Memorial Day Weekend

Andi and I spent Memorial Day weekend at our Wisconsin cabin. We drove up together Friday after work and beat cabin traffic. Single best thing about our new cabin this year is the shorter drive and the various ways to get there. It makes such a difference when we drive up after work. None of our friends were due at the cabin until Saturday morning  so Andi and I putzed around the cabin and went to dinner at Hilltop Retreat -- a restaurant we'd hear about from a few locals. It was literally in the middle of nowhere but totally worth the drive. Andi and I sat at the bar like we always do (is it weird we'd rather people-watch over dinner than share meaningful conversation? That's our style, I guess). We chatted with the owner's daughter - also the bartender - over dinner and learned some great tips about the area. Dinner was good too - Andi ordered the fish fry dinner and I had chicken strips and a baked potato. We'll definitely be back again this summer.

Follow the signs to Hilltop!

Saturday morning Andi and I woke up early and took the boat out on our lake, just our little family. It was a perfect way to kick off Memorial Day weekend. We bundled up in sweatshirts, grabbed coffees to go and the little pooch and took in the morning on the silent lake.

We spend the rest of the day outside. Our friends Nick and Julie came up with their two little boys. Our Jess came up to spend the day as well. We cleaned out the boat and then took it out on the water for an afternoon of wakesurfing.

Brian wakesurfing behind the boat

Just soaking up the sun

I was so proud of Chloe! She's finally become accustomed to having big hunting dogs around (not her favorite) and she played well with them. Or at least she acted as cool about it as she could.

Favorite photo of the summer thus far
What a snooty little girl she is

We closed the day with the first campfire of the season. No marshmallows this time; just friends and a few cocktails.

Brian drinking Spotted Cow
(have to try one of these WI beers after the baby ....
everyone was raving about them!)

Jess

The weather wasn't so great on Sunday so we laid low around the cabin. The boys took the boat out for a quick wakeboarding / wakesurfing session. I stayed behind and painted my fingernails and read magazines. All very relaxing. The afternoon concluded with some yard games and beers for the crew.

Mason and Brian playing the Frisbee game

Most of the crew headed to Turtle Lake casino, a few miles away from the cabin, for some late night gambling. Brian's girlfriend Melissa and I decided to stay back at the cabin and head to bed. One of the many advantages of being the pregnant girl - I just don't care what people think; I need my sleep.

Memorial Day Monday was a crappy weather day. It POURED all morning so we all decided to pack up and head back to the Cities. Once back in town, Andi and I hung around at home for a while (he worked; I organized the nursery) and then we headed out to grab dinner and scout neighborhoods / open houses. As much as I love the cabin, it was nice to be home for a few hours to relax and prepare for the week ahead.

Another wonderful Memorial Day weekend with friends. Summer's off to a great start!

Here Comes the Bride

Last weekend, I drove down to Nebraska to host a bridal shower for my cousin Jes. She's getting married next month so my mom, sister and I decided to host a Pampered Chef bridal shower in her honor.

I used Minted.com again to custom create the invites. I really like this website (albeit, a little expensive) because I'm able to customize them online, print and ship them directly to me in under two weeks. Best of all, the quality is excellent and they save me time and effort.

Bridal shower party invite from Minted.com

I forgot how EASY hosting a Pampered Chef bridal party is! I enlisted my friend Marcy, a Pampered Chef consultant, to host the shower and she sent us a variety of recipes to choose from a few weeks before the party. We selected the Mini Breakfast Quiches since we were hosting a brunch shower (love these, by the way! Totally the way to go for showers that don't eat up everyone's entire Saturday). All we had to do was purchase the ingredients (and anything else we planned to serve) and Marcy took care of the rest.

At the party, my cousin Jes (the bride) prepared the Mini Breakfast Quiche recipe using all the Pampered Chef equipment and with instruction from Marcy. She even brought along a Pampered Chef apron for Jes to wear while she cooked in the kitchen (Score! We didn't even need a guest book!)

Marcy and Jes preparing the Pampered Chef recipe

Also while the bride-to-be prepared the recipe, Marcy gave everyone a Pampered Chef Bingo card to write down the product items throughout the demonstration. Afterwards, she read off selected items and awarded free Pampered Chef prizes to all the ladies who won Bingo. (I was actually sitting down at this point, because hey! I'm hosting the shower but didn't have anything to do. How awesome is that?!)

While the recipe was baking in the oven, my mom, sister and I also played other bridal shower games and pulled together the remainder of the food items. We served gourmet muffins, fruit kabobs and dip, mints and nuts as well as coffee, orange juice and mimosas.

