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| Nothing tops our Michigan views! |
Day 4 of the 8-day extravaganza and it was a sweet one. Literally. It began with an opportunity to see my mom, Pam, and youngest brother! Bandit was especially excited to see them and be able to run around a little bit as my dad addressed a large statewide group of individuals looking to make a difference in their community and help those the troubled economy hits the hardest. After his speech our great Secretary of State and her husband joined us for a light breakfast before we once again boarded our separate buses and parted ways. Even for the few minutes we were together, though it was nice to be able to see family face to face instead of playing phone tag and trading voicemails.
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| A rare joint photo of the whole group before we split up head off on the second half of the tour! |
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| See what I mean?! Amongst the sweets with my new clutch in hand! |
From there we headed to Gaylord for an interview and handshakes at the Sugarbowl Restaurant, stopped in to the attached collectables store (where I picked up an adorable $5 vintage clutch!) and then over to the must-stop-shop, the Alpine Chocolate Haus. When I said, “sweet,” this is what I meant. Even though they have an unfair advantage playing on every girl’s weakness, I must proclaim them the stop of the day! Not only did they have every possible indulgence in milk, dark or sugar-fee chocolate, but they gave us a tour of the factory! Heading up to the factory you pass a door painted “Stairway to Heaven.” Indeed! I started calling the owner Willy Wonka as he showed us the chocolate creams being dipped and the cooling “Pure Michigan” chocolate bars produced in his little slice of heaven! His store is a great example of the necessity of small businesses. Not only do they represent 80% of jobs in Michigan but they create products second to none with creativity, ingenuity and the ambition to expand the company by delivering better goods and services. The case is also true with the great people at Reeds on the River in Tawas City. They are constantly fighting too much red tape as they try to start and grow a business in a state whose tax structure is anything but friendly.
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| In true 'I Love Lucy' style! |
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| Michigan's purest treat! |
Those principles of cutting taxes, reforming regulation and reducing government were the focus of our last stop at the Gladwin County Tea Party meeting. The full hall spent almost two hours with my dad hearing his qualifications and asking him questions just like an in-depth job interview. And he agreed—that’s what a campaign should be; an examination of each candidate and deciding which one has the best resume/platform to be hired. In the end, our elected officials represent and work for us. The Tea Party certainly hasn’t forgotten that and more than one person said my dad earned the support of the room by the end of the evening. Even Michael Patrick Shields, statewide syndicated radio host, said that his resume is ideal to be the next Governor and with his running mate, Terri Lynn Land, it’s “as good as a one-two punch!”
Currently heading to a 24-hour gym to work off some of the chocolate and then catch up on some sleep. Sweetest of dreams!
