No matter where you are, there is always something beautiful to find around you someplace. For me, it's the sunrise over Lake Michigan in the early days of summer. Or any time of year, if you ask me. Summer is when the kids are off from school, and one of the traditions that I have promised them was time at Lake Michigan. Things like this I save for school breaks.
Chicago is a fabulous city with plenty to do and see around town. And regardless of how big this city is, or how much there is to see and do there, it isn't very often that anyone has to leave their zip code for much. Every neighborhood has a school, clinic, grocery store, post office, dentist, department store, ect... You get the idea. So when summer comes around every year, the beaches along the shoreline of Lake Michigan call everyone in the city at some point or another.
I grew up on the south side of Chicago and was never very close to the lake. So going to the lake was always a sweet getaway for us as kids. Last year, I had an opportunity to move up north. Well, as luck would have it, My kids and I live about a mile (maybe a mile and a half) from the lake. That was just as the summer was coming to an end. I promised that this summer was going to be the summer that we got in some good beach time. They had already been there to swim and play, but the sun rising over the lake. Well, that is a whole other experience, and really is a sight to see, and my kids finally had the opportunity to witness it for themselves.
Here are just a few photos that we took our morning sunrise, and that morning is still one of my favorite adventures that I have had the pleasure of taking them on. I included a good picture of the Chicago skyline from the north, and there are a few of me being silly, too. I will always love that skyline though.
With only a few people at the beach that morning, the whole experience was perfect and peaceful. The kids played in the sand a bit, and it was an absolute joy to watch them enjoying each other, the beach, and the lake, with all of its magnificence. One day they will appreciate things like this, and I hope like hell they do it again with they grow up.
This is by far my favorite sunrise memory. And I love me some sunrises.
What are some traditions you have with your family? I love sharing ideas like this.
Let me know in the comments. I look forward to hearing about it.
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