I can’t believe it, you guys. I now have an 18-year-old! Elijah turned 18 last week, and I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I feel very happy for him because he is my son. Of course, it makes me happy to celebrate his birthday. Yet, on the other hand, I can’t help but feel a little sad because my baby – my firstborn – is now 18. Wow!

Elijah is excited about turning 18. He’s also a little nervous because he knows that being 18 means having more responsibilities and preparing for his future. I’m proud of Elijah because he has goals he has set for himself that he’d like to accomplish in the next three years. For instance, he already knows what college he wants to attend and he has a career field that he has been thinking about pursuing.

Elijah when he was 8-months-old.

Ever since Elijah was a little boy, he always wanted to be a police officer. I remember when he was little he used to run around the house and pretend he was a superhero chasing after bad guys.

He’s never lost his love for superheroes and saving people. A few months ago, he told me he wants to do something that will make a difference, something that will help people in need.

Whatever career Elijah decides to pursue, I know he will end up doing something that will help people. He has always been the type of person who likes to help people. He has such a big heart for serving others and for that, I am very proud of him.

 

Celebrating Elijah’s 18th Birthday

For Elijah’s birthday celebration, we went out to eat at Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers at the New Baltimore location. There are two Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers locations: Roseville and now New Baltimore. They relocated from the Mt. Clemens location in June 2017.

We used to go to the Mt. Clemens location all of the time. The kids loved the arcade and ice cream. Travis and I loved the great prices for the food. It was our first time visiting the new restaurant in New Baltimore, and I have to say, I was really impressed with the new place. The setup is very nice and I love the retro decor. I wish there was still a separate room for the arcade, but it was still nice to see a few arcade games at the diner.

“I thought the sundae was delicious. I liked how the server was very friendly and very generous with the chocolate sauce! I’d say it’s definitely worth the money. Another reason why it’s worth the money is because they give you a really big size.” — Elijah’s thoughts on his Michigan Pothole sundae dessert.

Elijah ordered the Michigan Pothole Sundae with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
“I thought the sundae was delicious. I liked how the server was very friendly and very generous with the chocolate sauce!” – Elijah

The menu doesn’t seem to have changed. Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers still features their famous slider burgers, deli sandwiches, and ice cream. The food was delicious and very filling. We also had excellent service as they were very friendly and accommodating. We’ll definitely go back to eat at Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers again.

The toddlers shared a combo order of ground beef sliders and french fries. They also had strawberry milkshakes. Michala had a chicken caesar salad with a strawberry milkshake, as well. Elijah, Travis, and I each ordered the Big Clem Burger. The guys had fries with their burgers and I had onion rings with mine. So good!

After eating dinner, everyone enjoyed some ice cream. Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers also sells ice cream at the restaurant. I imagine Zephaniah felt a little left out because he can’t have ice cream just yet. In a few months, he’ll be able to enjoy ice cream, though! You just have to be patient, buddy. 🙂

Zephaniah had his eyes on Daddy’s ice cream cone.
“Gimme that ice cream cone, Daddy!”

I wish Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers was still located close to our house. New Baltimore is a little drive for us, but I think it’s worth the trip. The food is amazingly good and the price is just right for our family size. I can see why so many people were ordering take out the night of our visit. Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers is ten times better than a fast food restaurant.

Elijah was very happy with our choice for his birthday dinner. He said he had a great time and he really loved the food.

Seeburger's Cheeseburgers
Elijah enjoying ice cream with Zechariah and Zhen at Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers.
We enjoyed Elijah’s birthday celebration at Seeburger’s Cheeseburgers!

 

Family Game Night at Beacon Park

The next day, we took the kids to Beacon Park in Downtown Detroit for a family game night. Beacon Park hosted a free arcade to celebrate the FIRST Robotics Championship coming to Detroit. According to Click On Detroit, more than 40,000 students and their families visited Detroit for the robotics championship at the Cobo Center.

There were 15 free arcade games and a LED mini putt-putt golf course. We didn’t get to play putt-putt golf because it was raining, but we did enjoy the free games. The kids were so excited about playing the arcade games. They kept running from game to game because they wanted to play all of them.

Beacon Park Detroit
Beacon Park in Detroit featured a Free Arcade to celebrate the FIRST Robotics Championship in Detroit.

 

Beacon Park Detroit
Zechariah and I playing MarioKart at Beacon Park.

It was also part of Elijah’s birthday celebration. Elijah is a gamer – a video game enthusiast – so we figured taking him to the free arcade would be a great way to celebrate his 18th birthday. He had a blast! I knew Elijah would like to play the games, but I wasn’t expecting him to be as excited as he was. It was like watching a little kid run around in a toy store.

My favorite games at the arcade were Air Hockey, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and the big Pac Man game. Michala loved the arcade so much that she asked me if we could go back again. The arcade was only featured for the week, though. It ended on Sunday, April 29th.

Elijah was excited to celebrate his birthday at Beacon Park’s Free Arcade event.
Beacon Park Detroit
A Detroit Red Wings-themed game table was available at the Beacon Park Free Arcade event.

After our fun time at Beacon Park, we went to Hot Taco Detroit for dinner. Hot Taco is just around the corner from the park, behind the Fox Theater. It was perfect for us because we were SO hungry! If you love spicy Mexican food, then you will love Hot Taco Detroit.

We had Hot Chicken Burritos, Fish Tacos, and Steak Tacos. Great food for a great price! They even offer a veggie-based and a vegan taco. The only downside about Hot Taco Detroit was the bathroom. It wasn’t very clean on the night we had visited the restaurant. Other than that, the food is great and we’ll definitely go back to visit again.

Michala playing basketball at Beacon Park.
Zechariah loved playing MarioKart. We had to sit with him, though, because his feet didn’t reach the pedals on the game. LOL!
Happy 18th Birthday, Elijah!

Hope you have a great week!

xoxo Jennifer

 

 

All photos are courtesy of Jennifer Hamra.

 

Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Freelance creative Jennifer Hamra created her blog Good Life Detroit in 2015 after relocating from Tennessee to Southeast Michigan.

Inspired by her love for personal blogging and photography, Jennifer likes to share her favorite Detroit things, from cool places to visit (the hidden gems are her favorite!) to the amazing people she has connected with over the years.

When she's not busy juggling family life and her creative projects, you can find her at an art gallery, community event, farmers market, or spending quiet time at home with a good book and cup of tea.

Jennifer lives in the metro Detroit area with her husband Travis and their six children.

Connect with Jennifer on social media @goodlifedetroit on all social media platforms or via email at [email protected].