Month: July 2025

Our list of tasks is becoming more specific with each trip. This time we wanted to balance some work with some fun. We brought up an ottoman/ bench for flexible seating/storage options.

We headed into Munising for the fireworks on the 4th for a bit of fun.

Time for work! We got busy setting backsplash tile.

We added a backsplash to the coffee bar as well.

We had a visitor stop by to tell us to slow down and have some fun.

So, we took a 5 mile bike ride behind our property.

We also said goodbye to the camper this trip. It matched with a new family and is headed for new adventures.

While I worked, J continued to work on the cabin, adding water softener, and installing doors, staying (mostly) quiet during my zoom meetings.

We had another visitor stop by each day on his rounds. This trip, he was just cruising through. On another trip, he was carrying a large rodent in his mouth.

We took 2 additional bike rides this week. One, out our back door for an 8 mile loop through woods and gravel roads. The second was a 12+ mile ride through Bruno’s Run, which is 3-4 miles to the trailhead, but parts of the trail can be accessed via our back woods trails. It’s been a few years since we have ridden Bruno’s. The trails are so impressive with flowy, bench cut sections replacing previously impossible hills, making for a very fun and challenging ride.

We took advantage of the rainy weather Saturday to install the garage door.

We finished the long day with a delicious steak dinner, corn on the cob and salad. While I headed to bed, J spent a little more time installing the garage door opener.

We really tried to balance work and play this trip. As we see progress with the cabin, it makes us want to keep going with the work. When we returned to Bruno’s Run, a ride we have done so many times in the past, and find ourselves very challenged, it makes us hungry to keep getting better. Life is a balance. There’s a lot of lessons to be learned when you slow down, be in nature, spend time with those you love, and intentionally be present in everything you do. Hooha! J+ M

We are so blessed. In 2025, I got a new remote position that has allowed us to travel to the cabin more often. In previous years, I would need to meter my time and PTO, staying home while J would be more flexible to work on the cabin since he is self employed. Now, I can work from wherever I am, and the work is so fulfilling, I couldn’t be happier. We’ve been dreaming this dream since we bought the land almost 10 years ago. It’s so exciting to see it come to fruition.

This trip was a shorter one, with the primary purpose to install countertops. When we arrived, we put together a sofa so there would be more comfortable seating.

Next order of business: upstairs bathroom. We ticked off the jobs: wall tile, heated flooring, vinyl plank.

The next challenge involved setting and plumbing the freestanding tub.

Next, we installed the vanity, mirror, lights and toilet.

One evening around dinner time, I interrupted a deer munching in the back yard. I stood in the window as it stared back.

Between the remote work and zoom meetings, the countertop installers arrived. We used Schwalbach Kitchens, and they were phenomenal! The quartz color is Mackinaw. The laser leveling and precise measurements were taken a few weeks before, so the installation was flawless!

As we watched the sun set on another successful visit, we counted our blessings. To see how far we’ve come, how much we have learned, and the possibilities that await us. Hooha! J+M