Our Super Duper Lake Vacation

I had intended to do a post about the Lake...well, last week, after we got back.  Obviously, life got in the way, so I thought I would pound out a quick post now.  Our long {but, really, short} weekend at Winnipesaukee was everything I had hoped it would be.  We were blessed with THE MOST INCREDIBLE weather imaginable; high 70s, low 80s, not a cloud in the sky {other than when we needed a brief breather from the hot, mid-day sun}, and a soft breeze blowing, and dropping to the 40s and 50s at night.  Seriously, come on.  New England, you're such a flirt.

We all know that sitting around and "relaxing" is not at all my strong suit, although wearing the boot certainly forced me to adopt that lifestyle to a certain extent.  But really, there is nothing like laying out on our ginormous dock for hours on end, reading a book under a perfect blue sky and popping in the water for an occasional swim.  It really doesn't get any better.

Since we really were not on the island for very long {not to mention my mobility was limited}, we didn't really venture out very much.  My dad did take us on a real estate boat tour of the lake {not that we asked for one, but the man is a student of property values, so we humored him}.  I'll hand it to him, he knows where all of the "celebrities" live, although, I don't know that any of us would have the slightest idea if he was wrong.  But really, the best part of the weekend was that I was spending it with some of my very favorite people, and Dan said that it was great for him to be able to picture the place that I have talked about incessantly since, oh, about our second date.  I have a one-track mind, that's for sure.

Leaving the Lake has never been easy for me, particularly when we were there for such a short amount of time.  I also couldn't help but think that, what with the potential changes in our lives over the next year, this one may be our last at the Lake for a while.  I'm holding out hope that we'll make it back next year, mostly because letting go of a place that has been in your life since you were two years old is a tall order.  Every year, it feels like no time at all has passed when we arrive, which is perfect for a person who thrives on routine and consistency.  Other than the consistency, though, it is just SUCH a special place, and certainly makes up the fibers of who I am.

Side note: When my family was up at the Lake, baby bro found out that he is gainfully employed!!!!!! He achieved his dream of moving to NYC, and will be starting work next week! To say that I'm proud of him is an understatement.

Poor Dan endures trial by fire during Lake Golf, a game that, surprisingly, requires no golfing skill

Don't pretend you're not jealous

Rockin' the boot, lovin' life

So.tantalizingly.close

I have one-and-a-half more workdays until I will be free as a bird, skipping away into the sunset (erm, not quite, more like spending 10 hours in the car!) and en route to the Lake.  This week has been pretty rough, with lots of fires to put out and projects to finish up on at work before I leave for vacation.  Our website launch for the coming year will happen while I am gone, so I had to get all of my updates done in the system before leaving, which has been quite the time-consuming project.  I think I am in a good place now, though, before I leave for a little over a week.  I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel, though, and the Lake is the one place where I can truly disconnect and relax, so it's not like we have another European walk-ten-miles-a-day adventure planned (which, however wonderful, was not relaxing in the least!).

I have been completely packed since Monday evening (see? I wasn't lying about being over-the-top excited!!).  My poor little Vera Bradley duffel is bursting at the seams, because I was read the riot act by my mom and was told that I was only allowed one suitcase and my backpack, due to the fact that we have a substantially smaller car now (I am beginning to think that our little Tiguan, which, given the height of everyone in my family, looks more like a clown car, was a bad idea).  Last night, Dan brought my bag over to his place in his car so that I wouldn't have to carry it on the Metro today (smart thinking, me! And I am so appreciative of him taking the bag with him when he left my apartment and lugging it up to his apartment) and remarked that the bag is so full that it is actually solid (really, you can't push any part of it in!).  We all know that packing is not one of my best skills (although I will never forget my triumphant packing victory when we went to Europe, when my suitcase was the second-lightest). 

Tonight, we have dinner planned at my parents' place with my parents, Dan and myself, Tim (who is home from New York!) and my cousin who is here for the summer, which should be nice.  I also get to pick up my new running shoes today (!!!!!!!!!!!!) which finally arrived!  I have had my current ones since December, and I have recently begun to feel the fact that I have far exceeded the 300-500 miles maximum that they tell you to put on each pair.  I'm excited to break these new ones in before our race!

In any event, I will be disconnecting from the blog while I am there, but you can bet that I will have a full recap of our vacation when I return!  I hope you all have a wonderful remainder of your week/weekend!