Last Week in Moments

H was invited by one of his soccer club friends to play in the Lose the Shoes soccer tournament in Kenosha. It was so exhausting, but they had an absolute blast // Saturday was also our niece's high school graduation party. It was so great seeing everyone, and we are super proud of her


We took the boys and Gretel to Doctor's Park, where they all enjoyed swimming in Lake Michigan // We've been wanting to go here for a long time, and finally made it -- Quarry Park in Sheboygan. Two hours of non-stop inflatable obstacle course fun


Brian and H left on their first overnight motorcycle adventure. They had their tent and sleeping bags packed, and weren't really sure where they were going end up. Cannot wait to hear all about it // Meanwhile, C requested a lobster dinner, so I took him out to St. Paul Fish Market

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: The End

Ah, the end. Always so sad. We woke up early, picked up our cars, and headed our separate ways. My sister's family wanted to go to Wolf Pack Cafe, while we had promised the boys a stop at Paul Bunyans on the way out. After breakfast, we picked up the dogs -- Gretel was at bird dog boot camp and Storm was at his favorite kennel -- then headed home. This is our forth family up north trip. The kids are older, and I feel so lucky to have gotten to do another trip like this. Such a great time.

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: Day 7

Our last full day, and we really wanted to take advantage of it. Brian, H and I took a bike ride. Seriously, being close to the trail was key. A person could ride all day. My sister and her family had some of their friends over for the day. We took the pontoon and fishing boat over to Fibber's for lunch. I got to use their SUP (I'm addicted, I think) while the kids got pulled behind the pontoon boat on tubes. The final night, C was responsible for dinner so he decided to create his own dish -- "Meat Mountain." It was up to his team (my dad and brother-in-law) to help execute his vision. It basically was a meatloaf shaped like a volcano covered in mashed potatoes with broccoli and sauce over the top. Awesome! For dessert, C made caramel covered marshmallows. He's still talking about how much he loved that meal. That evening, we took one last trip on the lake with the pontoon boat, watching the loons and talking about our great week.

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: Day 6

What a fun day! My dad, nephew and brother-in-law went golfing. My mom stayed behind at the house. The rest of us went over to our friend Mike's place on Fence Lake. Lucky for us, he was up this week too! I love that over the years, we've met Mike in the craziest of places -- Florida, England, Costa Rica, and now up north. Ok. Not quite as adventurous, but still a blast. Anyhow, Mike has a pretty sick boat, so we spent the day water skiing and wake surfing. Well, I tried to wake surf and wasn't very successful. I was so close! Should have tried it again, but decided to go on the SUPs with my sister and C, which made me very happy. Next time. After a great afternoon, we went into Minocqua and ended up at the beer garden, where Tim picked my sister and niece up. Brian, H, C and I wanted to see the Min-Aqua Bats show. So much fun! We almost decided not to go, but are so glad we stuck with our tradition. It's amazing what those people can do on skis. Or barefoot. Whatever.

Last Week in Moments

Finally got Brian to Atwater Beach - the boys buried themselves in sand // Had so much fun that the next day, H, C and me went to Doctor's Park.


The boys had tennis on Wednesday. My mom had invited my cousin's wife and their kids for an afternoon of swimming. The boys spent most of their time fishing. Caught lots of smalls one and a couple pretty large fish (P.S. Notice ... no braces!)


It was guest day on Thursday, and my mom invited me to play. My sister was playing that day too. Our paths didn't cross for a match (I'm thinking the pro planned it that way), but it was a great day and we got to have a nice lunch together. Need to start playing more tennis again // The boys spent most of the week with Nina & Papa! A treat for all. I picked them up today, and of course had to hit the lake again. It's perfect!

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: Day 5

It was a pretty yucky day out when we woke up. Regardless, while I slept soundly -- with my ear plugs and eye mask -- Brian, H and my brother-in-law woke up bright and early to go fishing. No luck though. We decided to hit another flea market in Boulder Junction today. I know! Crazy. But this time, we had a mission. We decided to do a family Flea Market Challenge. Each person had $5 to spend and pick out the best purchase. Our treasures would be revealed that evening.

After the flea market, we went to the Sayner Pub for lunch, then took our pontoon boat over to Lake Content. A new development is going there, taking over resort on the grounds. Makes me a little sad. That evening, my niece was in charge of dinner. Campfire packets! Delicious.

By the way, have I mentioned the cute duck family that visited us every day? Probably... but they were especially cute on this day. They were even eating our of hands. Until my nephew scared them away. The babies weren't too phased, but Mama duck watched her little ones from the safety of the fishing boat after that.

We also concluded our bags tournament that we started a couple days ago. I was paired with my mom. I thought we'd be quite the power-house team (considering she is a member of the UW Whitewater athletics hall of fame). But no. We lost immediately. Guess who was the team to beat? C and my nephew. Unbelievable. Fortunately, they were very modest about it (not). I will say, they had been pairing up since the beginning ... puffing their chests and rubbing in their victories. My dad and I took them on and beat them! So they weren't undefeated. I'm just saying.

Anyhow, we were finally able to reveal our treasures. The winner of the Flea Market Challenge was .... C! Originally, he and my mom and the most votes. After a second voting, it was still divided. He ended up winning in rock, paper, scissors. Do you know what did it? He had a "stool sample." Seriously, he bought a miniature stool placed in a jar. It was hilarious. He also had a bathroom reader book and a vintage peek-a-boo glass (which has since made it into the dishwasher and is ruined). It was awesome. My mom picked up a $3 grab bag and the treasures were endless. It was hilarious. Everyone picked up great stuff. It was hilarious.

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: Day 4

We met up at the Flea Market in St. Germain -- some of us via bike, C and my sister ran, and some by car. It was quite something. It was rather cool and cloudy, so we ended up not doing much this day. My mom and I took the kayaks to Fawn Lake -- another smaller lake that is connected. It was loaded with lily pads and dragonflies. That night, we went to Blink Bonnie for steak dinner. They don't take reservations, and we knew with a group our size, it may take awhile. We were there by 5:30pm and sat down (at separate table) two hours later. So worth it though. Plus, it honestly didn't feel that long though. Maybe it was because we were told it would be three hours -- or maybe it was the old fashioned cocktails we were drinking.... Regardless, the dinner was delicious.

St. Germain, Wisconsin :: Day 3

Brian, H, C and I rode our bikes to the grocery store in the am. The bike paths were basically right outside our door which was great. You could spend all day on them -- but it made grocery shopping really convenient too. Later on, we tubed and water skied again. Look who else tried it and got up! C! He still didn't love it though. The day just flew by. Brian and I kayaked, and took the fishing boat to Lake Content, which you can access through a little canal. There are bald eagle nests all around the area -- one is just two houses down from us where two of them perch. It never gets old, seeing these magnificent creatures. Later on, we took the pontoon boat over to Lynn Ann's -- the campground next to us -- and visit the tiki bar. That night, H was responsible for dinner and threw down a terrific taco dinner with roasted bananas for dessert. Another absolutely perfect night.