We are home from a restful week in the Wisconsin north woods! I fear telling people about the lake we visit because it's so private and quiet; I'd hate to ruin it. O.K., I'll tell. The great thing about Lake Owen is that the Johnson family (SC Johnson) owns most of the property around the lake. There are also very few actual resorts Both aspects make it a quiet lake without much boat traffic. We've gone to the lake for nine years now and it's a summer tradition that we plan to continue for years to come. The girls have grown up with memories from this area. Little c did shed some tears when it was time to go home.
We just relax a lot! There is a small beach, tennis courts, turtle pond, campfire, raspberries to pick, kayaks to use, and new friends to be made. We met a family from North Carolina who spends the whole month of August at the lake and they just so happened to have children around the age of the girls.
Big C had expressed interest in learning to waterski and since neither B-real nor I know how we thought we'd buy a knee-board first. B-real had such a busy week at work that resulted in his not having time to make it to buy one so we stopped at The Fleet Farm on the way up. The conversation between him and the kids was pretty funny. Historically speaking, Big C has been quick to give up when the going gets tough. We had heard it takes a lot of effort to make it up on the board and B-real did not want to spend $100 to have her quit after her first go of it. She assured him she would give it some good effort and sure enough, she did, he managed to get up on the first try, from shore. After falling in the middle of the lake, she got up again. Little c had a similar experience, total success after the first time! Then the big dogs tried to do it -- meaning the two adults. Holy cow it was hard to get up, required a ton of upper body strength. I gave up (sorry B-real) and B-real managed to hook the rope around the front of the board and pull himself up. His arms were really sore afterwards, which made me feel a little less like a quitter.
The other great thing that happened at "The Farm" was I found a bike I would like to purchase. It is a tricycle! Yes, I want a trike! It was a three-wheeled Schwinn with a big old basket on the back. As Brent debated whether to buy the knee-board, I pedaled around the outdoor garden center on this awesome bike. Charlotte fit in the back basket too! I felt a bit like the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz. Brent assured me he would not be embarrassed to ride bikes with me.
The highlight of the week for me was our last night at the lake. We went to dinner, just the four of us, at a local pizza place. We ordered personalized pizzas and sat outside in the grass. The tables were garnished with phlox in jelly jars. I will never forget that night. The girls were playing tether ball and B-Real and I decided to get in on the action. We had the best, all out war on the tether ball court. His height is quite the advantage and completely not fair I wondered if some of the other customers questioned the state of our marriage because we were both so competitive and yelling "no" as we whacked the ball. It may be the first of many occasions when the girls were flat out embarrassed by their parents' antics. But it was so much fun and now I want a tether ball in the backyard.
Another highlight, at least from my perspective, was that Claire took out a kayak on her own and paddled around the lake. It was so cool to witness that sense of pride and accomplishment on her face. Last year she sat with us in the kayak and this year she's doing it on her own! She did tell me one time on this trip that she was too old to hold my hand anymore. I get it. She is growing up and I understand she is valuing her independence more and more. Later in the week she took my hand on her own and when I mentioned her earlier comment about being too old to hold hands, she said "Yeah, sorry about that".
The driving is quite stressful for B-Real seeing as he has to pull a big old boat behind our car. We came into Cumberland, Wisconsin, which appeared to have an unusual amount of action for a Saturday. Charlotte saw the sign above the sign advertising "Rutabaga Days". She begged B-Real to stop, probably seeing all of the street vendors, pedestrian traffic, and giant slide, but B-Real would have had quite the channel finding a spot to park. I love that about little c, she doesn't want to miss out on any fun and is curious about so many things. She mentioned wanting to see the MN State Fair and I asked "why?" (hoping to find another way to satisfy her without having to go to the great MN get together) and she said "Well I've never been there and would like to see what it's all about".
We're glad to be back home and to some of the simple pleasures of our life -- like good coffee, our king sized bed, wireless Internet, and our gas stove. I am grateful for the chance to slow down and just 'be' for a week with the people who matter to me most.
I also feel for the moms who are having to send their kids to school tomorrow or the following week, the summer went by way too fast! They are only young for such a short period of time, please don't be the mom I saw at Target bragging to her friend about her app that gave the countdown until the kids went back to school. If you are that strapped by your kids and enjoy them that little, please institute some boundaries and rules so you get your needs met. Remember you are the boss and you should enjoy being a mom, make sure it happens in your house!
No comments:
Post a Comment