Vacation Number Two....

I am behind on my vacation post! We got back from our 4th of July vacation on Sunday the 5th and then left for vacation number two on July 10. We got back from that vacation on Monday the 13th and left for vacation number three on Friday the 17th. For today I am going to blog about vacation number two.

We went for annual vacation to my sisters house on Pimushe Lake. It was a smaller crowd this year but we all managed to have fun. As you can see in the above picture everyone was able to relax.

                                                                     
                                                                          Kyran and Riley

                                     
                                     Otis making friends with one of Diane's dogs, Casper

I love this picture! Casper is huge next to little 9 pound Otis. Otis held his own with all the big dogs running all over the place with them. When he would have enough he would come running and jump into my arms. Morgan on the other hand wanted nothing to do with them and spend most of her time in the camper.

                                     
                                          Jeff and Mitch enjoying the warm weather

                                           
                                                      Diane, Rod, Mitch and Jeannie

                                           
                                                   Rick and I taking the mandatory trip selfie

Fishing was good for the weekend for pan fish. Rick was happy to be out on the lake and be able to go fishing again. It has been awhile

Zack, Bradley and Riley trying to cut a big log. I told then that if they cut through it with that little saw I would give them $10.00. They tried but my $10.00 was safe.

                                               
                                                          The marshmallow roasting crew

More fun on the lake. We had really nice weather while we were there. It rained on Saturday night but then cleared up for us for most of the day Sunday. Sunday night they had big storms all around us so we were lucky not to get them.

Riley is like a fish on the water 

Mitch decided that he was going to get through the log that the boys gave up on. He was finally able to get it apart with the axe.


We had a great time seeing everyone again. It is always fun to get together. We got to do some fishing, swimming sitting around the campfire and taking some nice walks. It was a relaxing vacation.

Up next vacation number three...

Sharon

Perch Lake County Campgrounds.....

                     Rick and Oliver cooking a couple hotdogs over the fire for lunch

                                                                     Rick, Christa and Jese

Christa insisted that we go pick wild flowers and then she  had to arrange them just right in her bike baskets for a picture.

                 Oliver was very excited to eat a beef hamburger for the first time in his life.

                                                                 We love our new camper!

                                           Christa biking around the campgrounds on her retro bike

They had this big sign as you enter the campgrounds. I thought it was funny that it said no liquor but then said no beer containers over one quart. I guess beer is not liquor!?!

                                                   Otis was enjoying the relaxing day.

                                                                             Wild flowers

                                                         The walking trails in the park

                                                                A view of the lake

                              I found this cool looking spiderweb when I was walking the trails.

I also found these cool looking mushrooms on my walk. I was told that they are called chicken of the woods and are edible. I thought it made a great picture.

                                                          Another view of the lake

Otis and his bunny. Otis ripped all the stuffing out of the bunny and now carries it everywhere. He loves his bunny.

Poor Otis still does not like to go on walks. As soon as I take the harness out he starts to quiver and make himself as small as he can. It is so funny. Once we get going he is just fine. He is a great walker and does not pull on the leash.  

                                                         Oliver on the 4th of July

                            Oliver and Morgan watching the woods for squirrels. It was so cute.

                                                            Some more wild flowers

Funny story of the trip. Christa and I were sitting by the campfire when we heard all kinds of noise. We looked and saw this SJV pushing the camper below up the hill to the campgrounds. It was so funny. At one time the camper started to roll backwards and slip on the gravel. I guess the camper broke down but they still wanted to go camping. It was pretty funny to watch.

We decided since I had a 5 day weekend we would go camping in Truman. A few weeks ago Jese came across Perch Lake County Park/campgrounds just 4 miles south of Truman. They only have 9 sites with hookups and do not take any reservations. Since it was the 4th of July weekend we figured it would fill up so we went down on Wednesday night. Christa, Jese and Oliver came to visit. Christa made lasagna for us for supper.
Rick had to work on Thursday so he spent the night in the camper and then went back to Waseca to work. It is just over an hour away. I spend all day Thursday just relaxing with the dogs. It was nice! We went for walks in the woods and I sat in the sun reading. I was so nice to just do nothing. Rick got back around 6:00 and then we went into Truman and watched Oliver play T-ball. It was a good day.
Friday Christa, Jese and Oliver came and set up their tent to camp for the weekend. It was a fun weekend. We went swimming in Fairmount ( there is not a beach on Perch Lake) Rick, Jese and Oliver went fishing. And we just relaxed.

We really liked the campground. I'm sure we will go back there. It is nice that it is small. They have good trails to walk and bike on, the lake had pretty good fishing in it and the playgrounds was big for Oliver to play in. It was a very nice place to stay.

