What is a "normal" week on Mackinac?

This past week of work was simple "normal". The festivals are over, the season is picking up, the weather has been.....well, "Michigan like"...... and Ive been working. At the shop, we are trying to keep up with the never ending shipments of new inventory. Nicole has big plans for the store and when she has an idea, we just run with it. Even though we have expanded this year, space in the shop is tight because of all of the merchandise we have added. With a bigger store comes a bigger to-do list and more customers in and out. All of these things are good and exciting though and we all enjoy opening up the UPS deliveries to discover what new item came in that day :)
There are weekly events that are planned around the Island for summer staff. These are usually held at different churches and are an outreach ministry for the seasonal residents here on the Island. I have really been enjoying these activities and getting to know more people. On Thursday nights, there is free dinner at St. Anne's church. This has been a huge hit and everyone knows that you need to get there at the start in order to get food. Yesterday was Mexican night which was perfect for me and I left feeling very full and satisfied. While I kind of feel like I am waiting in line at a soup kitchen, this kind gesture is something that I really look forward to every week and very grateful for. I mean, who doesnt enjoy free home-made food!
On Friday nights, I go to an event known as Coffee Hour. This is lead by the church that I am attending and is open from 9-midnight. This is a time where seasonal staff come and hang out at the MIBC office and play games, eat food, and are able to fellowship with one another. It is designed to pull people from the bars into a positive environment where we can minister to them. Ive only gone a few times but the times I have been there I have had fun and also have been able to meet some amazing girls in whom I can confide in.
Well that's about all friends. Not every week is super exciting here on this tiny Island :) I am hoping to be able to go off Island with one of my room mates next week just for the day to shop around Mack City. You start to go a little stir crazy when you only have 8 miles of land to roam around in so I think this will be good for us.

Familiar faces on the Island

• Lindsey and Bennie Brewer stopped in the shop last Saturday to say hi and shop around. Always nice to see friendly faces.
• Last Saturday, the Cyrus girls also stopped in to say hi which was a complete surprise to me! I was super excited to be able to see Lauren before her wedding and one last time before she moves over-seas. 
• Wednesday-Friday, the Brewbaker family was on the Island. Tommy and Danielle stopped in the shop to say hi and then we were able to have fun together Thursday night. On Friday, we were able to have lunch together before they left the island. I love this family and am thankful for the time I was able to spend with them here.

Ice Cream Update

• Now I know that I said I was done with the ice cream challenge but I will be honest, I have had sweet treats since my last post.....not all ice cream though. While with the Brewbakers, the kids and I went to get treats and I got a piece of cheesecake on a stick from Saunders. Definitely recommended :)
• I also got a small scoop of Peanut Butter chocolate Ice cream from Joanne's during one of my breaks last week. It was very hot and humid and that's what sounded good so why not, right? This girl loves her Ice cream and isnt afraid to admit it!

One last thing: A HUGE thankyou to Mrs. Kay for sending me her famous chocolate chip cookies!!!!! I knew they were coming and I was elated to open them and surprised as to how many she sent. My room mates and I will be enjoying them for some time. So thanks again :)

Lilac Festival

This past week since Ive blogged last has been busy with work and many Lilac Festival activities. Father's Day was the close of the festival and there was a parade to celebrate. Because of this, the tourist numbers for the day were really high which means that the shop was really busy. All good things that make your shift go by really fast :)

This was Little Luxuries' "float" in the parade :) Pretty cute.

 

Along with having extra tourists for the day, we also had extra entertainment as well because of all of the special groups that came to march in the parade. These included things such as bag pipe bands, clowns,  a million boy scouts and girl scouts :), and a 60 year old+ marking band. The bag pipers put on a concert in the park before the parade that was very interesting and fun. They had dancers and everything. However, after about the 3rd song, everything started to sound the same. Here is a cool video of their version of Amazing Grace. 

You can also see the dancer in this video

 

Along with the Parade, there also was a doggy parade and then a dog and pony show afterwards at Windemere Park. Basically it was just a small circus act but was really cute and fun to see. They brought the act all the way from Tennessee and they come up to the Island every year for the Lilac Festival. Im telling you, this festival thing is a really big deal here! Below are some picture of the pony acts in the show.

