Tea and Twinkies : Fourth of July in Michigan

This past weekend, I went to Michigan with my boyfriend, Schae, and his family to celebrate the 4th of July with his extended family. Schae's grandparents live in a small town called Saugatuck on Lake Michigan about 40 minutes SW of Grand Rapids. Saugatuck is an adorable little town full of unique boutiques (ooh it rhymes!), candy shops where you can watch delicious fudge and caramel apples being made in the window, and plenty of ice cream shops to keep you satisfied on those hot summer days.

Though the town is fun, we spent most of our time where any good Midwesterner should spend their Fourth of July weekend: on the lake. The beach was full of families sitting in circles, talking and laughing. Unfortunately, the water was cold. No, I'm not a wimp; I love swimming every summer in Lake Superior, known for its cold water. This was a new level of cold. As Schae's younger brother pointed out, "This must have been what it was like when the Titanic was sinking!" (Wow, what a great reference to my favorite historical event and movie of all time!!!) However, the hot sun got the better of me, and I was forced to go in. Brrrrrrr!!

One of Schae and his cousins' favorite things to do in Michigan is to climb the sand dunes near the beach. Although the climb to the top is treacherous (I had to take more than a few breaks-don't tell anyone!), the view more than makes up for it.

Schae has recently decided to apply to be a Chubbies College Ambassador. For those of you who don't know what Chubbies are, they advertise as "the most radical shorts known to mankind." In non-Chubster speak, they are men's shorts which are slightly shorter than normal. Check them out here. To put it lightly, Schae is obsessed.

For his application to be a college ambassador, Schae has to submit a sick picture of himself wearing the Chubbies (American flag print of course!) As self-appointed photographer, I was in charge of taking this picture. Check out the results:

I know, I know. I should switch my major to photography. After a long and strenuous voting process, we picked the third picture. Looking good Schae.
For the rest of the 4th, we put on our best 'Merica apparel and celebrated! (And I maybe ate so much BBQ that I went into a food coma and had to take a nap but no big deal or anything, I just like ribs.)