2019 Trip to Bottle Bay

In late August (yes, I am WAYYY behind on posting ... please forgive me!), the kids, Huck, and I had a long weekend in Idaho ...  Bottle Bay on Lake Pend Orielle, to be specific. We were hosted by my brother and his family at their new cabin, which is next door to the cabin my sister and brother-in-law own. (How handy!)

We drove to Lake Pend Orielle on Thursday after Annika finished the final day of her middle school study skills camp at Blanchet. Fortunately, the drive went off very smoothly. Huck proved himself to be a champ on a long drive (whew!) and the kids were really good about keeping themselves occupied to help past the time. On our final approach to the lake, we were lucky enough to see a wild turkey and a deer. Fun stuff! We got to the lake around 7 PM, so quickly unloaded the car and got settled at my brother's place before it got too dark.

Huck, my co-pilot

This was the first time I'd been to my brother's new place and wasn't quite sure what to expect, in terms of layout, accommodations, etc. The kids, Huck, and I were in the "apartment" above the garage and it worked out swimmingly! We had our own space to spread out and not disturb people when our kids woke up before their older cousins. It allowed for us to not be on top of each other and to keep me from stressing about getting in anyone else's way. So nice!!

Our first full day at the lake was Friday and we filed it with walks, swimming in the lake, a boat trip to Sandpoint (hello, Starbucks!), and catching up with our various family members. The kids and I had a quiet start to our morning with a little lounging around, followed by some breakfast, and a walk (with Huck) to the end of the road. We took in the beautiful views and enjoyed the serenity of the lake. Anna arrived later in the afternoon once she was done at work, which was an added bonus to the day.

Annika, Ian, and Conor at Starbucks

Conor and Annika on Lake Pend Orielle

Captain Troy, at yer service

Lake girl

Conor and Huck checking out the lake

SPLASH

Cute kiddos

Staci paddling around Pend Orielle

Ian mastering his new paddle board

Annika trying out Ian's paddle board

 The big news of the day was Annika decided it was time to learn how to water ski. Uncle Troy drove the boat while Uncle Randy coached her from the water. After quite a few failed attempts, Uncle Randy had the idea of having the boat "walk" her for a bit so Annika could get the feel for being pulled by the boat. That was the trick! After being "walked" for a little bit, she gave us the "hit it!" command and she was up!!

Randy showing us how its done

Troy taking a lap around the bay

Randy coaching Annika

 

She did it!! Annika's first time up on skis

Huck says the lake is fun but tiring

Unfortunately for Conor, the day took a bit of a downturn when a sharp lake rock and Conor's foot became one. Fortunately, Auntie Suzanne was on hand to evaluate things and deemed stitches unnecessary (whew). That said, having a big slice on his foot kept Conor a bit lower key and we decided to let his foot heal before trying to learn how to water ski. (Next year, buddy!) 

Playing a dice game with Conor while he kept his foot up

Annika and Huck chilling out after lots of lake fun

Ian and Conor playing catch before dinner ... yes, Ian wound up
in the lake many times over the course of their game

 The other big news of the day was it was Ian's 18th birthday. We had a fun family dinner at Troy'Staci's main cabin, complete with chicken alfredo and tiramisu (Aegis style!) for dessert. Yum and yum! Welcome to adulthood, Ian! :)

Singing "Happy Birthday' to Ian and belated b-day to Annika

Day two at the lake was much like the day before. We started out with a quiet morning ... the pace at the cabin is truly a marvelous thing. We went for more walks, relaxed by the lake, played games, read, and enjoyed being with each other. The Nelsons and the Olsons opted to hit the Bottle Bay Marina for lunch after hearing the rave reviews from Suzanne and Randy about the improved food. Staci and I walked to the marina while Troy and the kids boated over. We got two tables right next to the lake (oh darn...) and wound up having a lovely lunch together chatting about life, Ian's upcoming move to CWU, and how we should spend the rest of our day. All in all, quite a lovely outing.

Troy and Randy wound up running some errands earlier in the day, which took them into town and to a sporting goods store. They came back with a two-seat inner tube for the boat. Win!! Needless to say, THAT was a big hit with the kids. (Considering Conor's foot was still less than perfect ... having the inner tube was a pretty perfect thing. Fun behind the boat without the need for more bandaids than we were already using!)