 







I was also able to go on a free carriage tour of the Island this week because I am an employee. This was a fun way to spend a morning before work and I learned a lot of history of the Island. I would recommend doing this if you make it over to the Island this summer. It is worth the cost to go :)

 

Familiar faces here on the Island

• Nicole Simon moved up to the island for the summer this last Sunday! It was wonderful to have a friend come up here and to be here for the remainder of the summer.
• Tess Sucheck also visited the Island on Saturday. I love seeing familiar faces in a place that is mostly unfamiliar :)

Ice Cream Update

• Well this week I was able to go out for dinner after work on Wednesday. I was starving so I decided to go all out an order some dessert. This, my friends, is what I got!

Chocolate Smores Ice Cream cake from Millie's on Main. This stuff is amazing!

• Besides this piece of ice cream cake, I did get ice cream with Nicole on Monday to celebrate her arrival on the Island. Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream from Joanne's Fudge. This may be my favorite flavor and place to get ice cream so far. However, after eating the ice cream cake and the Joanne's ice cream, I ended up getting a bad stomach ache, sooooo much to my dismay, I may need to back down from the Ice Cream challenge :( lol. Hahaha we will see how long this lasts for :)

Funny Sites

• Because of the Parade and all of the festivities that it brings, there were an interesting array of people on the Island last Sunday! I saw a man dressed as Sponge Bob square pants, a leprechaun, and a princess to name just a few.
• I have also noticed that the Seagulls here are very aggressive. While eating in the park, you may want to guard your food because they will swoop down and literally take it from you. I have seen them flying with whole tomatoes in their mouths as well as French fries and pieces of pizza :) So beware! They are scavengers and will even eat the bats here.





A day in the life at Little Luxuries

Ive been on the Island for a week now and have worked everyday that Ive been here. But today is my day off and I am enjoying the freedom that it brings :) Since work is my life on the Island, I thought I should probably share a little bit about it. I have been scheduled to work the 3-10 shift almost everyday this season. This is good because I have my mornings and early afternoons free to do whatever errands I have to run and to have a relaxing morning. I wish I had more evenings free because there are a lot of activities around the Island planned around seven but Im sure Ill have more off later in the season.

Here is the store-Little Luxuries. This year, we have expanded and now are twice the size we were last year. With the new expansion comes an increase in employees and never ending deliveries of new merchandise that needs to be counted, priced, and then displayed. I love opening up all of the new boxes and discovering what new item has come in-it feels like Christmas!

Here are some shots from the store and some of our lilac products(it's lilac festival time!) As you can see, the store it very full and even though we expanded, we are pressed for space. I think we were a little over ambitious when ordering our products this year :) Because of this, we are getting very creative as to where we can put things and different interesting ways to display them.
As far as my job goes: There is always the little things to do around the shop like straightening and restocking the shelves. I also help at the cash register and package people's goodies. On top of that, we all help with the new inventory that we get in everyday. We also have cleaning chores and organizing tasks to do everyday-all things that are necessary in order to have a successful business. Needless to say, we are kept busy while we are at work!
Here is one of my coworkers. Her name is Mallori and she is also one of my room-mates. Besides me, she is  another one of the newer workers but she has still been here longer than I :)

ICE CREAM UPDATE(this is for you Taylor)

• Twist and Sprouts: This is a frozen yogurt place. I was really excited to try this because it was self serve and you could put any toppings you wanted on your yogurt. But I wasnt impressed :( I guess my expectations were too high. I tried the cheesecake flavor and it was just ok. Probably wouldnt go back there any time soon.
• Sadies Ice Cream Parlor: This ice cream place is at the Grand Hotel and is very "cutesy" inside. It is all decorated in red and black checkers with white accents. For appearance: this place gets a gold star. They also have Huddsonville ice cream here which generally, Im a fan of. I tried the Turtle Caramel Cheescake and it was pretty good. My only complaint is the price, but what else can you expect when you are at the Grand Hotel, lol.
• When all else fails and you are desperatelike at 10:30 and the ice cream shops are closed and you have a crazy craving), Ben and Jerry's Mint Condition Ice cream straight from the grocery store is pretty stellar!

