A Quiet Vacation

We had a quiet week of vacation at home this week.  After a busy weekend last weekend, Monday and Tuesday were spent quietly at home.  I did some small projects around the house, snuggled, took walks, and played with the dogs, enjoyed doing some meal prep for the week, and spent some lazy time just watching cheesy holiday movies.  It was a good way to spend a couple of days, never getting far from home.

After a quiet Wednesday morning at home, I had plans for a little Holiday fun.  I love the Kalamazoo area during the holiday season, and I wanted to check out a couple of events mid-week when I knew they would be a little less busy.  

I had timed tickets for the first stop of the night, Gull Meadows Farms.  I had seen the event advertised over the years, but had never been before, and I was excited to get there and take a walk through the orchard and greenhouses. 

My ticket was for 5:30pm and I arrived about 15 minutes early, so I took a walk through the store and purchased a cinnamon doughnut and some apple cider.  I then headed to the entrance for my walk through the lights.  

There were lights, inflatables, and a light show, and even a train display.   It was a pretty display and a nice walk.  

I took mine time walking through and really enjoyed my time there.  

After I finished my walk through Gull Meadows, we headed into Kalamazoo to visit Bronson Park and the Kalamazoo Mall.  While the first stop was not dog-friendly, Kalamazoo is a great spot to explore the holidays light with them.  

I love all of the lighted trees along Kalamazoo Mall and the girls thought that it was an awesome spot to walk. 

At one end of the Mall, there is a giant Santa, so of course I had to have the girls sit for a picture.  They cooperated, for the most part.

We then walked back along Kalamazoo Mall to Bronson Park.  The light display there is always fun and the girls loved all of the new smells and all of the people.

Of all of the the displays at Bronson Park, Candy Cane Lane is probably my favorite.  I had to make the girls stop for another picture.

After our walk through the park, we headed back to the car to continue with our night of fun.  As we headed East, I had planned a stop at the Kellogg House Manor, which is about half way between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.  There was a special event that evening at the house and while I didn't care much about the event, I was excited for the opportunity to get to walk through this historic home.

I couldn't believe how busy it was when I arrived, and I did have to wait in line for a short time before I got in, but it was worth the wait.  The house was pretty full, but I was able to do a quick walk through and see all of the beautiful rooms.  I love a good historic home, and this one did not disappoint.  

After a quick walk through the Kellogg House, we headed on to Battle Creek to view the light display there.  Every year they display the 12 days of Christmas in lights along the North Country Trail and I always enjoy the short walk to view the lights. 

Of course the girls enjoyed the walk along the trail too.  This was Mina's first time visiting the NCT in Battle Creek, but I know it won't be her last.   There is also a great light display to music in a park nearby, and of course we made the walk down to that park to enjoy the lights there as well.

I really enjoyed all of the stops of the night. Not only did we see some beautiful light displays, we had a nice drive through the country and saw lots of beautiful homes decorated for the holidays.  It was a wonderful way to spend our evening.  

On Thursday, we spent another day close to home.  The girls and I did get out for a short geocaching adventure and then visited a local home that goes all out for the holiday.  

On Saturday, I spent the morning running errands without the girls, but had plans to get them out for some fun on our afternoon walk.

There was a special event being held downtown on the Capitol grounds, and I didn't want to miss it.  This was the first time I had heard of Tuba Christmas, but learned while at the event that this event has been happening annually since 1973.  This group of Tuba, Baritone, and Sousa phone players literally came together for the first time earlier in the day and is made up of anyone who would like to join the event.  They spent about 45 minutes playing Christmas music and it was spectacular!

The girls were patient for a short period of time, but we spent a lot of our time walking around the grounds nearby and meeting new people, which they loved, and the whole time, I got to enjoy some beautiful live music.  I will definitely be back next year!  Once the event was over, we continued our walk around town before heading home for a quiet Saturday evening at home.  

Our Sunday morning was spent quietly at home.  I had plans to get some things done, but I sat down briefly and ended up with a puppy in my lap.  Needless to say, I didn't get much down.  

We headed out late morning for a nice walk in Scotts Woods.  It was a pretty mild day and a good day to get out for a nice walk with the girls.  We had a lovely walk through the woods and then headed home for the day.  

We spent the afternoon snuggled up and watching the Lions game, and the best part was that they won!  It was a great way to end our quiet week spent mostly close to home.  

We have two weeks until Christmas and I am hoping to get out for some more holiday events during that time.  I love the holidays and it goes so quickly, so I want to make sure to make the most of it.