Where in the world?

So where in the world were we for the past month?
The short answer...here and there.

But do I ever give the short answer?  Never. 
So here it is. The roadtrip extravaganza re-cap. 
Buckle up it was quite the ride!

Day 1: Traveling.  Lots and lots of driving. No pictures of that "excitement". You are welcome.

Day 2: Grandma & Grandpa's house (ie my parents).  I chopped my hair and my parents took me down memory lane at one of my favorite childhood restaurants. The burgers and shakes were just as good as I remembered!

 

Days 3-6: My mom and I volunteered as the camp nurses while Isaiah was a first time camper at Camp Lebanon.  Mostly we just played and had a great time. And I tried my hardest not to be too much of a mamarazzi. Isaiah celebrated his 6th birthday at camp and got to SKIP AROUND THE ROOM.

 

I almost forgot. The last day of camp was also the day the kids and I went to the Music Park dedication (grand opening ceremony?!) as my in-laws sponsored an instrument.

 

 

 

Day 7: Playdate with a high school friend and her kids. No pictoral evidence. Oops. We just had too much fun catching up - no time for pictures. Plus we had 6 kids between the 2 of us to keep track of! This is also the day we found Turtlick. For Joe this was test day. I tried my hardest not to worry all day. That is asking a lot of me.

Day 8: Breakfast with another high school friend. It was fabulous and also undocumented.  My in-laws threw the kids a family birthday party that evening. Clearly Hannah loved her first boat ride. Daddy joined via FaceTime:) I decided we should honor my birthday too...

Day 9 - 10: The kids and I drove to visit our old Wisconsin friends. Joe met us there!!! Lots of relaxation and good food. These people really know how to host a family! The girls and I celebrated my birthday the first night. 

 

 

 

Days 11 - 14: Camping just our family of 5! It was perfect. Quiet campground next to a library and playground and within walking distance of tourist-y Lanesboro. We relaxed and enjoyed time together. We had ice cream every day! Perfect. We explored Niagara Cave too. Oh and family vacation just wouldn't be complete without somone holding a soda to their forehead, now would it?!

 

 

Day 15: Due to severe thunderstorms and flash flooding we packed up camp and sought shelter (and FUN) at America's Best Inn. And fun we had! It was during this leg of the trip that we discovered our kids can be really good eaters....when parked in front of the TV!

 

Day 16: A quick visit with one of our favorite families from my PA school days. We just had to stop by since we were "in the area". Relatively speaking that is.

 

How cute are these baby girls?!?

I just can't believe I didn't get a picture of their moms together:)

 

Days 17: I was sick. So pretty much the only thing I accomplished was driving the kids and I back to my parents' house so they could keep them alive and well.  Joe went home:(

 

Days 18 - 19:  Went 'Up North' to spend time with relatives. We celebrated my cousin's 30th birthday. Lots of food and game playing.

 

 

Days 20 - 21: Wedding prep was in FULL FORCE! We did manage to sneak in a little play time and ice cream with raspberries:) And we raced a some turtles.

 

 

 

 

Day 22: Lots of fun. No pictures. I may have had my crabby pants on. Yikes! Sorry.  Back to the fun. Bachelorette brunch and pedicures. Groom's dinner, which was much more than a dinner. It was an afternoon at the lake. And last but not least the rehearsal and dessert. Oh yes, this is also the day I nearly sliced off my toe. Shutting the barn door in the dark in flip flops is NOT a good idea. Lesson definitely learned. 

Oh look I found a picture on my phone!

And another...

Day 23: THE DAY...the weddding day! It really was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect (mid seventies and sunny...the scattered storms stayed away). And the bride was even MORE BEAUTIFUL.  The ceremony was incredibly personal and moving. I cried. A LOT. And our  grandparents' yard was the perfect setting.

 

Days 24 - 26:  After the longest drive from MN to WI in the history of drives (while caravaning with my sister and her kids and taking too many unexpected detours and wrong turns) we arrived at our annual Cousin Reunion. I was quite reluctant to believe that this last leg of the trip was going to be worth it. But it was:) I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

 

  

  

  So after all that I guess there really is a short answer. We went to Minnesota then Wisconsin then back to Minnesota then Wisconsin again. And finally home. And home is where we plan on staying for a while.