Conor and Annika ready for some fun

Kat ... all geared up and ready for some time on the water

WHEEEE

SO. MUCH. FUN.

Troy and Kat enjoying the inner tube

With tubing time behind us, it was back to donning the water skis! Anna started us out with a brave plunge into the cold water. She was up her first try ... cold water will motivate you to get it right! She took a lap around the bay, showing us her parade princess wave, and made the whole thing look so darned easy.

Anna's turn to show us how it's done

Conor mastering the kayak

 Annika enjoyed the previous day's skiing efforts so much that she was HUNGRY to try again. God bless Randy for spending THAT much time floating in the water with her ... and after she got up and took a lap around the bay! Fortunately, Ian and his new paddle board proved to be quite the handy "lake lyft".... Ian "rescued" Randy and wound up shuttling various skiers back and forth between the boat (or where they let go of the ski rope) and the dock much of the afternoon.

Annika up for a full lap around the bay

Not to be outdone by everyone else!

We finished off our last full day at the lake with more family time and a big group of very tired people ... but tired in a good way.

Huck and Bo ... vacation dogs

Our drive home on Sunday was timed on getting to the fruit stand in Ellensburg before it closed at 6. We packed up our things, cleaned the cabin, helped with a few last-minute tasks, and headed down the road at 11:58. (My goal was to leave by noon. Mic drop!) We drove across the state without incident and got to the fruit stand in plenty of time (yippee) and I happily bought my 20-pound box of peaches that were turned into peach butter a few days later (YUM!). The portion of our drive from Ellensberg to our house SHOULD have taken just under 2 hours. Thanks to a previous accident and funky traffic flows caused by construction projects, it took us over 3 hours. An extra hour plus at that point in our drive was truly painful. Yes, we made it in one piece ... but one very tired and glad to be home piece.   

Cousin Frank's Wedding

Last month, my cousin Frank got remarried and we were invited to be part of the celebration. So, the morning of the wedding, we piled into the van and made the trek down to Portland.

Knowing that we'd be traveling on Memorial Day weekend, we were keen to avoid as much holiday traffic as possible, we we timed our time on I-5 very strategically. For the most part, we had an easy drive. We did encounter some slow downs in/around downtown Seattle (no surprise there) and near the bases south of Tacoma (again, no surprise). We got to our hotel in time to get settled and take a few breaths before changing into our wedding clothes and heading out to the church. It was rather hot that and we were quite grateful for the AC in the car... and later, the pool at the hotel.

The ceremony was sweet. My cousin basically cried the entire time. The priest was quite a character, and even brought Joy dish soap in to the mix. Troy did the readings, many of my cousins were in the wedding party (y'all clean up real good!), Troy/Staci helped performed the lasso portion of the wedding, and I was the Eucharistic minister. WHEW! I'm pretty sure Eric and Conor were most excited when I suggested they avoid wearing their blazers because of the heat. (Yeah, increasing my chances for winning wife/mom of the year right there!) :)

The reception was held at the Elks Club that very kindly had AC. A few of us (me included) were plagued by sore feet, but at least no one had to melt in the heat. (My van's display registered 102F when we left the church!!!) We were asked to offer marriage advice to the newlyweds, which we all did ... including our kids (see below). The band was quite good and many a twirl, boogie, and twist was performed over the course of the evening. At one point, I tried to get my cousin Ron's little girl (4) to dance with Conor, to which she replied, "EW! I don't dance with BOYS!" (Oh how she'll change her mind on that in another 10 years of so!)

I had a great time catching up with my extended family members, many of whom I haven't seen in years. The kids had fun meeting new (to them) cousins and dancing until they were exhausted. Annika and Conor were most tickled, however, when my Aunt Marie gave them $2 bills. Who carries those around with them?!?!?! Our kids didn't even realize $2 bills existed until she handed them to the kids.

After the reception, we make the short trek back to the hotel. The kids and I hopped into the pool while Eric lounged by the side of the pool. Eventually, we hit our pruny fingers and toes limit and headed back to our room, only to be invited by Troy/Staci to come over to their room for pizza (Bonus!!). We quickly changed into dry clothes and had a little post-reception reception. We recounted funny stories and shared memories from the day and our previous excursion to visit this side of the family during our childhood years. We fondly told stories about visiting our grandma "back in the day" and (perhaps) made her a bit of a known entity for our kids, who never had the chance to know her.

