Happy Camper

rockin' the headlamp

A group of our friends had been working to orchestrate a night up tot he mountains to camp. I then realized I hadn't been camping since prior to being pregnant, and it used to be something we did fairly regularly. So, for father's day weekend we decided to do what most people would deem CRAZY and took little man camping (per dad's request) for 2 nights.  Hey, good thing we're crazy though... because he did awesome! Quite the little camper we have on our hands.

I originally thought we'd just do Friday night and be more than ready to return, but John really wanted to do 2 nights. In his defense it takes a lot of work to get all the stuff packed up, drive up to camp site, set up camp, etc for just one night, but I was worried it might be too much. Au contraire...

Night one: Hanging out in a chair all on his own like a big boy! 

 

Babydoll just fell asleep in my arms around the campfire & slept like a trooper in the tent in between John and I! 

Camping proves to be a GREAT opportunity to eat some dirt.

Sitting in Jessie's arms during breakfast

Man makes fire!

So on Saturday afternoon we "cheated" a little bit and drove into Frisco (we were camping right near there). They were hosting the BBQ Challenge and we stopped in to check it out. Also convenient John's boss has a house in Frisco so we were able to stop in to say "hello" and have a beer with him. Oh, and wash our hands with REAL RUNNING water! It's the little things...

Frisco BBQ Challenge = Crowded + Hot

Highlight of Ian's trip to the BBQ Challenge was the corn.
He damn near ate the cob after polishing off all the kernels. 

Night 2: Hanging out and preparing ba-ba's

Selfy with mama

Dad being silly around the campfire

Ian's most favorite part of camping.... the food. Our friends don't exactly rough it when camping...there is a spread around the campfire and Ian grazed and grazed, and probably said no less than 100x "I unt cheeese." 

Messy salsa face

Another one of Ian's favorite things about camping.... DOG! DOG!

Sweet boy with Sara

 

Hanging with the men in the wild

Happy Father's Day Dada! It was a great weekend. We might have a new tradition.... 

Holland

I recently took a quick trip to Holland, Michigan with my local Herman Miller and Geiger reps. Since, Herman Miller is headquartered in Michigan they offered to take myself and Marc to check out "where the magic happens." Of course Marc and I jumped at the opportunity to check out Holland during the spring and I almost forgot to mention that part of the deal was that we got to stay at the historic Marigold Lodge.  The lodge is owned and operated soley by and for Herman Miller employees and their guests. Pretty cool stuff.
So, what other fun facts to know and tell did I learn on this trip?  An Aeron chair is manufactured ever 17 seconds in Holland (everyone knows what an Aeron Chair is, trust me, you've see it). And Herman Miller never actually worked at Herman Miller....yes he was the man with the money, but it was actually his son-in-law (J.D. DePree) that started "Herman Miller" the company and Herman Miller just backed it. Ok, that's all my facts for today, now enjoy a few photos from the trip....

At the Eames House!
(L to R): Marc, Stacey Fulenwider (Geiger International) , Yours Truly, Carie Mueller (Herman Miller Rep), Adam Call (The Herman Miller Collection)

Oh yes, we were there for the annual Tulip Festival! 

The land around the Marigold Resort 

Holland, MI on the water

The Marigold...isn't she lovely?

Spring has SPRUNG!

"The Front Door" at Herman Miller compete with a coffee bar serving up cappuccinos,  mochas, and lattes!

Phone Rooms

Tuxedo Benches from Geiger and Eames Molded Chairs 

The tulip festival.... love it!

Yes, I made everyone go to the Holland Brewing Company.... Gotta up dada when you can. No, John McG has NOT been to this Brewery, but Sarah has. 

Honestly, the beer sorta sucked. shhhh!

Marc and I parking it in some Eames Chairs for the night at the Marigold. Now, more importantly where's our wine? Note: Unlike some "designer" pieces,  these chairs are comfortable for hours upon end of solving the world's problems with a glass in hand.  I will own one.

I think this is REALLY cool. It's Charles Eames' original drawings for the lounge chair....we dug this up in the Herman Miller Archives.  Yeah, so cool. So, so, cool.

One really awesome thing that we got to partake in was going to one of three Eames designed houses in the world. This particular house was designed and built in 1953 for Max DePree (The CEO of Herman Miller at the time...and if you remember who started Herman Miller (JD DePree) that was Max's dad). Ok, If you have made it this far through this post and you still are asking yourself, who is Eames? Please take a moment to google it and educate yourself. 

Interestingly enough, this mid-century modern house sits in a fairly suburban hood in Michigan.  I can only imagine what at standout it was when it was built because frankly it still looks out of place, and I'm into this stuff. Max De Pree and his family lived in this house for many years, and then the next HM president and his family moved in for another few decades. They have since moved out and Herman Miller (the company) purchased the house about 5 years ago. Bottom line, it is a piece of art and history, but it needs work and is seriously dated. They are looking into options for this house, one of which is to scoop it up and move it (because it's slab-on-grade) to the Herman Miller Campus where it would actually get used for events and whatnot. Another option is to renovate it in place; the downside to that is that with it being removed from the HM campus and in a residential area it would only be used minimally as more of a museum show piece. We shall see... 

Original Eames Furnishing still in tack. 

Sunroom off the back 

All in all a bang up trip and quite the spring-time experience for an interior designer! Thanks Herman Miller!