Florida Vacation

In June Derek, Jase and headed to Florida for a week and a half trip. We headed to Kentucky for the wedding of my cousin Kyle Gerst on May 31st. We spent the day exploring Louisville and then the wedding was outside that evening followed by a southern bbq reception. Jase was 3 months at this point and still sleeping quite a bit. The next day we said goodbye to family and headed to the Creation museum. From there we got a hotel for the night in Tennessee. The hotel was clean, but cheap. Cheap in the way that it wouldn't have taken much for someone to bust the door down since it opened to the outside. It was all around a little shady so when Jase woke at 5am to nurse I opted that we pack up and hit the road early. Monday was a big driving day. We wanted to make it to Beaufort, South Carolina in time to be able to enjoy some time there. Jase slept like a champ through this leg of the journey and we made it in great time to check into our hotel and go out for supper along the bay. The history and charm of Beaufort was so cool and we enjoyed walking the town more than once. While walking along the bay we saw someone pull in a stingray with their fishing pole. We loved looking at the old southern mansions, churches, giant willow looking trees and even the graveyards. It made me want to go back in time. We very much enjoyed our time in Beaufort, but the next day it was time to move on to Savannah Georgia. We stopped briefly in Savannah and walked the old cobblestone streets and rode a ferry boat along the city. We ate lunch and then continued on to our final destination St. Augustine Florida which was only a couple hour drive south. We made it to the beach house we would be sharing with Derek's family along the beautiful, non crowded Butler Beach. We unpacked and headed down to the beach. The crashing waves, the sand, the sun starting to dip down in the sky....it was worth every bit of travel!

Turtle crossing.

Beach bum.

Boogie boarding. Be prepared for the wave... I may have done a complete somersault underwater.

Ocean fishing! Derek caught a baby shark at one point.

Best travel buddy and best age to travel!

Beaufort SC where we saw someone catch a stingray!

Supper outside along the Bay in SC. Jase had a major blowout right after this:(

Long walks along the beach=sleepy baby.

Southern charm

Crocodile Farm

Sharing a house with cousins is fun!

Baby Life

Jase has been a part of our family for almost 4 months now and oh how we just love that little guy! Derek and I were talking about how it seems like he's been here so much longer than that and we can hardly remember what it was like to not have our little Jase baby. We think back to those first couple of weeks and how there was such a roller coaster of emotions and new things going on (mainly for me ;). There was wonder as we would stare at our baby, but there was frustration as well. Jase has been very good, but I don't do well without sleep and adjusting to be woken every 45minutes-2 hours at night was just plain hard. Throw learning how to nurse and the initial pain that comes with that and there were tears had by all. I especially would get anxious in the evenings right before bedtime....something I guess that is pretty common among new mama's called "night time anxiety". Thankfully Derek would pray for us aloud and encourage me to take it one hour at a time. I look back and think of how I prayed that God would sustain me and He has been so faithful in that. Now Jase has grown up a bit and he just gets up once in the night. He has more of a predictable schedule and everyone is just happier:). His smiles and laughs are a joy to be home to see. I don't take it for granted that I can be home most all the time with my little guy. I'm working about one day a week now, but things are flexible and I can do more or less than that. We recently vacationed to Florida so I hope to blog about that soon and do better overall with keeping up with my blog. Here are a couple pictures for you.

Sleepy guy

Out on a walk

"working" in the basement with daddy

Derek and Jase came to see me on my break at work one evening

A Birth Story

 This is the story of how our little Jase came into this world...the sweetest gift entrusted to us by God. Just as a forewarning I wrote this in detail and I am a Nurse so there are not many things that gross me out about the human body and such. I'm afraid I've completely forgot what does and does not gross out normal people who are not immersed in the medical field. So...be advised ;) Also Derek and I choose to have a homebirth which was a decision we made after much prayer and research. I am  ever grateful to our Bradley Class teacher, our Midwife and assistant for all their help, support, education and friendship. Thank you for empowering us and showing us that birth is beautiful.

