Winter getaway

We spent a fabulous weekend in northern Wisconsin with some of our friends from campus.  The first time we went on vacation with these families (to a cabin in the Boundary Waters), it was six adults and two kids.  Now we are six adults and five kids!  Heather's uncle owns a house on Middle Eau Claire lake, about thirty minutes north of Hayward.  The house was amazing, with three fairly separate living areas all in the main house.  There was also a garage with living space above, a cabin next door, and a boat house.  We all fit comfortably in the main house, though. 

the house is in the background and we are parked in front of the garage

Brian took Friday off and we left campus at about 9:30.  We've had a mild winter so far this year, but Friday ended up being stormy, so our drive was a little slow.  We passed many accidents and snowplows along the way.  We made it up to the cabin at about 3:00 and settled in.  We spent a lot of time curled up on couches in the living room in front of the fireplace and the view of the lake. 

We also took some time for fun on the lake (ice skating, fort building, and flying the kite Brian brought).  We got in a game of Catan. 

We enjoyed delicious food and drinks. 

We napped. 

We spent time in the hot tub and sauna.  We played pool and ping pong.  It was a great time!


Maya didn't manage to adjust to the travel and I think she was a little overwhelmed with all the other kids.  She had a hard time napping and sleeping at night, but she was in a good mood during the day.

On Sunday, instead of driving straight home, we went to Pine Island instead and spent the night with Brian's parents.  We had some freezing rain to contend with on that leg of the journey, but we made it there in about four hours without any problems.  As usual, Maya did great at Willow Hill, sleeping a full 8 hours and then taking a long nap the next morning. 

We spent Monday morning lazing around the house and then stopped at the Rochester mall and for a visit with Mindy and Natalie on our way home.  It was a great weekend!