimate vacation experience. So much fun! We stayed for over 2.5 hours laughing and talking and enjoying the delicious food before we realized the restaurant had closed half an hour ago. Oops! Sure sign of a good time with friends.

We walked over to Respite Cappuccino Court for coffee. It's a cozy little coffeehouse in a cute downtown. What more could you ask for? Oh, a picture of Olaf. Yep. Best thing ever.

We drank coffee and talked some more. It's just so funny that we didn't plan to vacation with friends and we didn't know each other that well. But we got along so well. We talked about everything. We laughed a lot. We just really hit it off and ended up having a really great time together. After a few more hours of talking at the coffee shop it was getting late and they had to drive home. They got to Martha's a day earlier than us so this was their last day. 

We said our good byes and stopped in Wild Dog Grille for dinner. It was fun to talk about our favorite parts of the trip so far and start talking about the next year and our goals. 

After dinner we went back to relax. We found chocolate covered strawberries in our room from Martha's. We found out later Stephen and Andrea had told the inn keeper to leave a surprise in our room to thank us for recommending Martha's to them. So sweet!! It was a really fun day!

Sunday morning we woke up to breakfast at 9:00 on the dot! As much fun as the fancy breakfast was, you just can't beat breakfast in bed. Holy deliciousness. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. So good. 

We checked out at noon still super full from breakfast. We hadn't seen Lake Michigan yet so we headed to the beach to check it out. 

We heard on New Years Eve it was so windy there were 10 foot waves. Well, as soon as I saw on the Weather Channel app that the wind gusts would be 25 mph we had to check out the beach. I don't think they were quite 10 feet high, but Lake Michigan was angry.

It was rowdy out there! It was so cold and windy we mostly stayed in our car and just enjoyed the show. It was such a cool thing to watch. 

I could have sat there all day. The waves were so entertaining. We planned on going to Saugatuck afterwards to walk around, wine taste and get lunch but on our drive there it started to blizzard. The roads got pretty terrible and after checking the weather and realizing it would just get worse as the day went on. Major bummer.

It was a bit of a slower drive home, but the trees were gorgeous. Overall, it was still an awesome trip and a great way to kick off the year. Good food. Good friends. Good times. We left feeling refreshed and ready to tackle our goals for the new year! More on that tomm...