On February 23^rd I was 10 days overdue and starting to feel discouraged yet I knew that baby would come when he was ready. I had cramps throughout the day on the 23^rd, but they never seemed to progress into anything. Derek came home from work early hoping that things would get started. He set up our birthing tub and made sure everything worked with it. I felt bad because every time he asked if anything more was happening I’d have to say “no”. We went to Menards for a few things and then to Aldi to stock up on groceries. That evening I still felt fine besides some cramping so we went to our Church group where they prayed for us and our baby and that we would soon be parents. We got home around 9pm and went to bed by 9:30pm knowing that we wanted to be rested in case labor started in the night. Around 1:45am I woke up feeling very crampy. I went to the bathroom a couple of times and noticed blood in the toilet (what they call "bloody show"). I tried to lie down during contractions and apply a heating pad to my back, but I realized that I felt much better when I was walking or standing up. Derek woke up about this time and timed my contractions. They were coming consistently about 7 minutes apart for 60-90 seconds. We went to the kitchen where I tried to eat a banana and drink some Gatorade because I knew how important it would be for me to have energy. Derek got some food to eat too, got our supplies out and filled the birth pool halfway. We moved into the living room where I would kneel in front of the couch for contractions, rock back and forth on my hands and knees, hold onto Derek or sway back and forth. Derek continually applied pressure to my back because it seemed that no matter what I had back pain. We had originally agreed to try to wait till 4am to call our midwife Brande as we were expecting a long labor with this being our first baby. Around 3:40am contractions were coming every 5 minutes and I could no longer talk through them so we decided to call her and give her an update. Derek told her how things had progressed so far and she said to keep her updated. By 4:30am I was most definitely in pain and wondering how far along I was in this whole labor thing. I suddenly had the urge to throw up so Derek ran and got me a bucket. Contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart and I was verbalizing that I didn’t know if I could do it anymore. Derek decided to call Brande again (4:32am) and gave her an update. She suggested I get in the shower for some relief and said that she could come now if we’d like. Neither of us thought she should come quite yet, thinking we could have awhile left to go. I hadn’t wanted to get in the shower initially because I felt like every time I had a contraction I had to drop to my knees and I didn’t want to feel like I was falling over in a wet shower. I was desperate though so I got in the shower and much to my relief it felt amazing with the hot water hitting my back. Derek got in too and would hold me through the contractions. After awhile of being in the shower I started to feel the urge to go the bathroom. I started getting in and out of the shower to sit on the toilet. At this point we both noticed that my contractions seemed to be spacing out. We didn’t correlate it to the fact that this could mean baby was coming soon because we just thought we had awhile left to go. As I sat on the toilet I never could go, but I still felt like I needed to push. When Derek saw that I was attempting to push he called Brande back at 5:29am and she said that she was on her way. She arrived at our house a little after 6am. A little bit before she arrived Derek finished filling the birth pool and I got in it. Although it did not offer complete relief it did feel good to be in the pool. Brande and Mallory brought all their bags and supplies in and I remember them encouraging me that I was doing a great job and working so hard. I asked Brande to check me and she did noting that I was fully dilated and she could feel the baby about a fingers length or two inside me. This was hugely encouraging to me so I continued to push knowing baby was coming. Pushing started to wear me out though; I would rest my head on the side of the pool and close my eyes in between contractions/pushing. I commented that I was tired and that it felt like I’d been pushing forever when it had really only been 45 minutes. I would reach down to try to feel babies head, but I couldn’t feel anything. Derek noted that I would look disappointed whenever I didn’t feel anything. Brande encouraged me to use the bathroom and suggested some different positions to try in the pool. One of the times that I used the bathroom I could really feel baby start to move down and felt like my pushing was becoming more effective. I got back in the pool because it felt better to push in the pool and I didn’t feel as much burning with pushing. That didn’t keep me from repeatedly stating, “this burns sooo much” and vocalizing through each push. Brande felt for baby again and noted that it felt very squishy. She had me step out of the pool to visualize what exactly was coming out, noting that hopefully it was not a “butt”. After looking she noted that baby’s water sack was still intact making its head have a “squishy” feel. At this point gravity was working in my favor as I squatted beside the pool and baby started to make its appearance. I could see the head crowning and I thought that doesn’t look too big. Brande applied vegetable oil to my perineum to support stretching as the baby’s head came out. As baby’s entire head came out I was surprised to see it was much bigger looking than the little bit of head I had saw crowning. Brande lifted baby up and Derek placed him on my chest. Brande got the sack off of his face and he started to cry. Somebody wrapped a warm towel around baby and I. I was so relieved to be done and finally to be meeting our baby boy Jase. He was wide eyed and so alert to his surroundings! A few minutes later a big blood clot came out and then there was blood that seemed to come out in a steady stream for a minute. Brande commented that it was more blood than she liked to see me lose so her assistant gave me a shot of Pitocin in my thigh and Brande gave me zytotec rectally. The bleeding stopped quickly after that and I never felt light headed. I delivered the placenta, which I was a little nervous about but it didn’t hurt at all. They helped me clean up and then get settled into bed with baby. They checked my vitals and then we got to help weigh and measure Jase. Derek made breakfast and we all sat on the bed eating and marveling at the sweet new life in front of us. Something that stuck with me was just how peaceful and quiet the whole experience was. Sure adrenaline was pumping as we worked through each contraction and push, but the atmosphere was quiet and intimate. No bright lights, people sticking me with needles, chatter or people I didn't even know around. Everyone was positive and encouraging. As we sat in bed the sun was coming up and it was snowing lightly outside our bedroom window as we held our new baby and thanked God for the miracle of life.

