Corona Virus Quarantine Day #119, #120, #121, #122: Social Distance lake life: July 22, 2020

When we went to the lake a few months ago with my sister and friends it was exactly the break from the monotony of social distancing that we all needed.  Around that same time Bryan emailed me a receipt from VRBO that said he rented a house on the lake for later in the summer.

At the time he booked it I was under the impression that I would have just finished 2 straight weeks of volleyball camp.  It was perfect timing, a chance to recoup after 10+ hours a day in the gym for 2 straight weeks.  Camp is something I really enjoy and was so looking forward to, and as we all know, it got cancelled…again.  So while I thought I’d be at the lake the last 4 days celebrating a successful camp session I was instead at the lake being distracted from the latest loss due to the corona.

Nevertheless, we were at the lake the last few days which explains my absence in posting.  Since we were going anyways…we decided to extend our stay and spend a few days with two of our favorites, the Hohensinner’s!  Greg and Elaine both worked at St. James with us and are both retired now…at the lake.  They live lake life 24/7 and I have to tell you, in the middle of a pandemic, they have got this thing figured out.  If I had a crystal ball (and a million dollars) I’d buy a house on the lake as well and go do my work remotely from there.  I mean, why not?  You have a beautiful view, lots of activities for the kids and you are automatically socially distant there as well.

These are weird and confusing times that’s for sure.  On our way back home today the Kansas Board of Education voted down the Governor’s order to suspend the start of school until September 8^th.  While some people here are celebrating that fact, others are fearful.  No one knows what is right.  What is certain now is that it will be up to local government as well as individual schools to decide what is best for themselves.  Yikes!  That means there will be more waiting, more uncertainty and everyone will be scratching their heads on what is the safest and best move.

I continue to wait semi-patiently.

The lake was just what the doctor ordered for our family the 2^nd time around.  The kids had a blast and we got to spend quality time together outside our home in a different and super fun environment.  I’m grateful to our friends for housing us for a few days and for my husband who had the foresight to plan this much needed getaway.

As always, with events like “cation” the stories are best told in pictures.  So here it goes…

The jet ski was a fan favorite.  For the record (though there is no photographic evidence), I drove this bad boy as well.  My wild side came flying out as I learned I very much enjoy going fast on this baby.  When you hit a wave and fly in the air it’s pretty awesome.  The kids appreciated my driving and they liked Daddy’s turns…apparently I go to slow in the turns.  But…my desire to fall off of that thing is pretty low, especially with 2 kids in tow.  We got to ride on Mr. Greg and Mrs. Elainey’s jet ski for 2 straight days…mommy and daddy’s body’s feel those two days, that’s for sure!

Please excuse me while I post 25 pictures of my kids tubing in Big Mable.  The kids enjoyed being out on the water with a different type of tube than they’ve ever rode on before.  Fletcher even had a run with Finley where he held on rather impressively with one hand.  Daddy was not a huge fan of this type of tube.  Either way it was a great way to spend the morning in the lake with friends tubing our faces off!  

Greg and Elainey also have a slide, another fan favorite.  I think they all climbed up this ladder about 100 times a day.  That explains why they are so tired today!  These are Fletchy’s highlights on the slide!

Cooper heading down the beast!

Finley and Fiona…somehow I missed Ellen on the slide?!?  I can’t always be ready with the camera now can I?

 I wish I had invented these Lilly Pad things.  They seriously provide hours of entertainment.  The kids wrestled, jumped off, did flips and had a blast on this thing!  

Then there was paddle board fun.  I mean who knew?  They played on and off of these two things for hours.  They all did it alone, they all did it together.  It was pretty fun to watch.  Fletcher was determined to do it all by himself which was interesting but fun to watch!  It’s awesome how well they all played together all weekend.  

So much fun.  The pictures of the boys on the top bunk…I cannot.  Finley and Fiona down below with the infamous doll that they were not a fan of!  

This pretty much sums up the awesomeness of being at Greg and Elainey’s house! 

So much love for the Hohensinner’s who have always been so good to our babies.  They love them so much and we love them right back!  

Hot tub goodness!  This may have been a highlight for our babies.  They love them some hot tub time!  

This guy.  He’s surfin in the USA!  Always singing!

Daddy is strong…and lots of fun!

We ventured out once…to eat outdoors at Frankie and Louie’s.  When we arrived no one was there.  But it filled up as we were leaving.  I was glad to high tail it out of there and glad we got there early so we could be on our own there!  

New house, new Lilly Pad…lots of flips and wrestling matches!

We had a little friend visit up on our trip.  Our little duck friend brought us lots of joy and she even swam around us when we were in the lake!  

Fletcher tried to convince the duck to become our pet…something tells me our Gigi wouldn’t have loved that idea!

The house…amazing.  The dock…the nicest I’ve ever seen.  The view…gorgeous. The pool…legit.  But can we talk about the name on that boat?  “Boats and Hoes!”  Yep.  The kids exact question: “Mom I know what boats are but what does hoes mean?”  Ummmmm…how to respond to this?  I went with the following…a hoe is a gardening tool.  The kids response: “Well, that’s a weird name for a boat.”  Yes, yes it is.  You can’t make this stuff up!

S’more’s, smiles and snuggles. 

Lake life dock side.  A lot of jumping off of this dock in a two day period.

Sweet Ellen and her daddy.  Mommy enjoying dinner with a view!

Great times with great friends.

Crazy lady.  So much fun!

The boys really loved the lake with their daddy.  The conversations were epic.  The hot tub and pool was a huge hit with the whole family as well!  The kids especially liked when I did a dive into the pool.  Mommy doesn’t normally go under water so it was a huge treat! 

The whole crew on our last night there!