Vacation Recap

Now that I'm settled in, back to work, finished with the laundry, and vacation is already seeming like a distant memory, here's a full recap:

Matt and Mandy so kindly invited us to join them on a summer trip to Matt's parents' lake house. And we accepted, because we're not stupid.

The lake house is really the perfect place to get away. Situated just far away from everything to feel relaxed, but not so far you can't make a trip to the store if you underestimate your need for Parmesan cheese, Hugh and I thoroughly enjoyed days of having NOTHING to do. No work, no lab, no school, no chores, no laundry - we were almost in shock for the first twenty four hours.

Mandy and I commented about having nothing to do multiple times each day we were there. We said things like, "Oh, hey, what do you want to do when we get finished doing nothing? Oh, I don't know. How about some more nothing?" And then we laughed. Because we're clever. And easily amused.

Anyway, the lake was well-stocked with things like books, and comfortable beds, and floats, and an endless supply of beach towels, and cheese and crackers. We four English majors spent a good portion of our time deciding whether to read on the porch or on the couch or on the dock. The best kind of vacation decision, really. And then we would take a break to eat some cheese and crackers and drink margaritas.

Some highlights of our vacation:

Fletcher hates to swim, so we found him a dog life jacket:

Which was fortuitous, because then he fell in the lake:

But we rescued him, unscathed except for his wounded pride:

And then we took him on a boat ride, which totally made up for the fact that he could have drowned (said his overprotective Momma). He completely loved it. And I loved those ears, flapping in the breeze:

Our meals were out of control with deliciousness - carbonara, burgers, barbecue chicken pizza, steak, twice-baked potatoes, Caesar salad, and steak sandwiches. And moreover, cooking them was a fun and relaxed family affair. Because we had nothing else to worry about.

I would like this vacation to serve as further proof that my husband really is good at everything. Mandy bought a whole beef tenderloin and we planned to cut it into filets. Except we had no idea how to do this. So we asked Hugh to do it. And his dreams of becoming a butcher (after he becomes a doctor) were a little bit fulfilled.

This is what he started with:

Don't mind my skeptical expression; I really do have complete confidence in him.

And this is the finished product:

I know, right?

And after all that fun, we came back to the real world. Thanks for the perfect getaway, M Cubed! We look forward to many more family vacations to come.