July 2019 - Part 2 - Family Trip to the Cabin

July is closing out - and we have returned from the Northwoods.  Our yearly family pilgrimage to the Cabin is done.  We had a great trip.  There were a few bumps and bruises had, but overall everyone had a great time.  The Kid and I are eager to return in a few weeks for the "Man's Trip".

Here are some of the highlights.

The drive up is always a bear.  But this is our best trip in several years.  We decided to try something different, heading a ways up to stay with Mandi's parents, and then leaving from their house at 04:00 the next morning.  This was definitely the way to go.  Everyone slept for an hour or so (even Mandi!), and woke refreshed and happy to get doughnuts at Blue Boy Bakery in Lancaster WI.  Baberoo was especially excited!

Leaving so early meant we got to enjoy a lovely afternoon at Grandma's with the Nichols Family.  My cousin Nick was the oldest of the many cousins I had growing up.  He was also the ringleader.  It was so much fun to get to see them all.  Their oldest girl, M. loved giving rides in the kayak.

We also got to take out Ole Red, our hand-me-down Pontoon Boat :)  The children had a blast.

Grandma has a lovely beach at her place, and sand castle construction was a near daily occurrence.

A huge bonus this year was Grandma Polly and Grandpa Greg being up for the first week.  The kids spent so much quality time with grandparents.

We took one of our few cloudy days to head up to Duluth.  The children love visiting the toy stores, sitting on the stuffed moose, and seeing the lighthouse.  We tried to recreate last year's "Best Selfie Ever"... it wasn't quite as good.  But still pretty great.

One morning, to get out and do something different we took a trip up to Amnicon State Park.  This park is an absolute gem.  It is a little harrowing at times with the kiddos - especially Baberoo, who would like nothing better than to swim in the "wawa".  But we stretched our legs a bit and enjoyed the sights.

Here are a few random pictures from the trip, that do a decent job of touching on the highlights.

I found this gem stashed away in one of Grandma's photo albums.  The album was titled "'99 Vol 1" so I suspect it was from the summer of '99.  This was a trip that my cousins Cori, Kyle, Brock, my sister Betsy and I took on our own.  No parents.  I believe that I was just shy of 17 years old.  In the lower left is Alissa, a friend I met that summer and have kept in touch with since.  Next over is Cori in the striped towel, then my aunt Jodi who joined us later.  Up top from left to right are Betsy, Matt Parsons (3rd cousin of my stepdad), Kyle, Brock (standing), myself (kneeling), Ashley, Tara and finally Steve Parsons sitting.  That was a great trip.

After two weeks it was time to say goodbye.  It is always hard to leave Grandma's place.  The Kid and I will be back soon, and myself again for closing.  But for Baberoo and Lovieloo it will be a whole year until they return.

Thank you Grandma for a wonderful time!

Stay healthy.

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you.

The LORD lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

July 2019 - Summer in Full Swing!

We are gearing up for our mid-summer trip, so I figured I should go ahead and get a blog post in ahead of time.  Summer is beautiful in IL.  Some people don't like the heat or the humidity, but these days neither of them bother me.  I bask in the sun - as it helps my joints feel great.

Work always feels like a bummer in the summer.  Any time I can't be outside to enjoy the sunshine I feel a little forlorn.  But... the views on the drive in are gorgeous.

We limit screen time in our home, and are strong believers that time outside is key to health - Lovey decided to use her time practicing drawing the family!

Summer also means pool time on the deck... er... patio.  One of our big projects this year was getting rid of the old wooden deck, and putting in a lower-maintenance stamped concrete patio instead.  The kiddos love eating outside, and Baber is always happy to get a picture.

Summer also means enjoying a cool beverage with good friends.  I have really grown in friendship with my neighbor Mark.  He's an awesome guy and shares my passion for a cool beverage.  He likes IPA's, I prefer a farmhouse ale, but we get along.  Recently we went on a 16 mile bike ride, and ended it with a cool-off brew at the Fox Pub.  "To the Cul De Sac!" has become our regular toast.

Lovey Loo and I had a mini adventure one Saturday.  We took a trip over to East Peoria for Cock-a-doodle-Donuts (Carl's Bakery), and to see my good buddy Squeege.  Squeege's daughter had a softball tournament there.

(got her!)

Mandi and I took our annual trip to Chicago Oak Park again this year.  It was a wonderful getaway for us.  The kiddos spent time with their Grandma.  We did make it into the city (riding the metro for the first time) and made it over to Pequod's for some awesome pie.  We did what we usually do, walk, see the sights, and eat.

We also took the opportunity to see Mandi's friend from college, Al, along with her husband Vince and their two lovely children.  Al and Vince took us over to the Botanical Gardens (see above).  It was great to reconnect.

One of our new stops was at the Museum of Art.  Wow what a place!  We definitely should have budgeted more than the 2 hours we did, we didn't get to see even a third of it.  But, we did hit some of our favorites. Houses of Parliment is one of my all time favorites by Monet.  Mandi was especially fond of the Miniature Rooms :)

We also got the chance to go on a few dates.  Our neighbor Kathy (Mark's wife) is our baby sitter of choice.  She is great with the kids :)  This night we headed out to eat with our business partners Mike (bottom picture) and Jana (sorry, didn't get a picture).  Mike and Jana co-own/run our real-estate/rental business with us.  They are awesome partners, and even more fun for the double date!

What fun!  One Saturday we had a great visit from the Johnsons.  Matt is one of my oldest friends (Jr. High).  He and Jenny have two lovely children.  The best part of the day was watching Lovey instantly befriend their oldest kiddo.  No joke, before two hours had gone by they had changed into matching clothes.

We got a great trip in to Monticello where we spent time with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Siss, and her friend Mark (not the neighbor).  As always, we got some Filippos while we were there.  That Baber is so darn photogenic!

The Kid and I had our yearly 4th of July trip.  What fun!  We started the day off right with drinks and a BBQ.  We ended the day with fireworks at Dozer Park. The Kid loved the wacky-flappy-inflatable-man :P

One more picture of The Kid.  He has become interested in money of late, and so this fun gift from my friend Ethan was well appreciated.  A whole stack of $2 bills!

That is all for now, several big trips coming up, we are all excited.  Probably won't get an update until later in August.  Be well, and stay healthy!

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you.

The LORD lift up His countenance on you,

And give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26