Lake Bound

Fun week, leading into a fun month. Matt was on vacation, although he had to work quite a bit this week for being off. We ended up heading to Chicago to visit friends. He dropped me off and then went to Milwaukee on business. I checked off something on my rejuvenation list while in Chicago--took a cooking class. It was one of the most amazing things I have done in a long time. It was SO MUCH FUN! There can be upwards of 20 people in the class. Emily and I somehow ended up having a PRIVATE class and we were so excited. Rick, the chef, was ours for the whole evening. We chopped, marinated, broiled, grilled....And came up with fresh lime margaritas, Fish tacos, steak tacos, pico de gallo, salsa verde, mango salsa, and grilled pineapple with ice cream for dessert. YUM! It was amazing fun and we are definitely going to go back and take our hubbies next time. I will have to post the recipes--fish tacos were my fav. There were fabulous and Emily and I could not stop eating them.

Matt and I have spent the last 24 hours cooking and packing for the lake. We are leaving for a month to spend it at a cottage we rented. It is right down the lane from Lake Gage. So, we can visit my parents, as well as many LG friends. We are ready to be there and to walk around the lake, swim, grill out, read books, have bonfires, and just be at the COTTAGE!

Not sure how much I will write for the next month, as I do not have internet access. I think some friends do, but not sure how much I will actually make the effort to use it. I will be home once a week or so, so will try to update my blog then.

Well, must go finish packing and relax a little before bedtime.

Thanks Polly for all the comments on the blog-love to hear from you and all always.

Wanted to post this picture of Lily tubing last week. Cannot believe she is tubing at TWO years old! LOVE IT. She is my true laker--she's got it in the blood. Talks about Lake Gage quite a bit.

Monday and Tuesday turned out to be a little crazy again. Today isn't quite so crazy, but we did have new concrete poured on the front stoop of our house. Our old one was deteriorating. And we have a birthday dinner tonight for John, Grandma's friend.

Am working on getting all our laundry done, as I need to start packing for our month at the cottage. I am really starting to get excited about it, since we are leaving soon. Want to get a few things made ahead, like hummus and homemade dressing. So, I am going to be working on those last minute things alot in the next week or so. YEAH for an affordable, MONTH long vacation. Perfect for my soul. Definitely will give me time to heal even more. Being at the lake has always been so much of my being that I know it will be a healthy thing to be there.

IS 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Dusti is here....and we have been busy!

The week flew by....I cannot believe it is already Sunday.

My Aunt Dusti is here, with her husband and three boys. Mom, Grandma, Dusti and I went to Indy on Thursday. Good day just to spend the four of us. We shopped and ate out; and of course, stopped at a furniture store for Mom's project. I don't get to get involved much in the building process, so it was fun to watch her picking out furniture. The day was good. I think we all know with my grandma being 80 that the times we are able to do this are probably numbered. She still got around okay, but had to rest....And we, of course, play chauffeur and pick her up and drop her off at the entrances. It is so nice that she is still able to join us because it is not complete without her.

Last night, Dusti's family, B & C, Mom, Grandma and John came down for a last minute card night. Dusti's husband, Greg, won first place! We ordered pizza and everyone brought a dish--it turned out to be really yummy and a fun night. Glad we were able to all pull together for a fun-filled evening before Greg went back to Belgium. I ended up making broccoli salad from my garden-YUM. Fresh broccoli has no competition! Lily played around the house while we played cards. She was a fantastic entertainer.....And she entertained herself enough that we could play cards.

We also went to a BBQ on Friday night at a friend's house. John and Emily had the slip'n slide hooked up, along with little kids pool. The kids (there were 6 of them and everyone had a playmate about their age!) ran around outside and played in the water. The guys ended up after dinner on their patio with the kids. The girls sat in the screen in porch and chatted. It was a perfect summer BBQ.

I love being busy, but then I need a couple of down days....So today is that...a down day. It was supposed to rain. Honestly, I was looking forward to the rain so we would have a reason to stay inside! Sad, I know...But true.

I am realizing that I am to the point that people don't ask me about how I am coping any longer. It is an awkward spot to be in, somewhat. I am not obsessed with grieving any longer; and I think people are not sure what to say/ask. So, no one asks; and I don't feel like I should bring it up all the time.....I know people aren't forgetting (yet), but it is rough emotionally to be in the transition of people's lives moving on. Life does move on. It is a fact of life, but I hate it. It is discouraging knowing that most of the time, I am still the only one that is thinking about it. Even close friends and family don't ask me any longer how I am doing or what it feels like now....Someone recently who had lost a child twenty years ago told me that she felt so mad when people forgot and now I am understanding what she is saying. It is a slow process, but it hurts to see people moving on with life when I am not quite ready to do so. But again, I know that it is a fact of life. People do move on; some people will eventually forget. And, because it is a sensitive issue, if people do remember, they must not know what to say or are afraid of saying the wrong thing. It is new portion of the grieving process....One that indirectly hurts so badly that I am back to crying often. I guess it just a lonely place to be. Even though we have been so busy, at the end of the day, I am struck with grief because nothing had been mentioned, but my heart is still remembering and missing Daisy. I cannot believe she has been gone almost six months. Six months is half of the first (and hardest?) year.

Lily and Matt went to the zoo--I opted not to go since it is so hot. Must go get things done while they are out.

I am posting the Plum Tart in my Tried and True recipes (on the right hand side) that I made twice this weekend and everyone seemed to enjoy.