Jase Michael

We'll skip past the part where I apologize for not blogging in awhile because we were kind of busy building a house, moving and having a baby. On that note I'd like to introduce Jase Michael....the sweetest little guy ever. I am beyond blessed to be his Mama and no I didn't have a clue what a Mother's love was until I became a Mom myself. I love our little guy who isn't all that little anymore. More pictures and details to come :)

Menard's

It ends up that you can spend the vast majority of your time at a place that you never even set foot in just a few years ago. Here we are at Menard's for the 100th billionth time I think to myself as Derek and I both push squeaky carts down an isle with pipes. Derek examines each piece of pipe and I wonder how they can be any different when they all look the same. Derek makes a phone call to my uncle who is a plumber to confirm that he has in fact found the right piping. Country music continues to play over the loud speakers as we move on from the pipe isle with Derek's indecipherable shopping list. He fills our carts and I keep pushing mine along. It's 9:40pm and the sun has long been down....why does Menard's stay open till 10pm I wonder. Derek pauses again and I see a lawn chair display that I happily seat myself on. I don't care how ridiculous I look among the lawn chairs...I am clearly pregnant, which means I am also clearly tired. It takes us two trips to empty our carts and the cashier chipperly notes how often she sees Derek there. I mentally note how often our bank account "sees" Menard's. We drive and unload everything at the house in the dark, then drive home. I am officially tired and we fall asleep instantly when we go to bed.
Such is a glimpse of the exciting novelty of building a home;) That was just a bit of real life for you....but truly it has been so fun to see everything come together. This past weekend we painted the inside of our house and I am slowly catching glimmers of the end being in sight :) I'm thankful for the all the helping hands that have shown up to our house as well. We won't hesitate to put ya to work if you stop in for a tour :P

July to November....what a difference 5 months can make!

