Moments 07 26 :: Week 02

As I was going through my photos for this week, I had to question, was this really just a week ago? The P4 was all over the place, and so much fun was had. Last Friday was our friend's annual hot dog party. It's such a fun way to kick off the 4th of July holidays.

Now that the kids are way out of school, I don't bump into people as much. This is such a great time to catch up with everyone. I miss that! Our friends provide the hotdogs and everyone else brings dessert or side dishes. 

Someone brought jello shots. Even thought I didn't have one, I thought it was pretty funny. 

The morning of the 4th of July, Van and I took a walk to our village's parade. Honestly, it's a bunch of kids on bikes and maybe five vehicles. Pretty lame. But Van loved getting treats from the sanitation trucks. No wonder he loves garbage day so much. 

It was just me and the dogs who were around for the 4th of July -- but for good reason. Cole came home late on July 2, and the next day, he and Brian flew to Houston to watch Canada in the World Cup. How exciting is that? 

It was a last minute trip so Brian got himself a Canada t-shirt and Cole a bucket hat and flag poncho. He was stopped by multiple Moroccan fans for a photo, and even was interviewed on Moroccan news. Of course he was! That kid, haha. 

While I was home with the dogs, and Brian and Cole were at the World Cup, Hudson had to work, so he was flying around that day. So fun when he runs into one of his friends who was also on the job that day. 

Not only did I have the hot dog party over the holiday weekend, the next day I met up with my friend Kim and her family to watch the Whitefish Bay Parade. It's always so fun, and afterwards, she always hosts a beautiful party. It was a lot of fun. 

Brian and Cole got home late on the 4th (yes, they were only gone 1.5 days), and Cole had to leave early on Monday to get to work. I love having him home, and really miss him. I'm not alone though. Look at these dogs smothering him.

This week's field trip was with Bo. It's true - I haven't met many a dog I don't like. But some stand out more than others, and Bo is one of them. He was timid, gentle and so sweet. Plus, he was a really good size and had expressive ears which were so cute. I loved getting to hang out with him. 

How cute is an upside down Van Dukie? 

Brian and I are on a quest to get out and do more. One of the best things about our area is all the beer gardens. Hubbard Park is one of our favorites. It was a perfect night. We even ran into a couple friends there. 

This baby was having a heyday munching on all the clover. It was there the entire time. Adorable. 

The other fun thing about our date was we rode our bikes. Lucky to have this awesome trail relatively close by. 

Gretel may be getting old, but she still is our mightiest hunter. She stood like this most of the morning staring at the squirrels messing with her. 

Serious business, I tell you. 

Moments 07 26 :: Week 01

Friday was the TOAD bikes races in Shorewood. It was perfect weather, and even though the course needed to be moved due to construction on the main road, it was so much fun.

I feel like we haven't made it to this race for a couple of years. It's always such a great time and great event.

Watching the Canada World Cup game on the outdoor big screen.

The weather was about to change from glorious to brutal heat, but I was able to fit in a Field Trip by the lake with Sub. Honestly, the minute you got on the lakefront, it was perfect. It's incredible what that lake breeze can do.

I tried to do an earlier than normal field trip so came right from the gym. Sub loved getting out, and was a huge fan of rolling in the grass. The great news is, one of the volunteer dog walkers ended up adopting her this week! Lucky dog.

Eggs straight from a farm are the best. These came from a friend of ours. They are gorgeous.

When the World Cup is on but Cole was also playing at the same time. (We pretty much had all the blinds down and sat in the darkness all week to help with the heat).

Van is having a blast going on his urban adventures. Due to the heat, they took him to their indoor play area. He was super curious, peed on the agility tunnel, and snapped at his friend Walter when Walter surprised him by coming out of the tunnel. It's been determined that he's better at group leash walks than playgroups, but overall, he did great for his first adventure. He also was huge fan of jumping over the obstacles. What a goof.

Did I meniton it was hot? Usually Van is curled up under the covers. This is him going to bed the other night. Thankfully we have an air conditioner in the bedroom, but even that was having hard time keeping up this week.

A couple years ago we redid the wood on the porch. We've been meaning to paint it ever since, and finally got it done this week. Yay.

Raspberries from the neighbors garden. 

Moments 06 26 :: Week 04

On the way to drop off the dogs last weekend. Someone loves the van, and is alway so heartbroken not to be coming along. 

This one on the other hand, hates the van. Most of the time she just stands in the middle of us. 

Finished another book. Yvonne sent this one to me and it was such a sweet story. 

How we watched the USA vs. Turkey World Cup game. The weather has been dreamy ... but that's about to change. It's supposed to be ridiculously hot next week and I for one, am not excited about it. 

The reflection as I leave in the morning for the gym. 

Up North :: Day 04

After the best night of sleep we’ve had in years, we woke up ready for another perfect day. It ended up being the only day of our long weekend without rain, which felt like such a gift. Honestly, I loved the cooler temperatures too. We had no big plans, so we spent the day hiking, biking to pick up firewood, and simply enjoying being there. I finished a book, Brian took a nap and tried his hand at fishing, then headed out for another bike ride while I hiked the trail next to our site along the lake. I still can’t get over how unbelievably green and lush everything was. Usually raccoons are the campground troublemakers, but here we were surrounded by tiny chipmunks and little red squirrels instead. It honestly felt like a fairytale. Such an incredibly relaxing, perfect day.

The next morning, it was time to head home. We thought about driving into Minocqua, but instead decided to take the scenic route through the forest. It’s wild just how massive it actually is. We had hoped to stop for a hike or find one last adventure along the way, but ended up driving straight through. The dogs were pretty happy to see us, so it all worked out. All I know is I need to get back to this area again. 

Up North :: Day 03

It was another day for celebration -- Father's Day! We needed to be out of the cabin pretty early, so headed into Iron River for breakfast at Main Street Cafe. Perfect diner food. Plus, right outside was a car show that spanned several blocks. We wandered the car show and stopped in antique stores before parting ways. Brian had picked up a flier with local waterfalls, so we decided to hike to Chicagon Falls. It was a good pitstop before making our way to Eagle River, WI. We walked around before stopping at the grocery store for some supplies. From there, we made our way to Franklin Lake Campground, our home for the next couple of nights. It may be one of my favorite places we've ever stayed. We were the only van I saw, and a couple sites had tents on them. Otherwise, most of the sites were occupied by RVs. Our site, and many of them, are right on the water. It was spacious, flat, and had gorgeous views. The only downside to the campground is that it doesn't have showers, and most of the bathrooms are pit toilets. Luckily, we were near one of the few real bathrooms, which I appreciated. The facilities were rustic yet clean. I was really impressed. Brian and I rode our bikes around the campground, and dined on cheese and crackers that night. It was perfect.