Last week, I fell in love with a lake

Whew! I'm all caught up on unpacking and settling back to normal life. I love a good vacation away, but it is always difficult to unpack once you are home! I suddenly get a major case of the don't-wants. Maybe I was just exhausted, I know Ginny was! Poor puppy slept for 2 days after we came home, and was only getting up to go out and eat! She had a blast on that boat, smelling the air, and even licking a few fish... yes, I just put her on blast for that one.

The lodge sits on a lake that is wayyyy up North in Wisconsin. It took about 7 hours to drive it. The vet gave us meds for Ginny's motion sickness, so she was drugged most of the driving days and slept most of the way. Which reduced my stress of seeing her poor little face looking sick and throwing up all over the car.

Y'all, the nature... ah, that was so beautiful on the drive up. Nothing but trees, mostly pine, and lush greenery everywhere you look. I didn't mind the drive during those couple last couple of hours. We arrived, settled in, and started having fun!

This was my first time going on the formerly known as the "Guy's Fishing Trip." They go every year, for a week, to the same lodge, and fish for muskie. (Have you ever googled this fish? Looks like monsters!) This has been going on for over 30 years. Just in the last year and this year, some of the wives and a couple of kids go with them.  The cabin was ancient, the bed felt like concrete, and it's hard to not be on top of each other in one large cabin, but the company was great and we had a good time playing with the niece and nephew! Ginny was getting love from everyone, so of course that little cow was happy. All in all, it was fun, I have to say!

I had absolutely no cell service, which was a blessing and a curse. My Dad had to have surgery, not emergency surgery, but it was decided to be done in 2 days, so it was a big deal! This was on the third day of the trip. Thankfully, the main lodge itself had wifi, so I sat in there for hours talking to my Mom and sister through facebook, waiting to hear what was going on. It took hours longer than expected, and he had difficulty in recovery with his heart rate being way too low, but he's back home now and moving around, praise the Lord for that one!

After that, the mission of the fishing trip was simple, the Mr. was to catch a muskie, and I was to catch 32 fish, since I'll be 32 this month! These were croppie fish, small and plentiful in this lake. I completed that mission minutes before we were heading in on the very last afternoon of the week. Sadly, the hubs didn't catch his fish, so there is more determination for next year!

All in all, I thought it was going to be just an "OK" time, but I had lots of fun! The best part was the early mornings. I'd get up earlier than the rest, make coffee, and either sit inside by the window, on the picnic table outside, or on the very end of the dock and have my bible study. It was so peaceful. I felt so connected to the word. It was an amazing feeling just sitting outside, connected to nature and my Lord.

OHH! And the kinda cool, kinda creepy part- there was a bald eagle nest in a tree right by our cabin! I thought it was the coolest thing until one of the Uncles said the eagle went crazy when it saw Ginny outside, and it could probably pick her up and take her off! OH NO! After that, I was on Operation Eagle-Ain't-Gonna-Get-My-Puppy watch!  Thankfully nothing happened!

Check out some of these gorgeous photos!

I can't wait to go back next year! 

And, the essential oil mix I made for bug repellent worked 95% of the time! I'll have that recipe up later this week!