Those Bump Pics

Pre pregnancy I was one of those who was like I am not posting a bunch of pictures of my belly in pregnancy. I don't mind when other people do, but it's just not me. Fast forward and here I am 21 weeks pregnant with a conglomeration of belly bump pictures. Truth is the pictures show that progress is being made and that baby is growing, growing, growing and bringing me closer to meeting he or she:) Also when you don't feel good, which unfortunately I still feel nauseous about every evening, you learn to love knowing that progress is being made, subtle though it may be. We found out what baby is at our 20 week sonogram.....anddd it's a secret for Derek and I to know and you all to find out in February :) We're difficult like that ;)

Baby on board

Haley's wedding! 14 weeks pregnant

Halfway mark- 20 weeks!

Derek is going to be a great dad!

The back view of our house from a few weeks ago- next up shingles, siding and windows!

Welcome to: The first trimester

I have dubbed the first trimester of pregnancy the praying trimester. Why you may ask? Well that is an easy answer for me since I spent what seemed like the vast majority of the trimester praying (ehh begging?) God to sustain me long enough to live through the first trimester. Now I know I seem dramatic, but when I say I was naive about this whole pregnancy thing, I'm not kidding. Of course in nursing school I took the Obstetrics class and our textbooks started at conception and went to newborn. I learned about everything from ectopic pregnancies to placenta previa to oligohydramnios. We covered the symptoms of a newly pregnant women, but somehow feeling nauseated, tired, headaches, food aversions etc sounded not so bad on a Powerpoint presentation. Besides there are remedies for these things right....eat some crackers when you wake up, take it slow you pregnant women and you'll be fine. Not so much.
Derek and I found out I was pregnant on a beautiful summer day in June- one of the few non raining days. I was excited...so excited! I took 3 pregnancy tests and they all lit up with pink lines. I even held them up to the sunlight to make sure it was real:) We were pumped, it was our little secret and we were and are so thankful to God. The first week was a breeze, I felt normal. I ran, went to work feeling fine, ate normally and cooked food. I put my name on the "lucky pregnant women" list and bought myself a maternity shirt for further down the road. The 6 week mark came and like a ton of bricks I woke up for work in a cloud of nausea I didn't know existed. I hoped it was a fluke, but no every day thereafter was the same and the nausea stretched from morning till night. Everything looked gross, nothing sounded good, dried cereal was about all I could stomach and being at work seemed to triple my nausea. I counseled myself that others had it far worse and that I should be grateful, but grateful is hard to be when you're leaning over a toilet. I cried because I didn't feel so excited anymore and I cried for all the women who have had morning sickness and I prayed for them a whole lot too, especially the ones who already have little kiddos to take care of (yes I was rather emotional).
 As time went on though I learned how to cope a little better with it...It is actually possible to puke multiple times and still go to a Chiefs game and sip your ginger ale and converse with other people. It might feel better to be in bed, but sometimes I just felt like to sustain my sanity I had to get out sick or not. I'm 20 weeks now and Im starting to feel a Whole lot better. I am so grateful, God did not have to allow me to feel well at this point, but He has allowed it and I am ever so thankful for feeling well. Until this point I hadn't got into the full realm of "Baby", but now I've been looking at all the fun baby stuff there is.....So. Much. Cuteness! I wonder if we will have a boy or girl....I wonder who baby will look like and what baby will be like. It really is an exciting time that we are eager to enjoy. For now I am not wishing the months away, but rather savoring this season in life.....where it's still just Derek and I, but yet we are sitting on the brink of parenthood:) We are excited.

 

Rain, rain

A mailbox in place and our 4 acres of land in the background before we broke ground.

It so happens that rain does not make for the best building-your-house-weather. It also so happens that we are building a house during a summer that is producing a record amount of June rainfall. That was not exactly in the plans when we dug the hole for our house the end of May;) Nevertheless we are starting to make progress again after not much getting done in June. On the 3rd Derek, his dad and friends (who graciously sacrificed their day off) poured the footings for our house. Next on the agenda is the basement walls and from there hopefully things will start to move right along! We are hopeful to be in the house by this winter. Now whether that means Christmas or Valentine's Day or St. Patty's depends on a variety of factors that I probably don't even understand. Prayers are appreciated as we continue on this little adventure!

