Tuesday, May 27, 2014

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? 

23 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I'm so happy you had such a great relaxing weekend at the lake. My weekend was similar even down to leaving on Sunday night to avoid traffic... though Max suddenly decided to hate the car on the way home so I think your ride was probably less stressful than mine ha ha. I hope your first day at the new job goes well!

Becky said...

What a fabulous weekend you had - and I just know you're going to ROCK your first day! Woo!

My weekend was relaxing and restorative which after the craziness that was May, was JUST what I needed. I had one big thing each day which worked out nicely, and I don't have too much scheduled this week except packing for vacation which will be here in just a few short days!

Caroline said...

Sounds like an awesome weekend! Good luck with your first day!

Anonymous said...

Oh, what a perfect weekend! I spent mine at the lake, too. My parents live on the lake -- there is nowhere else I would rather be on a holiday weekend.

Good luck today!

missris said...

Beautiful photos! So glad you had a fun, relaxing weekend, and good luck on your first day today! I know you're gonna rock it.

Carolina John said...

I have a cousin like that too. We're very close in age, he's a lawyer in SC now so we don't get to see each other very often. But it's always easy to hang out when I do get to see him.

Good luck at the new job today! Very excited for you.

Amber said...

What an awesome weekend with family! So glad you will be getting in a lot more of those this summer!

Thinking about you lots today!

Alli said...

This is what Evelyn reminds me of in that picture with your dad. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsynfullydelicious.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F08%2Fnot-impressed.html&tbnid=6YNrVrJaBE41wM:&docid=dtzfHcpBt-bVZM&h=374&w=454

Emilie said...

Sounds like you had a pretty perfect weekend! I'm glad - you definitely deserve it after the events of the past year! Wishing you luck at your new job today, I hope everything goes well!

Nora said...

Love that you had a great time; seeing your smiling face makes me happy.

(We call it "bags," here, rather than corn hole. I do know some people in the middle of Missouri who call it corn hole, but I don't like that one.)

Jeanie said...

Lisa, your late is beautiful -- I'm a little envious -- I didn't get north this weekend, although it was lovely and I did need the time here. Your family looks delightful and great fun. I'm hoping your first day went very well indeed -- I'm sure it did!

Abby said...

Every single thing about this post made my heart ache in missing home!!!

My goodness, Evelyn is a cutie! "Doesn't like to smile on command" - she takes after her Grandpa ;)

OMG - 'cornhole'. That's a southern thing I think! I had never heard that until we were in TX this summer w/ other people from the south. It make me crazy. It's bean bag. There's no corn.

Rant complete.

Mmmmmm strawberry rhubarb icecream! Mouth watering.

I'm SO SO SO glad you got this weekend. I know that last summer was really hard. You deserved a wonderful weekend @ the lakes!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

hah. we call it corn hole here. ;) we did not make it out on the lake but my parents took their boat out a few times. we did yard work and cleaning in prep for the birthday party on sunday. so ready to be on summer vacation! and i am totally going to spend the night at my parents at least once this summer to wake up to the lake view. ;)

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Eeeeee, I love meeting babies!! So cuddly! I spent the weekend with family. Also, I too heart rhubarb desserts. So yummmmmy!

Stephany said...

Sounds like the perfect, relaxing weekend you needed before starting your new job. I hope your first day went awesomely & your whole week goes by wonderfully. Thinking of you!

J and A said...

What an awesome weekend!!! So glad you got out there and enjoyed. It looked and sounded perfect!! Good luck this week!!

Marlys said...

Awe, I loved the recap of the weekend! It flew by so quickly that I'm glad you got some photos to remind me of the wonderful time it was!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

The lake always sounds so relaxing and rejuvenating (as it should be). I hope your first few days have gone well! You have a great personality and are impressing them I'm sure. :)

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Awww, it sounds like a FABULOUS way to spend Memorial Day and to celebrate your homecoming (even though it wasn't part of the official celebrations).

meents said...

Love the view from your lake cabin!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

That looks so relaxing. What is it about water that just makes you say "ahhhh"? I hope your first week went well! At least it was a short one. I know that starting a new job is exciting but also taxing; even if you know what you are doing, you still have to figure out who is who, learn new contacts, learn new software and figure out the office politics! I am sure you are doing well though, as you are pretty good at being friendly and welcoming to new people!

I am really looking forward to my long weekend in Oregon in a few weeks, which will be a lot of reading and relaxing and running (and some studying...but I am trying to look on the bright side).

Welcome back to your home/heart! I am glad that you are feeling more relaxed and happy now!

Lisa-Marie said...

This post just radiates relaxation and happiness. I hope your first week had been good x

Shoshanah said...

It looks like a perfect relaxing weekend! And I think in a way is a perfect picture of why being back in Minnesota is so perfect for you!

And I hope your first week of work went smoothly!!