Last of Big Sand 2015

We are home again, but feel a little like we are in a fog…neither here nor there!  I washed all 5 garbage bags of laundry yesterday and most of them are even put away.  I have a few reminders of Big Sand by way of sun burned/blistered lips and a fine layer of sand in my suitcase, but other than that it looks as if we have jumped right back into life as we knew it.  We are also left with wonderful memories of a couple of weeks spent at the the place we love, with the people we love. We do not take this vacation for granted and approach it each year as a gift.  We are so grateful for the gift of Big Sand 2015! I

It was a beautiful evening for a boat ride, so Cade pulled the boat up to the dock and loaded his boat full of eager passengers.  He was a wonderful tour guide.  

We celebrated 19 years of marriage at the lake.  I feel so lucky that I get to spend every anniversary with him at the lake.  The night of our anniversary Jill offered to get the kids to bed, so we could have a date.  We thought about going to Zorba’s for a late night snack and drink, but opted for DQ Blizzard’s and a walk in a park on Fish Hook lake…we must be getting old!  We were entertained by some kids jumping from a bridge into the river.  I watched for about 5 minutes, and then was so nervous they were going to hit the railroad ties on the way into the water, that my stomach hurt.  I’m telling you, I am getting old.  Like a worrying grandma-type old! 

My grandma was also able to spend the week with us again.  My grandma’s spirit is the same, but her body (mostly her eyes) are failing.  It is becoming very difficult for her to read and see even large object far from her.  I noticed that she would often mix up the kids when she was watching them play in the water.  One of my favorite memories of her this week was watching her while my girls put on their magic show.  She was very entertained by it, and would “cheer” them back out from behind the curtain for their next trick.  I think the reason I loved seeing her enjoy the show so much, is because that is something I can imagine her doing with us when we were little.  When I was little, we would go to my Grandpa and Grandma’s house in the summer for a week or two at a time.  While we were there, we didn’t sit around.  My grandma always had a game, or activity, or something planned for us to do. 

My girls spent some of their summer mornings looking up magic tricks on-line and then practicing them.  By the time we left for the lake, they each had three of four trick in their repertoire.  I suggested that they do the tricks for their family at the lake, and that turned into a full blown magic show.  We hung a curtain to hide all their props behind and the show began.  I didn’t get many pictures of the show, but I have a couple of cute video’s that I should try and upload! 

Playtime with Luanne.  We love Luanne and hope she never decides to get another summer job! 

A trip to Park Rapid’s isn’t complete without a trip to the candy store.  We left with homemade fudge and saltwater taffy!