Scott picked up the boys early from school. I left the minute the last bell rang and we were on the road by 3pm to head up to Gladwin for the long holiday weekend. Traffic was surprisingly moving. We stopped out by Birch Run to grab dinner in the Wendy's drive-thru (yay for Chili only being 4 WW points!) and made it up to the cottage by 6:30pm. Of course, the first thing the boys did was put on their bathing suits to play in the water and sand!
Pops got a new pontoon boat a few weeks ago so we went for our inaugural ride around the lake before the no-wake hours started. That thing can move! 38 miles per hour was the top speed and it was unbelievably smooth. We let the boy stay up late and by 9pm they were starting to fall apart. So, it was a quick story and bed. The adults played some games of euchre. I'm proud to admit I did not eat any cheese balls! But, I definitely indulged in some Bacardi and diets.
Saturday morning the boys were up bright and early. Scott, his dad, Mindy, and Matt got ready to go golf 18 holes, while the boys, Nana, and I hung out with the dogs all morning on the beach.
The golfers were home by lunch time. After a quick lunch inside, Pops and Scott went to work getting the jet-skis in the water and getting the tube and kneeboard ready to use as well. Evan was chomping at the bit to ride the jet-ski. I was enjoying laying out on the deck on a lounge chair catching some sun in my new bathing suit. Cute, right?
It was a hot one by mid-afternoon! Evan and Scott went jet-skiing, the boys went on the paddle board, and each had a turn at kneeboarding. Including Scott, who was able to do all kinds of spins and turns. Fancy! The kids did some fishing off the dock and caught 6 before they dumped them out of the bucket and back into the lake. It was a fun afternoon!
Mindy and Matt made some Serbian food for dinner that evening, which included Cevaps on the grill. We did a bit more water play before we had to head inside around 6pm for thunderstorms that went on for the rest of the evening. Let me just say. A thunderstorm on a lake is pretty amazing!
The kids played on iPads and relaxed after dinner before showers and bed. The adults played more euchre while indulging once again on adult beverages. This time I broke down and ate some pistachios, but those are way healthier than cheese balls so I'll count that as a win! Mini beers were had too. Yum!
Sunday morning Matt and Mindy went golfing again after breakfast. The rest of us let the kids play on the beach and by 10:30am we got ready to head out to the outlets in West Branch for some shopping. The kids and Scott all needed new shoes and there's a Famous Footwear. I needed new sunglasses that I got a steal on from Coach. So, it was a successful shopping trip. Unfortunately, while we were out shopping, our bag of baseball equipment was stolen off the front lawn. Lesson learned...you can't trust anyone - even up north!
We ate a late lunch and went back out to play in the water. It was very hot again so we did a pontoon ride over to one of the parks to let the kids play on the horse swings and play structure. The boys made some friends while on the beach at the park and ended up doing a water fight, splashing and spraying water on each other. It was fun to watch. Although, the two other boys were definitely older. Had to keep an eye on them.
On the way back, we put the anchor in and all jumped in the water. The boys are so brave! I was hot enough that even I jumped in. One of the few times I've ever gone in the lake. I guess I just need it to be 95 degrees out!
It was my turn for dinner and I had put chicken, salsa, and some taco seasoning in the crock-pot in the morning to avoid having to do a lot of cooking. I made chicken tacos, rice, and chips and salsa. It turned out well! We played baseball outside after dinner with a plastic bat and balls that Nana had. We also went to the lake's ice cream social at the tail end of it. The boys loved the bubbles and fire truck! We even saw a hot air balloon getting ready to take off.
That evening after the boys were in bed we played cards again, not wanting to do a fire since it was so hot out. I tried to stay up, but by 11pm I was done. I read a little in bed while the others kept playing.
Monday morning we made the decision to head home early to try and avoid traffic. We left by 9:30am and made it home by 12:30pm stopping once to get gas and another time to get some lunch since the boys couldn't make it to wait on lunch. I got laundry going and unpacked while Scott went grocery shopping. The boys went out to play with the neighbors around 2pm and ended up doing a water balloon fight, swimming in the inflatable pool (that I might have hogged for a while too), and playing with Jurassic World toys on the deck in the shade. Even though it was hot, we enjoyed out day home. We grilled turkey burgers and corn for dinner and called it an early night.
We had a great weekend both up north and home! No major sunburns, despite the intense sun. Several mosquito bites, 1 cut foot (Scott), and tons of memories. We're excited to go up again in a month or so for the fourth of July with all of Scott's family and we'll go up again for a week at the end of July. Now the countdown to summer vacation is on! Only 12 more wake-ups to go!! We can do this!