We used my mom's glass tea plates and her silver coffee/tea set which always makes the party feel so fancy! After everyone ate, we perused the Pampered Chef catalogue. There were no gifts to open as everyone gave Jes money to select items out of the catalogue. I think she said she got one of everything except for the pots and pans! Now that's an awesome way to stock your new kitchen!

The hostesses and bride-to-be
(My very-pregnant self, my mom Candy, bride-to-be Jes and my sister Ashley)

The shining stars of the party
Baby Lauren and Brookie

Overall, the party was a huge success! Simple, easy to plan and went off without a hitch. Jes was able to stock her entire kitchen with Pampered Chef gadgets just in time for their wedding next month.

Happy (Early) Birthday Lindsay!

Last night, we went to Andi's grandma's house for a special 25th birthday celebration for his sister Lindsay. It was an early birthday celebration actually, as Lindsay doesn't turn 25 until next week.

Non-Traditional Birthday Cakes
Andi's grandma made two of Lindsay's favorite desserts
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and Soda Cracker Pie

We celebrated Lindsay's birthday early because her and her mom, Janie, left for a two-week Europe trip this morning. The year before Andi was born, Janie and her girlfriend back-packed through Europe for six months and Janie celebrated her 25th birthday during that time in Switzerland. It's been Lindsay's dream to celebrate her own 25th birthday in the very spot her mom did and that's exactly what the girls are headed off to do. In addition to Switzerland, they'll also be visiting Austria, Germany and Italy. I'll be the first to admit, I'm SO JEALOUS of their upcoming adventure!

From there, Janie's headed to Paris for two weeks. A different friend of hers is flying to Paris to meet up with her and they're planning to travel around France (something they also did many years ago). I'm also SUPER JEALOUS Janie will be spending time in Paris and the weather will be so much better than when Andi and I visited in December. I admire Janie's spirit of adventure so much; good for her for taking time to experience the world! I can definitely see where her son gets his travel bug ...

I am a little nervous for Janie to be gone for a WHOLE MONTH during my pregnancy. When she come home, there will only be EIGHT WEEKS left before Baby arrives. Plus, she's my Minnesota mom ... what if something goes wrong and I NEED HER HERE? Time for me to be a 30 year old and take a deep breath, I think.

Here's to a happy 25th birthday for Lindsay and an awesome, safe trip for those two. We'll miss you!

Monthly Menu Calendar

I often think back to my marriage vows and ask myself if I'm doing all I can to be the best wife. Am I loving my husband? Listening to him? Saying thank you? Respecting him?

And as much as I hate assigning gender-specific tasks, I find myself wondering if I'm providing for him at home in the best way possible. One thing I know he would love for sure is if I cooked dinner more often. And as we'll be a family of three in just a few short months, I'd like to refine this skill to insure my family eats healthy, nutritious meals on a consistent basis.

I've talked about my menu planning challenges here before. If it were up to me, I'd eat a bowl of cereal or a frozen pizza for dinner every night. Obviously though, this isn't the healthiest option for someone who's growing a baby inside them, and I think it frustrates Andi when he comes home from a long day of work and there's nothing to eat. But his busy work schedule is a large reason why I don't feel like cooking. It seems silly to me to slave over a hot meal and eat it all by myself, only to make a plate for him to eat later. But, jumping back to my point; healthier, home cooked meals will not only please my hubby but also provide subsidence for my new little girl.

So, I need your help! Over the last few months, I've become better about planning meals a week ahead for dinners. My next goal is to make a monthly meal calendar to help me plan ahead in buying ingredients and staying organized.

Here's where you come in. What go-to meals do you make at your house? What are some of your favorites? I'm looking for suggestions for quick and easy meals, or those that don't require a ton of crazy ingredients. And something out of our regular meal repertoire. Meals that can be made-ahead and frozen would be welcomed too as I'd like to build up our freezer before the baby arrives. Please leave your suggestions in the comments!

Weekend Round-Up

I had such an amazing weekend; one I wish would have never ended.

I met up with my best friend Ashley and her husband Neal on Friday after work. They came into town to host a baby shower for our little Tory girl and spend the weekend with us. Friday night Ash and Neal, our friends Val and Brionn, and Andi and I went to the Twins baseball game downtown. The weather was sort of cold and crummy but we had a great time spending the evening in downtown Minneapolis (something we never do)! Last year when Ashley and Neal were in town visiting, we went to a Twins game at Target Field during its inaugural season so it's become sort of a tradition for us to hit up a game when their in town. Plus, those two love baseball so it's the perfect social activity for all of us. I think we are getting old though; instead of hitting the bars afterwards, we went home because Ashley and Val still had lots of preparation to do for the baby shower on Saturday and I'm, well, pregnant and can't drink anyway.

