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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / adventures / Our latest family adventure!

Our latest family adventure!

July 24, 2022 · 9 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, family, Petoskey

Hello, blog reader friends. It’s been a while since I’ve written on here, yeah? I’ve often thought of this space in the last few months, many times truly hoping for a chance to sit down and write a little bit. Other times, I’ve had to remind myself the “lack” of time spent here is not a loss. I’m grateful for the mental strength to know how to prioritize my time right now.

The views are stunning, and the beauty is abundant.

The kid’s final day of school! We pressed on and finished toward the end of June: Maxwell (3rd), Natalie (2nd), Marigold (Kinder), and Landon (Preschool).

And for the past year, this has meant graduate school has received most of my spare time. (Though I’ve been borrowing a lot of spare time from bedtime.) Right now, I’m on a short 6-week break from school. I’ve recently completed my sixth class (Church History), and since the start of grad school, my weekly routine has been to paint my nails at the beginning of a new school week. Instead of studying or writing a term paper, I’m writing a blog post as my nails dry. I enjoy rewards ;)

I want to tell you about our latest family adventure! Something big has happened since I last sat down to publish a post. Did you know we moved in February, about four hours north? We certainly did! :) We moved from the Detroit area to Petoskey, MI — see the map below. It’s been wonderful and restful (for all six of us, even Bauer the dog). And since Petoskey is such a great place to vacation, we’ve had many family & friends visit and/or spend the night. This brings me so much joy!

We are thriving in our new home, which now includes a staircase to a second floor (snort) along with many large picture windows, a sunroom, and a few acres for playing outside. We moved north under the light of the moon during a winter snowstorm, and if it weren’t for the familiarity of the town and many family members living nearby, I would have been quite uncertain of this new location. Almost everywhere we drive now includes a view of Walloon Lake or Little Traverse Bay. This is a very peaceful chapter for my family and me, and I’m thankful for it. Zack continues to work from home on his post-production business.

Beach day with friends! Isn’t my friend Wendy’s hand gesture perfect? (Look for the yellow tube.)

I took the kids to the beach to swim four times in May and even more often in June. Zack and I visited Traverse City to celebrate 14 years of marriage. We then drove as a family to Detroit so he could catch a flight to Los Angeles for a few days (the kids and I stayed in the area and visited with friends and family). Then we drove back to Petoskey as a family, celebrated Landon’s 4th birthday, and the next day I left for a women’s conference in Indianapolis.

Our anniversary trip this year was unlike any other trip we’ve had! We spent three days in Traverse City, and Zack kickstarted our time away with a new wedding ring. WHAT IN THE WORLD!

The beginning of July held my birthday and a family trip to Mackinac Island, MI and from there we drove to Wisconsin to visit dear friends we met while living in Los Angeles. We returned home and prepared for a 4-day camping trip, only to return home and host two more house guests. I’m telling you, it’s been a fun, fun summer!

Joanna had one baby when we met, and I was pregnant with Maxwell. We became instant friends. She now has three kiddos, and I have four! I truly could write a book on how Joanna has challenged me ;) 

I told you it’s been an adventurous summer! The sunsets are warm with God’s love, and the birds that fill the surrounding fields are delicate and confident. I’m paying attention to life around me: taking notes, making healthy changes, and spending a lot of time with God.

More to come soon! I want to read a few pages of this book before I fall asleep :)

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9 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, family, Petoskey

« What GRADUATE SCHOOL is like as a mother of four young children
In living color »

Comments

  1. Loni Capshew says

    July 24, 2022 at 10:57 am

    How refreshing to hear from you again!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      July 24, 2022 at 10:50 pm

      Thank you, Loni! How are you doing? Is there anything I can pray for for you? Are you reading anything interesting or learning a new hobby? xx

      Reply
  2. Deanna says

    July 24, 2022 at 10:51 pm

    You’re always missed friend ♥️

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      July 24, 2022 at 11:10 pm

      Did your “Gussy blogged” radar go off?? Haha. What fun things have filled your summer? xx

      Reply
  3. Nicole Dunn says

    July 25, 2022 at 11:02 am

    Great to “hear” from you Maggie! Thanks for writing!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      July 29, 2022 at 10:49 am

      Thanks, Nicole! How are you enjoying the summer? xx

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    July 29, 2022 at 5:49 am

    Hi Maggie! I commented on your blog earlier this week but I think my comment got gobbled up somehow – I am sorry!

