This month we spent mostly on the road in the northeast and midwestern part of the US. Varun loved being out on the open road, although the girls weren’t as thrilled about the long days in the car.
My Little Brother Got Married!
The first event to happen in September of 2022 was a momentous occasion: my little brother, Jonathan, got married to his beautiful fiancée, and now my new sister-in-law, Veronica! They chose a beautiful resort in the hills of West Virigina for the ceremony and reception. The Raghunathan family got to rent our very own cabin for the whole weekend! The girls loved having their own room to themselves and got unpacked as soon as we arrived! There was also plenty of wildlife around as a pack of wild deer would roam the hills around the resort day in and day out.
Since it was a holiday weekend, we stumbled upon a little carnival of sorts on the grounds, so the girls had a lot of fun playing on the bouncy castles that were put up for the event. There was also a nice little playground that the girls enjoyed playing at and some swan paddle boats on the lake.
Before we knew it, it was time for the big day! Sara Gail was especially nervous because both the girls had been asked to be flower girls in the ceremony. However, first and foremost we needed to get all dolled up for the event! I was invited to get my hair done with the bridesmaids, so I went out earlier than the girls and Varun. We even used that opportunity to take a bunch of group photos before the ceremony started. The bride looked absolutely gorgeous, of course!
Then it was time for the ceremony! I had the privilege of walking my mother done the aisle to our seats, and the girls did a fantastic job as flower girls! It was a beautiful ceremony with an amazing backdrop, I still can’t believe that my little brother is a married man now!
And the whole family had a great time at the reception, the girls stayed up way past their bedtime and danced the night away with all of us! It was a great chance to see and catch up with family we hadn’t seen in a long time, and it was a great party! Ten years later, and Varun can still crack me up with wonderful belly laughs, and I even snuck in a dance to Cotton-Eye Joe (an essential part of any Michalik Wedding!) Cheers to Mr. & Mrs. Jon Michalik!!
Brief Stop in NYC
After our wonderful wedding weekend in West Virgina, the Raghunathan’s took to the road to continue our vacation just the four of us. Our first stop was to New York City, so that we could look into getting Abigail’s American Girl doll, well my American Girl doll from when I was little, repaired. Varun and I had performed a few surgeries to her head, arms, and legs over the years, but since Abigail is getting older and more interested in playing with her, we wanted to get her spruced up a bit. Since we were going to be on the road and in the general vicinity, we decided we’d make a special trip to the American Girl Store in New York City. It also gave us a chance to quickly see my cousin who lives in NY and wasn’t able to come up for the wedding.
The store was incredible, I just couldn’t believe all the stuff they are selling for these dolls now! We stopped in at the “Doll Hospital” in the shop, but only to receive some disappointing news. Apparently, for major surgeries and repairs on the dolls, they need to be shipped off to the warehouse location for 4-6 weeks and then shipped back. I couldn’t even get a new hairstyle done for her in the Doll Salon. It was very frustrating to hear, especially for Varun who was not a fan of traffic in the city, or the parking prices. So, we gave Abigail the choice, because we knew if we sent “Old” Molly out for repairs, it may be years before she got her back, and by chance Molly had been back in the stores for a special anniversary of the original doll. Abigail decided, on her own, that she wanted to get a new version of Molly to take home as well. (Luckily Sara Gail will also be getting a second doll herself at Christmas!) After an enormous parking bill and a slightly unsuccessful trip to the American Girl Store, we left for our next stop on our road trip.
Great Wolf Lodge
We took to the road for a long evening in the car until we made it to our next destination, Great Wolf Lodge! Varun and I had seen ads for the resort for years and we were curious about it. We had never gotten to one before we had kids, but now that we had two young girls who absolutely love anything and everything water related, it seemed like the perfect time to check it out. It was such a cool place to stay! Even the lobby was just incredible! There were so many things there to do besides the water park! The first night we went to check out the arcade and the girls absolutely loved it. Plus, our room had some awesome bunkbeds for the girls to stay in in their own little Wolf Den!
The main attraction was the indoor water park – which was awesome! The whole family loved every minute of it! There were a couple of water slides that the girls found to be a little too rough, but we still managed to have a fantastic time together. We spent one whole day in the water park alone!
We also took some time to check out the glow in the dark mini golf course and the gem mine that were included at the resort. There was even some sort of magical quest involved, but we didn’t do too much of that. The girls were thrilled to each get a wand though! We also loved the food, which was a buffet-style cafeteria, I certainly got my money’s worth each time we went for a meal!
A few days at this resort was a great way to spend some much-needed family time together just the four of us. I know we will visit another Great Wolf Lodge in the future! After our time here at the lodge was done, it was on to another exciting stop for the Raghunathan’s!
Ann Arbor, Twelve Years Later!
The next stop on our road trip was very exciting for Varun and I: Ann Arbor, Michigan! We hadn’t visited Ann Arbor since I graduated back in May 2010, and it was our first trip with the girls! We had so much fun exploring campus with them, driving by all our old haunts and of course the main event was a football game in the Big House! It was indescribably good to be back at the campus and sharing those places and memories with our daughters! I also got to see my best friend and get together for some much needed catching up, and Bubble Tea – which is an absolute must each time we get together! I absolutely loved every minute there and I can’t wait to take the girls back again for another game. It would be better as a noon game though, this time it was a night game that was delayed by an hour and a half due to rain! The girls still enjoyed it, though, even just playing in the rain. We waited for the band to come out and joined the pre-game parade to the stadium. It was phenomenal and the girls loved it! Even though the stadium was huge, packed, and intimidating, they really enjoyed being there and watching Michigan play, they lasted until about halftime before they were completely pooped! Thankfully, even though we left early, Michigan still won by a landslide! Forever and always, GO BLUE!!
After a great stay in Ann Arbor, it was time to head back to New Hampshire and finish the last few days of our trip in the US.
Last Few Days in NH
Our last few days in New Hampshire were spent together as a family just relaxing and enjoying the time we had left in the states. We even snuck in a few rounds of our family’s favorite board game: Rail Baron! I loved being able to play and have fun together!
Varun and I also took the opportunity to run to the closest outlet mall and update the girls’ wardrobes for the next few years, since we didn’t know when we’d be coming back to the US. The girls found a few fun things to do between the shops!
We also took an afternoon to go see my other brother, Jeremy’s, girlfriend’s hometown of Littleton, New Hampshire. We all had lunch together and enjoyed some good pizza, great beer, and even better conversation. It is a nice little town that I remember passing through on road trips or for basketball games and tournaments, and it’ll definitely be a new stop next time we come into town!
Before we knew it our trip had come to an end and it was time to come back to our reality in Accra. It was a wonderful, very eventful trip, and the whole family had fun. But, all good things do have to come to an end at some point. And so, it was time to go home.
Back Home in Accra
Once we finally got back home and settled in there were a couple momentous occasions worth mentioning. First and foremost, Abigail started her first day of Pre-K at Little Explorers. This just so happened to be the first year that Varun was present for both of the girls’ first days at school. Abigail was very excited to start her new year as an Orange Lion!
Finally, to end our month of September 2022, we had Varun’s birthday to celebrate. We didn’t do much, which is how he prefers his birthdays to go. However, we couldn’t have a birthday without decorations, a cake, and a homemade steak dinner for two!
That concludes our adventures for the month of September 2022, from northern New Hampshire, to West Virginia, to New York, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, back to New Hampshire and finally landing safe and sound back in Accra, Ghana. Come back next time to read about our October 2023 with Diwali celebrations, finished Halloween costumes for the girls, and some trick or treating fun in the neighborhood!
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