Val, Ashley and I at the Twins Game

My charming hubby and I

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early for baby Tory's very first baby shower! I was so excited for this day and Ashley and Val went to so much trouble to make it perfect. The girls hosted the shower at my house (Ashley lives in Nebraska and Val's living room would have been a tad too small to hold all the guests) and I was perfectly happy to utilize my pad -- that way everyone came to me PLUS I didn't have to lug any of the presents home afterwards! Ashley and Val arrived early in the morning to start decorating and preparing food, while the boys (Andi, Neal, Brionn and Baby Kasen) drove up to the cabin early. In the meantime, my sister-in-law Lindsay came over to whisk me out of the house; we went for coffee and ran a few errands around town before the shower began.

When I arrived home, my house was transformed into this beautiful lavender baby shower setting. I was so impressed! Click here to jump over to Baby In My Bubble and read more about the shower.

After the shower wrapped, we quickly cleaned up the party and jumped on the road to the cabin. I was so excited to show Ashley and Neal the cabin because it's such a special place for us and they never got to see our little piece of paradise last year. We arrived around 4:30pm or so and spent the rest of the evening lounging around, grilling steaks and playing cards. The weather was rainy and cold, but the boys managed to go ATVing around the cabin trails and us girls hung out and relaxed.

Val, Ashley and me

Val and Baby Kasen

Neal and Kasen

Holy pregnant lady, Batman!
Ashley, Val and I

Momma and her Chloe girl

Ashley playing 6-5-4

On Sunday, the weather was much nicer - sunny but windy. After breakfast in the morning, we lounged around the backyard deck and read magazines, grilled burgers and brats, sat in the hot tub and watched the boys tool around with the boat, their fishing poles, the lawn mower, etc. Somehow we all managed to get a sunburn even though the weather wasn't all that great. We never did put the boat into the water because of all the rain and wind over the weekend, so I guess we'll save our first boat ride of the summer for Memorial Day weekend.

Derrick and Ellie

Derrick
A man and his fishing pole

Last night, we treated ourselves to dinner at The County Line Bar just down from our cabin. We desperately want to make this our "go to summer bar" since it's so close to our cabin, but every time we've eaten there the service has been sub-par and the food mediocre. Service was better last night (although our teenage waitress outwardly blurted out to us it was only her third day and she really had no idea what the menu offered - hey, at least she was honest and not mean). I find it funny JUST HOW MUCH Andi wants to get to know the bar staff there; he always introduces himself and our group but the workers just don't seem to care. We'll win them over yet, honey!

And that was our weekend! An awesome mix of busy activities in the Cities and relaxing down-time at the cabin. I'm sad Ashley and Neal's summer visit is already over, but looking forward to having her stay again when Baby Tory arrives this fall. Now it's back to the work week; Monday's are always such a buzz kill after awesome weekends.

Day In The Life: Spring Edition

My girlfriend over at Navigating the Mothership always does these fun "day in the life" posts and invites all of her readers to document a day in our own lives as well. Well actually, she does a "week in the life" but that's too much of a commitment for me! I chose to document an average spring Monday. My life's not very excited, but I always enjoy reading everyone else's posts so maybe you'll enjoy this one as much. Here goes ...

This is my favorite way to start my day - checking Facebook, watching The Early Show and eating breakfast in bed. I do this every morning I can and strategically set my alarm a half hour early to wake up this way. I do know my "morning me time" days are numbered thanks to our soon-to-arrive baby so I'm especially enjoying every one of these mornings I can get.

My mornings usually include lots of snuggle time with Chloe pup and feeling / watching my belly move.

Cutest doggie ever? I think so.

Up and at' em around 7:45am. No shower today, just a quick brushing of the teeth and popping of a prenatal vitamin.

Monday's are my Weekly Status update days on my baby blog. After I get dressed I weigh myself for the week and snap a few photos of my growing belly. Since it's a self portrait in the mirror, they're never the greatest photos. I mental note to myself to have Andi take some "real" photos of my pregnant belly sometime soon.

Up 1 pound this week. I'm OK with that.