To the Dells..

Because Derek and I like to travel and make memories we headed up to Wisconsin Dells mid January for a three day trip. My Grandpa has a time share at Christmas mountain village that we were able to enjoy and I was excited for the time away from work. I still love being a nurse, but it is good to have some time away too. Christmas Mountain Village is beautiful...in the winter especially because of all the lights, decorations, pine trees, snow and cozy cabins. I told Derek I wouldn't mind trading our duplex for one of the little cabins...then again the kitchen wasn't very conducive to real life....(counter space anyone?), but the fireplace sure was cozy!

So we went to Kalahari's indoor waterpark (Derek's pick) and had a great time...the only thing that would've  been better is if it was summer so we could be outside in the sun. We tried all the rides, well Derek tried all the rides and I refused to go on the slide that is basically a huge drop off that ends in a wedgie. There was a surfing pool where you could attempt to surf. It was actually really fun until you wiped out on your board and got washed/drug away by the wave....by the way there is a reason that people wear a wetsuit while surfing.

We also got to do a little skiing at the resort on Tuesday which was their free lift ticket day. It was ok, but we have realized it's not our favorite thing to do anymore;) Hot chocolate and popcorn afterwards made up for the cold afternoon on the slopes. That night we went into town and went to a soup and sandwich cafe and then enjoyed the hot tub back at the resort. We had a nice time away from everyday life and had a great time together:) I'll have to upload the pictures sometime, but for now you just get the narrative version.

A Letter to our nieces

 

On January 13th I became an aunt to you sweet little twin girls. I remember when your mama called and said she was expecting and that it was Twins! I was so excited! You see your Mom and Dad had been in and out of doctors offices, hoping and praying for your conception. Every month we prayed that she could have a baby. You have a strong mama the way she waited and kept hoping. Sometimes I would doubt or wonder when the time would come, but the hot summer day she let us know we were so full of hope and joy! The due date was April the 18th. In the heat of the summer it felt like springtime would never come and so the waiting began. In November we were invited to your gender reveal party. I was sure it was going to be a little boy and girl, but when the balloons popped there was pink everywhere which meant two girls! The weekend after Christmas your mom, dad and uncle Derek and I headed to Indiana for the Frank Christmas. We had a good time with family and threw your Mom a baby shower complete with cupcakes, a diaper cake and all things pink and little. For one of the games we had to race to see how fast we could diaper a baby. Little did we know you two would be in diapers in just a few short weeks. The next day (Dec 28th) we left Indiana and piled the back of the car full of baby gifts. There almost wasn't room for Aunt Emily and Uncle Derek ;) Your mom was good about putting her feet up and resting in the car. She had mentioned that she had an appointment in the morning before work. I think I told her to let me know how it went, but I didn't think too much about it since it was routine. The next day at her appointment they decided your mom needed to be admitted for full bedrest with monitoring since her cervix was shortened to a .4 (not sure what all that means, but it wasn't good). That was a very scary thing for us to hear. I think your mom was around 24 weeks, that was too soon for you peanuts to be born. I barely slept that night. It seemed we had come so far yet here we were teetering on the edge of the unknown. This was a great test in faith in God and caused us to run to Him in prayer. I imagined that there would be at least a couple months ahead of us to hang out with your Mom and Dad in the hospital trying to pass the time, but you surprised us yet again when a couple weeks later your mom's water broke signaling to the world that you were on your way! Derek called me at work to tell me that your mom was going in for a Cesarean and that you would be born within the hour. I looked at the calendar....January 13th it said...this will be their birthday I thought to myself. It was all I could do to focus the rest of my shift. I was praying to God that you would be born full of life and he has answered our prayers. It's true you two are SO full of life, kicking, scrunching up your faces, making diaper changes difficult with your squirming and letting out little cries if your sleep is disturbed. Now your living with only the assistance of a feeding tube, a little oxygen and of course lots of love from your parents and family. We love you Addison and Natalie you are a sweet reminder of God's faithfulness.