INTERESTING SITES HERE ON MACKINAC

Some of the things that I have seen walking around have just baffled me and some literally make me laugh out loud. Here are some of them:

• There are a number of elderly couples that push baby strollers around. At first I was kinda confused and then maybe thought they had their grandchildren with them but nope that wasnt it. These 80 year old couples have baby strollers for the dogs and tote them everywhere :) Not sure why but apparently that is the thing to for tourists on the Island
• Went on a hike last Sunday and I saw a couple hiking with a bottle of wine and wine glasses. I understand a picnic with wine and sitting down to enjoy the view, but a hard-core hike with wine in tow...this made me smile.
• The other day at work, I saw(for the first time ever) a women with a hard core mustache. It was neatly trimmed and the rest of her face was well shaven but then she had a VERY full mustache! And she was rather proud of it mind you(while talking with me, she was casually stroking it) Hahah I dont know what this got me but I had to share.

Well that's all for now friends. 

Love,

Brittany

O! If you would like to follow the shop more closely, they do have a facebook page that is updated very regularly. Just search Little Luxuries of Mackinac

What's that?!?! Another HILL!

My first few days here on the Island have consisted on working and exploring. I've been working the 3-10 shift so I have a lot of time during the day to explore this new place that I'm living in and I'm loving it! There are so many trails to take, sites to see, historic boards to read, and every place has a story that goes along with it. Needless to say, I have not yet had a time where I have been bored but I'm sure that time is coming :)

I discovered very quickly that everywhere(and I mean everywhere) you go, there is a hill....usually in both directions! The first day, I thought these hills were going to kill me but even already, they are starting to get easier.

 Today, I went exploring with a new friend that I met. Her name is Taylor and we had a really good time. What was supposed to be a quick trip ended up being an 8 mile hike throughout the Island because we got lost. Some of the places we found I dont think I could ever find again if I tried :) We hiked in lots of circles and even saw the same people more than once. Because I was not prepared for such a long trip, I now have quarter sized blisters on both feet....but hey, I think it was worth it!

 Sugar Loaf

 Arch Rock

 Arch Rock again

So this is a video from below the fort. These guys are singing Battle Hymn of the Republic. Kinda random and I found it comical so I though I would share

 Trip around the Island

 This morning I was able to go to Mackinaw Island Bible church which is held at the Mission Point Theater. It was very small but the service was very good. It felt amazing to be able to go back to something that was familiar and to be able to feel truly comfortable in a place where everyone had the same purpose-worshiping God! It amazes me how important and vital Christian fellowship is and I am very thankful that I have found this church and am able to do that here. So thanks to all of those who told me about this church in advance. I think it is going to be a major life line this summer :) Hopefully my work schedule will continue to allow me to go on Sunday mornings and then throughout the week to other activities that they have planned.

 Beach

 British Landing with Mackinaw Bridge in the distance

 If you look closely, the Grand Hotel is peaking through the trees

 View from Arch Rock

I made it!

Well after two exams Thursday morning, I left St. Johns with my two brothers and started to head north to Mackinaw Island. They were sweet enough to offer to drop me off :) We arrived at 4:30 just in time to catch the 4:30 ferry ride. I was met at the doc by my boss who helped me carry my suitcase and other belongings the rest of the way to my apartment. I will be living with 2 other girls this summer named Lauren and Mallory. Im excited to get to know them better...they seem very fun and really sweet!

 This is the one spot that I have for my clothes......let's just say a lot of them are still in my suitcase :)

 This is our room! Haha I told you it was squished. My bed is the bottom bunk

Water was a little choppy heading over. And it's pretty chilly up here.

Tomorrow I have to report to work at 6pm to start training in the shop which means that......I have a whole day to explore and get to know the Island and hopefully meet some people :) I still havent figured out where to put all of my belongings because, well there isnt much room in one small bedroom for 3 girls to put all of their stuff for a whole summer :) Also, I am still working on figuring out what to do with the food situation. To my surprise, the grocery store here has a lot of food that I can eat!!!!!! (which is huge) BUT.....i have no where to really store the food, lol so that is where my struggle is but that I will figure out with time. Lots more to come :)
with love,
Brittany