    Congratulations on your move – you all look so happy in your new home! And I’m so pleased to hear that grad school and homeschooling have been going well. I love the image of you reading and writing papers when everyone is tucked away for the night. And good job on hosting all those people in your home — I am a very BAD hostess and the thought of it exhausts me.

    I am so happy to hear your voice again. take good care!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      July 30, 2022 at 8:49 pm

      Thanks for checking back and writing another comment – so weird it became “lost.” I have missed writing here. I felt a bit rusty but knew the only way to get past that was to click “publish” and try again — hopefully soon. I always enjoy hearing from you, Katie. xx

      Reply

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  1. In living color - Maggie Whitley says:
    August 2, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    […] began this blog post when we still lived near Detroit, and if you happened to see my last post (or, if you happen to follow me on Instagram), then you saw we moved north a few hours. Our new […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in northern Michigan. She has been writing online since 2008.
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maggiewhitley

maggiewhitley
My children have set up a fort in the kitchen & su My children have set up a fort in the kitchen & sunroom and included are two of my plants, a toy basket converted to a  playpen, and a “big sister” leading the pack. This is so precious to me. I love finding their candid photos on my phone. Their childhood is enriched when they engage in creative play and conversation, and I’m here as a witness to share that LESS TOYS is always better. I worked a major toy reduction yesterday and we’re all benefitting from this. ✨✨
Friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, trans Friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, transforming power of friendship during challenging seasons. I met Joanna almost TEN years ago, shortly after we moved to Los Angeles. She is also a Midwest girl, so we had that in common (snort). I have so many transformative stories of how this woman influenced me with her love for Jesus. I was quite a mess emotionally when I met Joanna. But she held on to me. She pulled me in and we laughed and brought our babies to the beach and we made meals and cried and of course laughed some more. I started the outline for a memoir in early 2020 and many of my stories point back to Joanna’s friendship. My family drove to see her family for a long weekend together. I always cherish our time together. So friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, transforming power of friendship during challenging seasons. Maybe you’re the one in need, maybe you’re the transformer. But either way, you need each other. 💓🫶🏻👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏻🌤
July 5, 2022 👏🏻🎈🧁🥳💓 July 5, 2022 👏🏻🎈🧁🥳💓
H A P P Y 37th B I R T H D A Y to myself (yester H A P P Y  37th  B I R T H D A Y to myself (yesterday)! Here’s a fun progression of personality as I show Zack some of the art and bday cards received in the mail 😅 gosh I just love when he doesn’t quit on the photographs 😉 tbh I’m used to it
Another night of studying. Plant lady fuel, or gra Another night of studying. Plant lady fuel, or grad school fuel 😏🌿☕️—you decide!
• • •
says Spurgeon, “The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. *You* need to read. . . .”
• • •
So, sisters: what are you reading tonight? 📖🤍🕯
Be present with those you actually live with and l Be present with those you actually live with and live near, those you share a table with. Be present and stay busy (in a healthy way) that makes you unable to pick fussy  fights with other people. Be unavailable to the nonsense; be fully available to things that make sense. — @jenwilkin (paraphrased) via @thegospelcoalition women’s conference
I’m thinking of all the things I enjoy about Zac I’m thinking of all the things I enjoy about Zack, and how much fun we had on our anniversary trip earlier this week. I’m thinking about how much I miss him as he’s on the other side of the country right now. Though I’m also thinking about the statistic I heard today, that only 5% of marriages survive to celebrate 50+ years. That is so sad. Marriage is an earthy treasure. Marriage strengthens, teaches, grows us—and it certainly brings joy—if we’ll let it. I don’t want you to roll your eyes at me and say “yeah well, you don’t know my story…” What I do want is for you to know the joy set before you as you commit to endure the race. ✨Marriage is an earthly treasure.✨ Does that ignite anything inside of you?
We had a FANTASTIC trip away celebrating our weddi We had a FANTASTIC trip away celebrating our wedding anniversary — # 1️⃣4️⃣! So much good food, laughing, movies, walking around Traverse City, sleeping, reading (and studying 👩🏼‍🎓). We had a little competition who could sleep in the latest one morning… and I won 😅🥳. But for real, we can’t wait to get home to our babies. They are an important part of our story.
Whew. We’ve made it through four months of Zack Whew. We’ve made it through four months of Zack working on a totally different time zone, with Zack working long hours, and often late into the night. We made it though lonely seasons and loud seasons and physically tiring seasons and communicating via text seasons. But, we made it. There will be more hard seasons for us, I know there will be. Today I’m really enjoying the relief brought on through a change in his work schedule. Living in the northern lower peninsula (PETOSKEY) has felt like a real-time vacation, with all the trees and fields and cool mornings and unexpected snowfalls and rainfalls  and helicopter falls as the seasons change from winter to spring to summer. Today we climbed a sand dune as a family. As I reached the top my heart galloped in my chest and my legs felt like fire, and it felt wonderful. It felt like living. I’m enjoying my life. We’ve had many roller coasters in our marriage, which makes the coasting even more beautiful. ☀️🌼💛🌟🍋🌕🍯
I like to read. It’s a good thing I like to read I like to read. It’s a good thing I like to read, because there’s a lot of reading on the syllabus. I also like coffee, 3/4 sleeve sweatshirts, slippers, birds, roaring with laughter, and spying on my children playing together. And winking at my husband. And reading. 😉
“I began to realize God has not given me more th “I began to realize God has not given me more than I could do, so I need to rest within the limitations of my season of life at that time. I began to say no to the expectations of other people that stole my energy and attention but did not build my core priorities. I had to ignore the false expectations and voices in my head that were telling me what I should do, and focus on my true desire to pursue what was best for me and my children,” Sally Clarkson /// one of my favorite spiritual mentors.

