August 2012.

After several months of careful planning, our very first family vacation took place. Sure, we have stayed in hotels for a night or two. But never an actual vacation. And I have no idea where to even begin.

To be completely honest, I was a little nervous thinking that we would be completely without TV, Internet, all the things that I am totally used to in my every day life. I kind of worried that halfway through the trip, I would be wishing that I was home. How very wrong I was. In fact, halfway through the trip, I was already starting to wish that we had MORE time. More time with just our little family. More time to play. More time to be “unplugged”.

I never knew how refreshed that I could feel. I never knew how much TIME the internet steals away from me. Just checking emails, it is easy to get lost in other things. Blogs, facebook, etc, etc, etc. So having one full week of just being together, without interruption, was amazing.

We started off the week with a night in Eau Claire, where we spent some time shopping, swimming, and eating some delicious food…..and pie. Oh, delicious pie. Have you tried Norske Nook pie? If you haven’t, you must. It is heavenly. We then started our trek to the Northwoods for a week in Spooner, on the Big Mckenzie lake. We rented a chalet just off of the lake and it was gorgeous. Jim, the gentleman who owns it, was an incredible host. We could not have enjoyed the stay there any more than we did. If you are ever considering a trip north, check out his rental, HERE. You will NOT be disappointed!

We spent most of our time on the lake fishing. I’ve become a huge fan and am dreaming of the next fishing excursion that we can take. When we were not on the lake, we went into Hayward for a day to enjoy the zoo, the fish museum, and of course, the candy store. My parents joined us for a few days as well. The kids were over the moon to see Grandma and Papa.

I could go on and on, but instead, I’ll just post the pictures. And there are a TON 😉

Enjoy!