Christmas catch-up

Christmas has obviously come and gone and I'm still here trying to figure out if we're really halfway through January and if I should take down the Christmas cards that are taped to our door. My family Christmas was a few days before Christmas and the kids actually went outside to play. It was a very weird thing after opening gifts and watching the kids out on the driveway riding bikes and pushing around toy mowers, but I was so glad they could since it turned icey cold soon after. We played games, ate lots of food and exchanged gifts. Every year we draw names among the siblings and try to keep it a secret. I drew Tiffany's name and she guessed that I had her right away. It must not have been very inconspicuous of me to text her a picture and ask her if she liked a certain item.......and then follow it up with "I'm asking for someone else". Yeah, I'll have to work on that for next years drawing.

 On Christmas morning Derek and I went to church with my parents and then we came home and he made a delicious brunch for us. We both remembered that last year we had picked something to make a Christmas tradition.....but neither of us could remember what it was...it must not have been a very good idea ;) We didn't exchange gifts between ourselves since we chose to go to Wisconsin for a few days and ski for our gift to each other. We are definitely a couple who prefers "experiences" over a material item. 

Little Jesse got Fritz a bathrobe that matches his:)

In other news Tiffany is engaged and I'm so excited for her and Jesse. They make a darling couple and I'm sure their May wedding will be here before we know it.....but until then January it is:)

Fall before Winter

Fall still comes before Winter even in the blogging world so alas I thought I should get that covered before Christmas comes:) This fall we kept up with our pumpkin carving tradition although I was hesitant at first. Or maybe the more accurate word is "lazy". For some reason pumpkin carving makes my arms so tired from sawing through the tough pumpkin skin with a little carving knife. I'm thinking an electric knife may be the way to go next year:) Tired arm or not I still love having a lit up pumpkin on my front porch even if no one can figure out what it is that I carved;)

Derek carved a coffee mug with steam coming out the top.

I carved a Nurse. Can you see the nurse hat, eyes mouth and stethoscope?

 Derek and I headed to Matthiessen state park on a beautiful October day. We went there this past spring and decided to go back this fall for some pretty autumn hiking.

Another fall necessity....fire roasted doughnuts!

Now that I've got a bit of our fall blogged, winter can officially commence.....ha! I do believe it's already been winter for a few weeks or so now.....so I suppose I should stop making pumpkin bars and pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread and move on to Christmas baking :)

My 24th and a case of Poison Ivy

On October 4th I turned 24 and it didn't really feel much different than the year before or the year before that? Could this mean I'm getting old...I don't like to think so;) Derek once again spoiled me. He is always going out of his way to make me feel special and loved and my birthday was no exception. Since my birthday is in October it can range in a variety of temperatures. I've had the rainy/misty birthday....the Indian summer hot birthday....the "I think it might snow" birthday. This year it was a "chilly winds" birthday. Derek and I wanted to take bikes out on the constitution trail, but even the thought of that made me want to burrow in a heating blanket. So we changed plans and went to Barnes and Noble for some cozy book reading. I'm not sure if it was Derek's favorite thing, but I can get lost in a book in 1.5 seconds no problem. After that we did some shopping and then went out to eat at Medici's in Normal. I loved the atmosphere at the restaurant and the food was good too. Then we found a little cupcake shop where I picked out a snicker's cupcake. Overall it was a good day and we took our bikes out a different day :) A few days after my birthday I started noticing that I had a lot of bumps on my feet and legs that looked suspiciously like poison ivy. We had recently been out in the timber, but I remembered showering right after so I was sure this wasn't it. Was I ever wrong. Within a few days it had spread over my body making me want to crawl out of my skin. It was the worst in the night by far. Sleep wasn't an option unless medicated with benadryl...which really only made me groggy. I remember looking at all these mom's with newborns posting pics on instagram of late night feedings and I'm thinking, "hey I'll get up with your baby and you can go back to sleep since I'm up anyway". Granted I'm sure said moms would not like someone with poison ivy holding their child. Anyway I finally called the Doctor and got a prescription for a steroid cream that seems to be working good. Needless to say I've been extra cautious since then when we are at wiener roasts or anywhere near the woods for that matter. Gotta love the country ;)

J&K Married!

