Just a few more days...(and a really long post)

My time in Michigan is down to a measure of days. It used to be '3 more weeks until Utah!' or '1 more month until I move!' But now, it's days before I leave. My mom keeps saying 'you know, you can still come back. You're not leaving Michigan forever.' And I understand that and know she's right but I think it'll be different from now on. Michigan will always be my hometown, but my home will be in Utah. I'll be a Utah resident, not a Michigan resident. I'll be visiting Michigan and then going back home after I leave...Maybe I'm being too melodramatic (shocking concept for me, I know) but it's going to feel different from now on. 

Okay, enough waxing poetic. I've been running around trying to squeeze some major Michigan sight seeing time before I leave and thanks to my mom and Kelly, I've been really enjoying my little 'good-bye' trips. 

Saturday my mom's side of the family got together to celebrate my cousin Shelby's birthday. She turned 14 TODAY! I can't believe she's getting so old...it makes me feel old. So, we all got together and went to Miyako. It's one of those Japanese grills where they cook your food right in front of you on this huge grill and the guy doing it throws food in your mouth and scares your aunt with a fake bottle of oil. We caused a scene (as usual) with out laughing and general rowdiness

The birthday girl & Kelly

My seester is so pretty. :) 

This is the most normal picture I got of the two of them. (Kelly & Sterling!) 

Kelly, Shelby and Me! (Why am I the shortest one in this picture?! I'm the oldest!!) 

My aunt & uncle. I'm going to miss them both! Especially Jonny's antics. 

Sunday we went to the best place on the face of this planet: Frankenmuth. Picture Disney Land meets a tiny Bavarian town in Germany meets Chirstmas 24/7 and you've got Frankenmuth. They've also got Zehnders which has the best chicken dinner ever. I'm not kidding when I say this. It's a religious experience eating their chicken. We went to the cheesy stores, Rau's general store with the very best candy and then ate ourselves into oblivion for dinner. 

And then after dinner we went to Bronners. Bronners is the biggest Christmas store in the world (I'm not kidding. It's legit the biggest) and it's open 364 days a year. The only day it's closed it Christmas day. The pictures don't do it justice either. The Christmas just kept going and going and going. I was in heaven. People spend entire DAYS in this store...it's just amazing. 

Biggest. Bow. Ever. 

It just goes on and on and on and on

Where else can you see a giant santa in the middle of July?! 

Today was the 4th of July (obviously) and instead of doing summery/patriotic things we went to the movies then out to dinner. When we got done, the three of us got an urge to see fireworks. Thanks to Kelly, we knew a town close by had theirs tonight and on a whim, we went over there. They were being shot off on a gold course and we just happened to end up right on the course! I mean, we were literally 500 yards from where they were lighting them off. It was crazy! 

It was a perfect night

And just in case you thought I didn't have enough pictures, here's one last one of my crazy dog. 

He climbed into my lap and rolled over. I was dying. 

:) In less than a week I'll be on the move! I'm really excited to finally do this!