What's in your town?

Our family wanted to go on one last adventure before school starts next week. We had planned on heading out of town for a couple of days, but then decided that packing up our bunch would be more of a hassle than it would be worth, and it would also mean that we'd be spending unnecessary money. So, we came up with an alternate plan.....and we are so glad that we did!

We decided to have an adventure by exploring our town. We live here, but we rarely go out to see what it has to offer. And, guess what?! There is a lot of fun to be had around here, and it hardly costs a thing!

We started our day by having a picnic lunch by the river. Then, we walked along the riverwalk, making our way to the downtown area.

Here we are standing by the river, across from the fishladder.




As we made our way through the downtown area, we ran into lots of fun things to explore and see. We went through a few hotels that are there. These hotels are not the type of hotels that the VW's ever stay at.....too expensive and too classy for us! The boys were in awe of all the "fancyness"! These hotels and many other buildings in the area are connected by a skywalk, so we rarely had to set foot on the streets! The boys loved walking through the "sky" and looking at everything down below! Caleb kept asking if we knew how to find our way back to our van and home again! :)

At the end of the skywalk, in a parking lot below it, we found a wakeboarding competition going on! They had brought in a few above ground pools and had them rigged up for the competition! Pretty cool!





After we left the competition area, we found a Polish festival going on down the street! We aren't Polish, but it was fun to celebrate with them for awhile!

Then we made our way over to the Civil war monument.....and then on to the newly remodeled downtown library.



Joel couldn't stay awake at the library in all the quietness! We aren't used to quiet at our house!



Gavin thought that this was pretty funny!



After the library we walked the boys through the college campus that Joel and I once attended. It was fun to see the changes that had been made since we'd been there and to share some of our experiences with the boys!



Then we walked over to the Calder, which is a sculpture made by Alexander Calder. It is a main fixture in the Grand Rapids area. I've seen it many times in my life, but for some reason it looked smaller to me than it used to look. I guess things lose their wide-eyed characteristics as we get older.....but the boys thought it was way cool!




Next to the Calder is a giant swing. This also looked smaller to me! (I must be getting old!) But, the boys thought it was huge and lots of fun!









Gavin had fun listening to his brothers' squeals, as they flew through the air!



We finally made it back to our van.....Caleb was quite relieved that we were able to find our way back! :)

Lastly, we drove to the ballpark and enjoyed a night watching some baseball!



When we went up to purchase our tickets, a lady offered us 2 free ones, so we only needed to buy 3 of them! I love when this happens!

Here is Gavin looking for flyballs.



And, here he is yelling when they scored a run! Either that, or he's yawning from boredom??? :)



There is nothing like bringing the family to the ballpark!



So.....that was our Saturday! We had a FANTASTIC day and it only cost us $15, besides the cost of some food! I seriously can't remember a day that was more fun for our family! We got to share time together, stories with each other, explore and stay active.....and it hardly cost a thing.....and took very little planning! Our boys are still talking about how much fun we had!

So, what's fun to do in your town? Take a trip around town and you might find that there is a lot more to do than you thought there was! Plus, I bet you will make a great memory and have a ton of fun! If you go, share your pictures with us.....maybe we'll be tempted to come visit you some day! :)


"I rejoice at Your word, as one who finds great treasure." Psalm 119:162