The Good Life at the Lake

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  Today is my first day of work so send some good vibes my way.  I am excited about this new opportunity but also stressed about making a good impression right away so hopefully my first week goes well!

Last week, after a busy week that included several dinners, a happy hour, meeting the babies of 2 friends, and running a bunch of errands, I headed up to the lake for a relaxing weekend with family.  Going to the lake is such a huge part of the culture in the Midwest and I really missed cabin weekends when living away. 

I got to the lake on Friday around noon and it was an absolutely perfect day!  The water was like glass which does not happen in the afternoon very often!

So I soaked up some sun while reading a book at the end of the dock.  Talk about relaxation.

On Friday night, my parents and I went into town to have dinner at our favorite local restaurant.  When we got home from dinner, my sister arrived shortly thereafter, which means I finally got to meet Evelyn!

She will be 4 months next Saturday.  I love how it looks like she is waving in this photo (ahem, or if you look closely, she might be flicking the camera off.  Ha.)

On Saturday morning I got up and went for a 5 mile run.  It was a gorgeous morning.  The lake is so peaceful on mornings.  It's good for a person's soul to take this view in.

After breakfast, I got a quick selfie with my nephew James before heading into town to meet my cousin Julie for coffee.

I failed to get a photo of my cousin and I at coffee.  We are only 11 months apart and grew up in the same town so I really think of us as "sisters from another mister."  I love that no matter how much time has passed since we last saw each other, we pick right up where we left off and never run out of things to talk about.  I'm so glad I'll see her on a more regular basis now!

When I got back to the cabin, the kids are started to find some lawn toys/sports to keep them entertained.

Matthew has taken golf lessons for the last 2 years.  He definitely has a better swing than his auntie.

We played a lot of bean bag toss.  I know other parts of the country call this corn hole, but we do not call it that in the Midwest (at least not in Minnesota).  It was Charlie's birthday on Saturday.  He turned 3 and while he really wanted (and tried) to play bean bag toss, he is a little too young for the game.

He may not understand the game, but he sure looks cute sitting on it!

 Evelyn enjoyed being outdoors as well.  She was not a huge fan of me holding her but let me entertain her with her toys and books and such. 

On Saturday night, we celebrated Charlie's birthday.  Here he is blowing out his candles with a little help from grandma!

Sunday was another beautiful day.  I snapped this photo of my dad and Evelyn.  She was really not into smiling on command.  

Sunday flew by and was filled with more bean bag toss, home made guac, and a delicious birthday dinner for my sister (it was her birthday on Sunday) of rotisserie chicken, potato wedges and broccoli salad.  Dessert was homemade rhubarb strawberry ice cream which was DELICIOUS.

I heart rhubarb desserts

I headed back to Minneapolis after dinner on Sunday so I could avoid Memorial Day traffic and have a quiet day in Minneapolis before starting my new job.  This relaxing weekend at the lake was just what I needed before starting this next phase of my career.  I was only at the lake once last summer and during that time I was struggling with RA symptoms, depressed about living in Charlotte, dealing with the loss of my aunt Betty, and stressing about whether I had passed the CFA so I can't say it was all that fun...  I'm really happy all of that is behind me and that I am once again driving distance from the lake! 

How did you spend your weekend?