                            

Wedding days always appear to go somewhat in the same fashion. You have the getting ready, the pictures, the bride looking gorgeous and the ceremony. I would argue though that there is always a few little things that set every wedding apart and this wedding was no exception. We got ready that morning and I was introduced to fake eye lashes....for the first time ever. I was somewhat hesitant when the makeup ladies whipped out the glue....I was wondering if it was a permanent thing there for a minute. After much reassuring and many a layer of I don't know what I had new eyelashes. I may or may not have texted Derek to let him know that he should not be alarmed if I look Egyptian. Anywho after all the fluff and getting into our dresses in walks one of the groomsmen with wet hair....wet shoulder length hair that is. He was wondering what to do with it for pictures since pictures were starting in about 15 minutes. Let's just say about 5 women descended on him with blow driers, straighteners, gel and hairspray. It was a funny sight, but we got the job done and I am now further convinced men should have short hair ;) Pictures commenced and it was an absolutely gorgeous September day.
                                     
Before we knew it it was time for the ceremony to start. Katy looked beautiful and I was so happy to be able to be apart of her day. From there we went to 5-points in Washington for the reception. We were all hungry and couldn't wait to eat;) It almost felt like a highschool reunion and was so fun to reconnect with people we hadn't seen for awhile.
                                           
Katy and I have been friends since middle school and have been through thick and thin together. I am especially grateful for her friendship and that she is always willing to lend a listening ear and that no time is too late or early to text her. We wish both of you the best in your marriage!

Canada Vacation {a favorite}

Originally this vacation was going to be an all guys trip, just my dad, brothers and brother in laws. You know the kind of trips where the guys run around in camo, burp a lot and eat all things unhealthy because there wives aren't there. Wellll then they said that there would be enough room for husbands to bring their wives if we were interested. I for one am not in the habit of turning down vacations, but I wasn't sure if this was my type of vacation. After all someone said that if you don't like fishing or eating fish you have no business in Canada ;). That posed a slight problem for me since I could count the number of times I've been fishing on one hand and fish isn't my favorite food (by a long shot) unless deeply fried, seasoned and disguised to not be so...uh...fishy. Anyway I thought about it and figured I could read or work on my tan if all else failed so off to Canada I went with the guys, my two sisters and niece.
And I'm so glad I did..

The guys are off for an evening of fishing

Evie liked her "pet" minnows

Lakeside nap

Just him and I getting ready to leave the dock to go to crab claw lake.

Hiking at nearby national park

It shouldn't have been a surprise that I liked it so well since I love being in the outdoors and here we got to experience it everyday. There were bald eagles, snapping turtles, beavers and more. Hopping on a boat whenever you wanted and taking off across miles of lakes was so fun and refreshing. There were a couple days were my luck at fishing seemed all  but non existent, but after I started catching fish and lots of them I started to think fishing wasn't all bad after all;) The days that it did require my patience I was often found with a magazine lounging in the boat. Other days we went tubing, swimming, shopping at a farmers market, blueberry picking, hiking and listening to fishing stories. The fishing stories were some of the best times. Everyone anticipated hearing them at supper time, everyone hopeful that everyone caught something and excited to share their stories.....even if a couple stories involved running boats into rocks (opps), getting caught in a rainstorm or thinking you had a GReat catch when in reality you'd caught someone else's lure (Little Rascal's anyone?).

Fishing with the pro Walleye catcher

Fishing at dawn

I think it's safe to say I know more fishing "lingo" than I'll ever need to know and I have an admiration and awe of the Canadian land we were in. We had a great time in the beauty of Canada!