25 Weeks Pregnant

I leave for work around 8:30am. It's raining outside so it takes Chloe one hot second to do her business and meet me by the door so I can let her into "her room" above the garage. (It's actually our loft/guest bedroom but she loves it and thinks its her personal haven). Doggie princess DOES NOT appreciate inclement weather.

Kind of a boring day at the office. I sat in on a few conference calls and worked at my desk most of the day. May is our slowest month at work because it's finals week on campus and everyone's packing up and heading home for the summer. I don't mind the calm; it's nice to some built-in time to prepare for my maternity leave. My husband will surely shoot dagger eyes at me tonight over dinner when I tell him I have nothing new to report. "Slow day at the office," I will say. (Apparently the world of advertising isn't so lucky)?

Couldn't decide what type of candy I wanted as an afternoon treat, so I got them all. Pregnancy perk for sure ...

Ever get into the car after work and the same song is playing as when you pulled into work in the morning? It's trippy when that happens. Today it's Adele's Rolling In The Deep. I'm not annoyed though; I'm digging it.

After work, I stopped by The UPS Store to return a couple packages of maternity clothes. I HATE returning stuff and I only do it when I'm ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN I'll never wear the item. EVER. This little venture costs me $18, which in my opinion is a complete waste of money. 

Home at last. I run to the upstairs garage to let Chloe out. She's so happy to see me! I bet she's wishing I had the energy to take her on a nice, long walk but I'm just too tired today.

I stop by the mailbox to pickup the mail. It'll be the first thing Andi asks me when he gets home from work ("Did you get the mail?") While I'm in the front of the house, I notice the nice gas company people have decided to spray paint a yellow line in my front yard and mark the buried gas line. Thank you kind and generous gas company man for spray painting my sidewalk too, much appreciated. I hope this doesn't mean our street will be under construction this summer, like they're planning to "un-bury" it. Super.

Also while outside, I notice my tulips still haven't bloomed this summer. Either the unseasonable cold start to our Minnesota spring has stunted their growth or the neighborhood rabbits ate all the buds before they had a chance to grow. Either way, I make a mental note to pluck the tulip leaves out of the ground this week before my company arrives this weekend.

Once inside, I sift through the mail and put correspondences addressed to Andi in his mail slot on the counter ledge. If I had to guess, I would say this is his single biggest pet peeve of our entire marriage. About once a week he accuses me of throwing away or burying an important piece of mail from this very spot. Although, I would have to counter and say my biggest pet peeve is when he leaves mail (and other crap) sitting on my counter or table for days. At least the mail slot keeps it all in one organized place. Any solutions out there from one married couple to another? I'm all ears ...

Upon my own mail sifting, I send the latest Victoria's Secret catalogue into the recycle bin. Won't be purchasing anything from here for another few months. (They should have a temporary "pregnancy hold" for clothing magazines so we can save some trees).

Now what to make for dinner? Andi's usually home around 7:30pm so I use this time to scrounge the fridge and brainstorm a meal. Today I chose to make a steak, corn on the cob and spinach salad. It's finally nice enough to grill so we better take advantage.

I treat myself to my last Limonota as well. LOVE these little treats.

Until dinner time, I retreat to my happy place. Four of five work days, I guarantee my husband comes home to me already laying in bed. I love how warm and cozy our bedroom is, and it's my favorite place to relax, watch the news and catch up on blogs.

Andi throws all the food on the grill when he gets home. We eat dinner, then it's an evening of relaxing on the couch, watching t.v. By the way, for dinner Andi and I share a steak and each eat one corn on the cob. (I made three because there were three left in the fridge but we ended up throwing the last one away). My mom thinks it's the funniest thing ever that Andi and I are able to split a piece of meat for dinner. She thinks we eat like birds.

We were officially in bed and nearly asleep by 9:30pm (alright, I'm awake but Andi's been zonked for a least 45 minutes by now). The life of a married couple in their 30's ... boy, it's an adventurous one!

Mother's Day Poem

I just had to document this adorable poem my sister wrote for my mom on Mother's Day. She wrote the poem and then made it into a card for my little niece to decorate. If you know my mom, this describes her better than any Mama's Day card ever could! Way to go Ash for being so creative!

Ashley's Mother's Day Poem

WHETHER ITS MAMA, GRANDMA, NANA OR MOM... YOU CAN CALL HER WHAT YOU’D LIKE... BUT CANDY IS THE BOMB!

WITH HER HAIR SO DARK AND HER EYES SO BRIGHT, JUST LOOK AT THAT SMILE…

MAN HER TEETH ARE SO WHITE!