Now it is time to get ready for our next camping trip.....

Sharon

One more goal achieved....

Okay I know you are probably sick of hearing about my steps and goals but since this is my Blog I'm going to write about it anyhow :) I'm proud of myself for setting goals and making them or at least try to make them every week.

I decided last week that I would try and walk at least 20,000 steps everyday for the week. 

As you can see I did it! I averaged 23,000 steps a day and even managed to sqweak in another 30,000 step day. 

I walked just over 74 miles with my worse day walking just over 9.5 miles. Even when I was running 5 days a week I did not put in that many miles. 

I've heard from some people that walking is not really exercise. Well I disagree! I power walk. I have been walking around the lake at least 3 times a week, it is a 7 mile trip from my house. It takes me around an hour and fourty minutes to do it. I figure that's a pretty good pace for walking. 

July is going to be vacation month for us. We have 4 camping trips planned  so I am guessing I will not be doing 20,000 steps a day. But that's okay because my hips need a little rest :)

Happy Walking Everyone! 

Sharon 

And Then It Was The Law......

 So I am way late at posting this to my blog because I put it on Facebook and then forgot to put it on my blog. I am a bad mom...So for those of you that do not know Cassie is pregnant!!! We are all very excited. She is now 19 weeks along but she has not sent me a updated picture so this is all you get.

 Cassie and I had a girls night on Thursday. We went to Union Rooftop for supper. It was very good and lots of fun. It was the first time I have ate on a rooftop restaurant. The weather was perfect to be outside and the view was great.

 After dinner we went to the show Once. It was really good. Cassie and I were both fans of the movie and have wanted to see the play for awhile. I was able to get a good deal on the tickets so we went. It has such great music/songs in it.

 

 OBERGEFELL

v.

 HODGESOpinion of the Court

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice,
and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of
the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage
embodies a love that may endure even past death. It
would misunderstand these men and women to say they
disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do
respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its
fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the
eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit is reversed.
It is so ordered.

The above is part of the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. It pretty much says it all.
I am so happy that it now the law that same-sex marriage is now legal in every state in the nation. I am happy not only for the couple who have waited for this for years but also for the next generation who are going to grow up having this as the norm. It will no longer be something to even think about it will just be normal. Yea for America!!!

Sharon

Making Time.....

                    I decided it is about time to make time to update my blog so here you go....

I asked Rick to make me a gate for the top of our stairs to keep the dogs upstairs. They are so bad when people come over for string orders. They bark and jump all over in excitement and fear.Once the people are in the house for a few minutes they are just fine. So now I can keep them away until they settle down. Rick made the gate out of a pallet he took apart. I sanded it just enough to get any splinters out and then varnished it to match the rest of the house. It looks great.

Rick got me a new toy. We had a weed whip that was old and heavy and was near impossible to start. I could never use it so the yard suffered. Christa told me to get one like hers so I checked it out and talked Rick into buying it for me. It runs on a rechargeable battery. It is super lightweight and works really good. I can do are whole yard on one charge. We have a lot of trees etc to go around so I am very happy with it. Rick is happy too because now I can do the weed whipping.

Jane, Paul, Rick and I went to see Bette Midler in St. Paul. Before the show we went to Great Water Brewery for supper. The concert was really good. Even Paul and Rick loved it. She is so funny and sings so good.

 I hate getting up early but every once in awhile as I drive into work I get the most beautiful show in the sky. The sunrise was unbelievable today. So for today it was worth being on the road at 5:00 in the morning.

Lastly I had a big milestone this weekend. I was able to walk over 30,000 steps on Saturday. I was excited to make the goal. It is just over 13 miles. I worked on Saturday and it  was graduation so I was running all over the place. I had over 20,000 steps before I got home. I knew I could get 10,000 more steps in so Rick and I took the dogs for a 5 mile walk and that put me over the top. I was excited. Now I need to have a new goal. I am thinking that I will try and get the 30,000 all in one shot. I figure if I walk around the lake which is 7 miles from our house and then just turn around and walk around it again I will be able to make 30,000.  I am very curious as to how long it will take me. I have really been getting the itch to start running again....maybe...

Sharon  

Summer Dress Project....

 Last spring Cassie made me get this fabric. I did not really like it but I got it anyhow because if Cassie likes it then it must be okay......
I finally got around to using it. I made myself a light fun wrap dress for the summer. It turned out better then I thought it would. You will have to wait to see it on me since I did not fix my hair today so no pictures of me allowed. 

It does not drag on the floor when it is on. My dress form is not tall enough.

So other then my obsessive walking I have been sewing.....

Sharon