We practically fell into bed that night, to say the least! Lots of fun, but so tired. :)

Marriage blessing

The Olson Four

Conor loved the wedding bells

Conor's marriage advise (pt 1)

Conor's marriage advice (pt 2)

Aunt Marie and me

Annika escorting Aunt Marie back to her table

My cousin Terri, Annika, and me

Uncle Jim (also my godfather) and me

Terri and me

Doesn't Conor look THRILLED to be surrounded by us gals??

My little cousin Tonya is so darned lovable!

Conor showing off his dance moves

The men of the family

Staci is the BEST photobomber EVER

Troy, Annika, and me

My cousin Terri, her husband John, and me

Fabulous Father's Day

Wow! What a day this year's Father's Day turned into ... fun, but non-stop!

Eric suggested that we take the kids to the new Pixar movie "Inside Out" as part of our weekend plans. Great! We figured getting to the first show of the day made the most sense and getting there 25 minutes before the start time would be plenty of time ... we were so wrong! We wound up sitting in the 4th row of the theater, which was MUCH closer than we normally sit. Fortunately, it all worked out and we all enjoyed the movie. It was funny, touching, goofy, and insightful... what more can you expect from a Pixar movie??

After the movie, we went home for lunch, caught our breath for a few minutes, and then high tailed it to the pool for Annika's diving class and then swimming lessons for both kiddos. As soon as the kids were done with their lessons, we bolted for the family changing room, where we had the kids quickly shower and get dressed to have dinner at my brother's house. WHEW!!

Because there were MANY moving parts to the day (including our nephew and brother-in-law going to the Mariners game and my sister/nieces driving back from a wedding in Pullman), we initially weren't sure if the timing to have dinner together would work out, but it did! Everyone arrived within 20-ish minutes of each other. In fact, my sister and nieces pulled up to my brother's house just as we did. An added motivation to make the dinner plans work out was me being able to retrieve my car from my sister. Bonus. :)

We had a lovely and very relaxed dinner as an extended family. It gave my heart such joy to see our kids playing with so many of their cousins. I can't help but wonder if any of the day will stick with our kids as long-term memories, but I truly hope it does. As my parents' grandchildren grow into more and more independent people, getting everyone together will become increasingly difficult. We know they love our kids and vice versa, but having the ability to share air and take up the same space is the icing on top of the proverbial cake.

Troy, Emily, and Eric ... the guys are sharing a beer that Emily
brought home from her recent 3-month stint in Europe

Conor and Eric getting in a little frisbee time

Mama and Annika

Conor and Emily

Annika getting a big hug from Uncle Randy

Cousins!

Apparently, Robert still isn't too big to sit on his big sister's lap

Suzanne and Randy chillaxing

Mellow Anna sporting her dad's hat

Howdy, Kat!

"Conor, what're you doing?"
"Oh, just hangin' around with big cousin Robert."

Before I close this post, I am going to take a moment to tip my hat (please assume I'm wearing one) to my amazing partner in crime and a truly magnificent father. From the moment we found out that Annika was on her way into our lives, he has worn the "dad" badge with honor, integrity, and a wonderful sense of humor.

I couldn't ask for a better man to teach us what it means to be a dad and act as a role model for what a truly caring, responsible, fun, and loving man can and should be. Knowing that Conor has Eric to look up to as he grows into a man in his own right gives me great hope for his future. Likewise, having Eric show Annika what it means to be a reliable, loving, father and husband on a daily basis gives me courage as she develops into a woman who will (one day looooooooooong from now) will look at potential life partners of her own.

Our children are incredibly blessed to have Eric as their dad, and I feel beyond fortunate to share the journey of parenthood with him by my side.

Eric and newborn Annika

Eric and newborn Conor

Annika and Daddy... he'll always be there to lift her up

Daddy = Horse

Eric teaching Annika life skills

Daddy is so much fun

My favorite trio in the whole world

Daddy smootches

Daddy teaching Annika more life skills (aka beer brewing)

"Once more around the lake, Daddy!"