@sally.clarkson
Crazy to think last week we were at the beach 3️ Crazy to think last week we were at the beach 3️⃣ times! This week has been much cooler, though just as lovely. Gardening, studying outside, and early bedtimes grace the day. 🪴🌷🌼📖📓🛏🍃
Summer, we are here for you! Warm weather, windows Summer, we are here for you! Warm weather, windows open, books, dirt, and building forts. Memories — we’re gonna make some! 🧸💚🚚📚📖🪑🧺🌳☀️
(IG thinks I’m nude so I edited my bathing suit (IG thinks I’m nude so I edited my bathing suit with my best skillz) /// We went back today 💦🐠🧴at first, when the kids asked over breakfast, I didn’t want to go. All the gathering of items and sand, and this time I knew we needed to bring snacks. And the sand! But I said yes. If they finished their school nicely and quickly, we’d have lots of time to go. And they did, so we went. IT WAS SO FUN, just like they anticipated. So glad I said yes 🥳
We loaded up the van with beach towels and 💦wat We loaded up the van with beach towels and 💦water and 🧴SPF 50 and headed to Walloon Lake! The first swim of the season, fitting as it was 84° today. All morning we were antsy, right up until our skin hit the water. We were the first ones at the 🏖beach today, though not the only ones when we left. My hair smells like ☀️sunshine and my skin is thanking me for the SPF. We had an easy 🍽dinner on the back deck; everyone was thankful it was beginning to cool off. The washing machine is humming and the school table is ready for another day, as their 📚✏️books are laid out. What does tomorrow hold? Only One knows… 🥰🙏🏼
a favorite from Saturday night date #latergram! St a favorite from Saturday night date #latergram! Steaks and sunsets and a table for two 💫
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