SHE’LL TELL YOU WHAT SHE THINKS, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST,

BUT WITHOUT HER ADVICE...WE’D ALL BE LOST!

HER HEART IS PURE GOLD, HER LOVE IS SO SWEET…

SHE’LL GIVE YOU A HUG, JUST DON’T TOUCH HER FEET!

EMRIL, RACHAEL AND EVEN PAULA DEAN...SHE’S BETTER THAN THE BEST…

CUZ’ MAN HER SHEPPARD'S PIE IS MEAN!

THROUGH THICK AND THIN, GOOD TIMES AND BAD…

MY MAMA IS ALWAYS THERE…ESPECIALLY WHEN IM SAD.

YOU CAN SEARCH HIGH AND LOW, EVERY NIGHT AND EVERY DAY,

SHE’S ONE IN A MILLION…HER NAME IS CANDY KAY!

YOU MAY AS WELL MEMORIZE IT, OR EVEN PUT IT IN A SONG...

BUT JUST REMEMBER THIS EVERYONE, CANDY IS NEVER WRONG!

I LOVE YOU MOM...

YOU’RE THE PERFECT ROLE MODEL FOR ME…

IF I CAN BE HALF THE MOM YOU ARE…

THAT’S WHAT I'D WISH TO BE!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!!

Mother's Day 2011

I had a wonderful (un-official) Mother's Day yesterday! I woke up on my own (no alarm) and snuggled in bed with Andi for a while. It's one of my favorite things in the world - to wake up on my own time. I told Andi if he ever wants to get me something for future Mother's Days, he can start by letting me sleep in without any interruptions (I have a feeling it's not going to happen otherwise for many, many years). Maybe part of Andi's present to me yesterday was to lay in bed and talk for a bit too. He's usually one to pop right out of bed and start his day but I love it when he takes a few minutes to cuddle up with me. It starts me in such a good mood. I also called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's Day as soon as I got up and going for the day; we chatted on the phone for a bit. I wish I was able to celebrate with her and my sister yesterday, but it just wasn't in the cards this year.

Andi's family made the drive over from the Twin Cities to celebrate with us at the cabin (aren't we nice? We made Andi's mom drive to us but she didn't seem to mind too much). My SIL Lindsay and I planned a menu of Chicken Kabobs, Strawberry Spinach Salad and dessert for our little Mother's Day lunch. Afterwards, the five of us took Chloe for a walk around the wooden trails at the cabin. The weather wasn't as nice as it was on Saturday, but we were able to squeeze in some time outside before it started to rain in the afternoon.

Andi and I cleaned up the cabin and drove home around 5pm. We were both really happy to be home last night and pretty tired from the weekend. I think we were in bed by 9pm!

Sorry for the lack of Mother's Day photos! Andi forgot to bring his camera home so I'll have to add them in later. Hard to believe next Mother's Day, our little Tory girl will be here to share in the celebration. Can't wait for that.

Cabin Life

Awesome weekend at the cabin so far!

Each of the couples came up this weekend and it's fun to have a full house. I picked Andi up from the airport on Friday night (he traveled for work this week) and we headed straight out of town toward Pipe Lake. It's nice having the cabin so close by, we arrived by 10:30pm last night.

This morning, we woke up and had breakfast at our breakfast nook. My favorite part of the cabin is how much of a "weekend" it feels like. Where else can you spend time with all of your friends, laugh until your cheeks hurt and enjoy the awesome scenery.

There's a 40 acre hiking / snowmobiling / ATV path through the woods just down from the cabin which is owned by the landlord and 9 other cabin owners in the area. We took the dogs (Chloe and two of the other couple's hunting dogs) on a long walk this morning. The dogs had SO MUCH FUN running around crazy in the woods without leashes. Even Chloe was having fun with the big dogs sprinting back and forth along the path.

By the time we got back, the sun was shining brightly so Melissa, Ellie and I sat on the back deck and relaxed. I even got a little tan on my face and arms!

Melissa and Ellie

Chloe was EXHAUSTED after our long walk. She wanted to lay outside in the sun with us, but she was so tired she wouldn't get up to take a drink out of her water bowl. This photo cracked me up. I've never seen her do this before!

Some of the boys ran into town to buy a few things for the cabin while Derrick raked and mowed the backyard. It looks fantastic. Us girls just sat on the deck (them with their cocktails and me with my water) and shouted cat calls at him. He was in heaven.

I made a super easy BBQ Chicken Sandwich recipe in the crock pot which worked out really well. It's always hard to forecast when everyone will be hungry so having lunch piping hot and ready when everyone sat down to eat later in the afternoon was a breeze.

