I just got home from my Labor Day.
Labor Day is one holiday I have a rock-solid tradition to observe every year: the Mackinac Bridgewalk. This was the first year doing it as a single person. I started going (and bringing the family) the year my first daughter was born, so this was our sixth one. Usually I drive up early in the morning and then stay to camp the night after, or at least that is my preferred plan, and what I did this year.
Left around 2 am with two sleeping and pajama-clad kiddos, a humongous double jogging stroller, and a big tote full of camping gear, and every blanket I could get my hands on.
Crossed the bridge at 7:30--the runners were started to reach the end (Lucky bastards! There's a lottery for the 200 spots allocated to runners, and I have yet to get in. I have a serious jones to run the bridge, hence my nick change), and we passed what looked like the "governor's party" the official leader of the bridgewalk (Jenny usually ran it, until she had some health issues the last few years. No idea about Snyder.)
Met my cousins, walked across the bridge for the sixth time. A good time was had by all. Well, mostly--my younger kiddo is a champion wrestler and enjoys running away. At a certain point, she tends to get willful and difficult what with insisting she MUST either run into traffic or off the side of the bridge, so I got engage in a mobile wrestling match for a while.
The afternoon kind of sucked though. Took a boat to that blighted spot of misery known as Mackinac Island because kiddo likes the boat ride, wasted way too much time enjoying the aroma of the picturesque fudge and horse-piss, eventually got back to St. Ignace in the UP and eventually made my way to camp. At least one of my cousins tagged along for that part, so I had some help with the kiddos. Mackinac Island truly sucks. It is a phenomenon I do not understand in the least, and it did not contribute to the general awesomeness of the day.
Sat around a campfire for a while, ate stuff, slept, woke up, sat around a campfire, ate stuff.
Absolutely exhausting, what with having had just about no sleep for the past week followed by an all-nighter of driving, followed by a long, long day, but I managed to not actually fall into the campfire when I kept nodding off over dinner, so it's all good.
I am seriously regretting having come home today. Should have stayed another night. Kiddo would have missed another day of school, but really, we needed the break and the camping more than she needs the day of school. Next year, I'll avoid the thirty-hour camping trip.
Don't know how, but I wish I could figure out a way to avoid the joys of an early-morning pit stop that requires waking two kids, hauling out and assembling a ginormous stroller, wrestling it through a bucnh of doors, etc.
All in all, better without the ex than with him, despite sundry inconveniences. I know I did less work this year than I did last year when I had a "partner." And it's always great spending time with my cousins, another chance to be not entirely on my own.
Next Bridgewalk can't come soon enough for me.
