Join me for a quick walk along the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan after playing Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon, Michigan.
I had the honor of playing at Unity Christian Music Festival in beautiful Muskegon, Michigan this year - my first time in Western Michigan and first time seeing a Great Lake since I was a child.
The festival was jam-packed with incredible musicians and stories along the shores of Muskegon Lake. My set was Friday afternoon - which was the only day scheduled to have rain. However, like Moses parted the Red Sea, God parted the rain clouds and allowed for a spectacular evening of sunshine and cool breezes throughout the festival grounds. After my set, I was whisked away by the amazing Unity team members to sign autographs and hang out at my merch table, talking to attendees and volunteers. I wanted to get an autograph for myself from every person I met.
I think that's one of my favorite things about playing music festivals: is that after your set, you get to be a part of the festival and experience the power of live music alongside everyone in the crowd. Let me just say, it is one of the most special things on Earth when we get to sing praises to our Creator, outside in the sunshine, alongside brothers and sisters from all walks of life. Truly, that is my favorite part of music.
After the night ended and I headed back to the hotel with my team, we packed up to hit the road the next day. However, not without discussing where we could make an adventure pitstop. We decided on a nearby beach on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The next morning, we scarfed down breakfast at the hotel and loaded our things, ready for travel once more. Little did my team know, I had thrown on a swimsuit under my clothes just in case I felt the ~inspiration~ to jump in the lake.
We arrived at the lake where people had already lined up and down the beach, ready to enjoy a day in the sun... and wind. I immediately threw on my jacket as I got out of the truck. "No way am I swimming," I thought. (You native Michigan folks are probably laughing as you read this, but my Southern self was accustomed to 90+ degree days with 70+ percent humidity this time of year).
We walked along the pristine sandy beaches that were reminiscent of Pensacola, FL, and if you would have told me I was looking out into the ocean, I probably would have believed you.
After splashing around in the chilly, white-capped water from a safe distance, I knew it was time to go for it, as my philosophy of "always go swimming" overtook my desire for warm and dry clothes. I handed my phone over to record and convinced my mom to jump in with me. We squawked and squealed as we jumped over the waves, finally getting to swimming depth. On the count of three, we dove underwater and that familiar feeling of cold-water adrenaline coursed through my body. After re-surfacing with high-fives and shouts of "WOOHOOOOO," we drip dried under the sun then settled in for the long trek back to Tennessee.
A beautiful moment to close out a beautiful weekend.
If you'd like to check out the area where we swam, you can find it here: Pere Marquette Park
As always, happy trails and I'll see you on the road,
Anna