Where did the summer go?

I can't believe it's September already! My boys turned 19 & 21 (!!) at the end of summer. I share a birthday with my oldest son, making me 21 too... Just kidding, I just turned 43. Yup. That's right. I earned those years and I'm going to claim every one of them!

We went on vacation in August, this time opting to stay in Michigan's lower peninsula, spending a week camping just outside of Frankfort, MI. If you're looking for a nice, reasonably priced place to camp in the area, I highly recommend
Betsie River Campground. They're kind of a hub for fishing Lake Michigan and, a smaller family-owned campground with killer-good French toast at the camp store in the morning. My oldest son & I highly recommend the stuffed French toast, you will be stuffed when you're done with it but I swear you'll never have better! The sites were also big, with most hosting large fishing boats, equally large trailers, and the truck needed to haul them with plenty of room to gather around a campfire.

We were planning check off a bucket list item sometime in the week, and finally connected with Northwest Soaring Club on Friday and booked Saturday flights for RJ and me. Nate chose to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground. He's okay with flying in a big plane, but the thought of the small glider with no engine wasn't working for him. I've got to say, it was an amazing experience and I'm very happy that we found this awesome group of guys. If you want to watch a video, I've put my flight up on YouTube. If you're interested and planning to be near Cadillac, MI, please check them out.

After that we headed for home and a short break before taking RJ to begin his senior year at Michigan State University. Where has the time gone? I'm sure he was just a toddler recently! It's always exciting and sad to drop him off. I'm so excited for him to be back to school, new experiences, old & new friends, and the fun and opportunities that college brings. Nate's ready to reclaim the front seat in the car, though his loosing a gaming buddy. I'm ready for my grocery bill to drop, but not ready for him to be gone. I'm also always amazed by how much stuff is required by a college student (but they are living elsewhere for the majority of the year, so not *that* amazed!).

RJ has requested hand knit socks this year, as many as I can make, and whatever colors/patterns I want to do. No matter what "girly" thing I suggested he simply replied "yes." Pink & Purple? Yes. Lace? Yes. Nate just wants me to finally finish his pickle slippers I started last year. RJ also wants this awesome Octopus Sweater he found on Ravelry. Nate just dropped his head & said "I'm NEVER getting my slippers!" I promised to finish his slippers before starting RJ's sweater, he looked at RJ and said "You're never getting your sweater either!"

Okay, enough for now. I have slippers to knit and a pair of socks to finish!