Although we originally had plans to visit an art festival in downtown, we ended up shopping instead. My uncles' flight came in later than originally planned and so we relaxed and went out and about. Lots of new local shops have opened up since I had been to town and it was so awesome to wander through them. The first was Rebel, where they sold a lot of handmade items that I have been lusting over on Etsy before even seeing this store. It was amaaaazing. I purchased a card and a small gift for a friend of mine on bedrest during the rest of her pregnancy.
Next to Rebel was Urban Exchange, which is a consignment store for women. It was also amazing. It was decorated so well and included many nice nice clothes that I could never afford in a regular store. These two stores are definitely on my to do list for my next trip back. Two things I forgot about MI were that it goes at a more relaxed pace and that people are genuinely friendly. For the latter, I kept catching myself questioning the motives of pleasant strangers and store clerks who were simply being friendly. Funny how living on the East Coast makes you realize that.

One evening, I put on my uncle's shoes.

returned at o'dark o'clock on Monday

making my way home

Although my visit was short, it was dense with family memories. It was so good to see all of my dad's side of the family and I look forward to visiting again.

If you are interested to see more photos, you can find me on Instagram as TurtandElephant.