We're still trying to figure out the dock situation at the cabin so we didn't bring the boat up this weekend. There's an existing dock here but it's not long enough to support our wakeboard board (too shallow by our cabin) so I think we'll end up buying an extender piece for the dock. That could be expensive - yikes - so hopefully my resourceful hubby comes up with some sort of solution.

This evening, Andi took me on an ATV ride around the trails at the cabin. Andi got two ATVs from one of his advertising clients and they're nice to have around the cabin for something to do. The boys were even using one to wench the dock out of the water last weekend. Today, Andi even taught me how to drive one (although I don't think I was very good at it).

Tomorrow's Mother's Day and Andi's family is coming up to the cabin to celebrate with us. Exciting for them to see our awesome summer hideaway.

1st Cabin Weekend

Friday afternoon, Andi and I loaded up the truck and headed East to our new summer cabin in Wisconsin. Since last summer was pretty much the BEST.SUMMER.EVER., our group of friends decided to rent a cabin again for the summer months (May - October). And while we had an amazing time last year in Crosslake, MN we opted for something closer to the Twin Cities and found the perfect spot near Turtle Lake, WI (just about 90 minutes from our house).

This past weekend was our first at the cabin, and I wasn't sure what to expect since Andi and his friend Brian were the only ones who'd seen it out of our group of four couples. I trust Andi's judgement (he's just as picky as I am) but I also knew how wonderful our summer cabin was last year and I wasn't sure we could find something just as awesome for the same price. The good news? We did and it's half the distance.

Andi and I loaded up the truck on Friday after work and made it to the cabin by 6pm. The drive was so quick and easy. We made it in just over an hour, and that was with traffic and pulling a giant trailer behind us. I was pleasantly surprised how big and beautiful the cabin was. It's everything our Crosslake cabin was but with a comforting, lived-in vibe and the footprint is laid out much better than last year's digs.

Our new cabin has three basic levels:
Upstairs (kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom, living room)


Upstairs Living room




Kitchen / Breakfast Nook
(and Derrick playing an old-school Casio keyboard while drinking a beer)




Kitchen

 Mid-Level (two bedrooms and a bar/lounge area)

Bar Area + 2 Bedrooms

We coined this room "Brown Bear Lodge" because of this ...

1 GIANT stuffed bear on display

Chloe wasn't sure what to think of her new friend Brown Bear. And truthfully, it's hard to tell what we all thought either. (At least most of the dead stuff on display had been removed from the cabin).

Downstairs (bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and rec room with couch / pull-out bed)

----

Andi and I spent most of Friday evening unpacking the trailer and moving all of our stuff inside. Ellie and Derrick arrived a while later and we drove up the road to The County Line Bar for some dinner. Unfortunately, we just missed the dinner bell so I was denied a hot, juicy burger like everyone else was eating there. Best moment? Derrick ordered an IPA Beer and the waitress looked at him like he was an alien. As you can guess, they didn't carry it. Ellie proceeded to order a Jameson and Ginger (the waitress replied with a "huuuh?"). It would appear Jameson Whiskey and Ginger ale in general are hard to come by in rural Wisconsin. For once I felt lucky when I ordered a Sprite. It even came in a can.

It was a cold and rainy Saturday so Ellie and I unpacked and organized inside the house while D and Andi worked in the garage and helped the cabin neighbor with a few favors around his house. We drove into the nearest town called Cumberland for lunch at Nezzy's. There's a pizza place inside a haunted house in Big City Cumberland that I'm dying to check out this summer, an old-school Caribbean-themed supper club everyone raves about (very intriguing) and Louie's Finer Meats - the best damn butcher store I've ever seen.

Louie's

Louie's giving Andi the royal treatment

Derrick and Ellie

Andi and I at Louie's

Our friend Joe was at the cabin when we got back, and the three boys worked on putting the dock in the freezing cold water. Ellie and I watched like good wives do.



Derrick, Joe and Andi

The boys treated themselves to a dip in the hot tub afterwards. Pregnant chicks aren't allowed. Buzz kill.

As if it were even possible, the weather was even crappier on Sunday. May 1st and it was snowing. WHAT.THE.HELL. Everyone decided to pack up early and head back to the cities. We had planned to ride Andi's new ATVs around but it was just too muddy and cold. Despite the crummy weather on our first weekend, we're going to have a blast at the cabin this summer. It's instant relaxation and so much fun to spend every weekend with some of our favorite people.