Pure relaxation



After the hubbies got home from work, my friend Jen and I hit the lake. Besides cross country skiing we love to paddle board. We had the lake to ourselves and enjoyed the total calmness and gorgeous sun. It's been a challenging week trying to juggle it all and this is exactly what I needed. Love the lake and having some girl time with good friends.

Big Fish

 

We went on the road again. I am so happy we were able to take a break from the city and live in the North Woods for a while. This road trip to Wisconsin is about five hours from our home, not too bad after our sixteen hour road trip to Colorado. When I was a child, my parents would rent a cottage in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin for a week in the summer and we would fish, play cards, explore the lake looking for frogs and crayfish, swim, and eat fish. I have so many wonderful childhood memories spending time up north. My parents have owned a lake house we call it "Big Fish" on Lake Macula in Presque Isle for 19 years. One of the many reasons why I love going up there is to get away from the city life including taking a break from cell phones and emails. I also love that my kids have learned to appreciate nature and are making memories here. One of my all time favorites each morning is waking to the delicious greasy breakfast my dad makes for every one. It is so not good for you, but so amazingly delish.

Music on the Lake

Last night we joined friends in Fontana, Wisconsin (about 45 minutes from our home town). I could just blog about Fontana because it is so gorgeous and so many fun things to do there, but I will focus on our fun day.  Our first stop was Laurie Berkner's Concert at The Ferro Pavilion on the historic grounds of George Williams College of Aurora University. The pavilion is wonderful and having the concert on the lake is even better! Laurie was so much fun. If you aren't familiar with Laurie Berkner she is a children's music singer and guitarist. She is often on the Noggin channel performing on "Jack's Big Music Show". My kids loved every minute, singing and dancing. After the concert we had dinner there and a then horrible storm arrived. Luckily, it wasn't dangerous just a lot of rain. We then spent the evening at a friend's lake house in Fontana. A fun Sunday it was. 

 

Summer Fresh



I love when my son Ben (9) asks for me to juice him a yummy drink. This morning we juiced this fabulous green juice...1 apple, 2 pear, a handful of celery, cucumber, half a lime, and ginger root. This is one of my favorite recipes.

So Random...

 

Yesterday our vacation came to an end (sniff sniff) and we were on the road back to Illinois. We were driving for about 3 hours and my daughter Lucy had to go to the bathroom. We quickly took the next exit and the only restroom available in sight was a café. Love how this sort of random thing happens (see picture). We drove straight through and made great time. We already miss Colorado and are talking about what we plan to do there next summer. I have to admit, it is good to be home.

Rattlesnake Trail?...Oh my!!!

 

We hiked on Rattlesnake Trail in Eldorado Park today. The trails are amazing, just breathtaking. I was a bit scared to read the trail has rattlesnakes! Luckily we did not encounter any.

I think we found the perfect spot.

We explored Eldorado Sate Park today. This park is amazing! After our picnic we found the perfect spot to enjoy the water before our hike.