Vacation Recap

We had a great time up north this year.  As usual, we stayed at a little resort just outside of Remer (about a half hour south of Grand Rapids).  Nothing fancy...just a bunch of old cabins on the lake.  We drove up on a Saturday morning, stopping in St. Cloud for some lunch.  The trip took us almost exactly five hours.  Maya was a champ in the car, sleeping through most of the drive.

We unpacked and settled into our new cabin.  This year, we got cabin 6, which is right next to the lake access and just across the path from Jon, Mindy, and the kids.  Although we missed the sunset views and air conditioning of cabin 1, it was a perfect fit for us--one bedroom with a little tv lounge where Maya could sleep.  We ended up hanging a shower curtain to block off her room a little better.

This is the kitchen area in our cabin

That night the whole crew (including Brian's parents, aunts, Jon, Mindy, and the kids, and family friends the Lassigs) headed up to Grand Rapids for dinner at Zorbaz...a vacation tradition.  After dinner, Brian and Jon headed home with the kiddos, while Mindy and I did some grocery shopping for the week.

The rest of the week was fairly low key.  We spent a lot of time swimming in the lake, hanging out on the playground with the kids, reading, taking naps, and eating.  I got in a few longish runs (4-5 miles) and Brian did some fishing, kayaking, and sailboarding.

Here we are getting ready for a swim.  Our cabin is the one right behind us in the photo

Maya turned into a little eating machine and tried lots of new foods.

Mac and Cheese was a hit!

The water was also a big hit.  This was the first time she's been in a lake (or even a pool, for that matter)

And she had a blast playing with Natalie and Harvey

The cousins

We celebrated our 4 year anniversary on Wednesday with a day trip to Walker.  Jon and Mindy watched Maya for most of the afternoon so we could go alone.  We both really enjoyed Walker and thought it was a better destination then our usual trip up to the Grand Rapids shops.  The town has a cute little (and walkable) shopping district with lots of interesting and artsy stores.  When lunchtime rolled around, we asked a woman in one of the shops for a recommendation.  So glad we did!  The place she suggested was one that we wouldn't have found on our own, but it was perfect.  It was right on the lake (Leech Lake) in a hotel called Chase on the Lake.  We had a relaxing meal overlooking the lake and we both agreed that it reminded us a lot of Traverse City, MI (Where we took our honeymoon).

Aside from one really hot and humid day and one really windy day, the weather was perfect for us.  Very comfortable during the day, but warm enough to want to swim.  Nights were perfect for sleeping.

Jon and Natalie

After what seemed like a very quick week, we packed up on Saturday morning and headed back to St. Peter.