8.05.2017

trip to bear lake

Several weeks ago James and I came to the conclusion we needed to take a little vacation this summer- it's just what you do in the summer time! Some of my favorite childhood memories are from summer family vacations. With Charlotte's arrival at the end of May, we really didn't plan anything for this year (on purpose), but a few weeks ago we were both feeling the need for a little getaway (which also may or may not have been triggered from seeing everyone else's vacation pictures- haha!). After an extensive internet search we were able to score a condo at Bear Lake for a few days (which usually fills up quite quickly over the summer)!

The drive there took a solid hour longer than it should have, thanks to the frequent stops we had to make for bathroom and nursing breaks. Jillian asked "Are we there yet?" more times than I can count and Charlotte screamed her head off for a decent portion of the ride up...traveling with kids is never dull. 
(And if it IS uneventful for you and your crew...just how much Benadryl are you giving them?...I need to know for...reference...)


 
When we (finally) got there, our first stop was for fresh raspberry shakes! Bear Lake is famous for them because of how many raspberries are harvested nearby. We ended up getting one from a different place every day we were there. I mean, we needed to enough data to determine just which shake was the best. ;-) 
(My favorite ended up being the raspberry brownie shake from Jake's Place in Garden City...like I'd drive all the way back just for one of those suckers). 




The next day, the girls were so excited to play in the sand! The evening before we went to the shore, I was texting a friend about the best places to go and she finally said, "You know it's nothing like a Florida beach, right?" Hah!
I mean...is anything? ;-) 
 Although the sand was a lot different and there wasn't a palm tree in sight, it still met my need for sand, sun, and water! Plus the water was so incredibly BLUE! No wonder everyone calls it "The Caribbean of the Rockies."



Charlotte didn't nap as well as we thought she would (I mean...beach naps are some of the best on Earth- or should be), but she was still a champ! I'm not sure if she's just all around a pretty good baby (minus being in the car), or if maybe I'm just a little more chill of a parent seeing as it ain't my first rodeo...but either way, I'll take it!



Trying out paddle boarding for the first time was an adventure. And also way harder than everyone makes it look. Most of the time we paddled around while sitting on our knees. The one time I tried standing up it lasted about 30 seconds because my balance was so terrible. I couldn't help but think of how ridiculous I would look in one of those paddle board yoga classes (but I also still secretly want to try one). 

When I was out with Olivia at one point (Jillian was too scared to try it), I kept trying to sing songs from Moana but she didn't think that was very cool of me. 
And no one knooooows, how far I'll goooooo.



The next day we went to the Raspberry Days festival. We scored some delicious raspberry syrup and salsa! But I was a little bugged that the one vendor selling fresh raspberries was sold out in just a couple of hours! 
 (Like, why weren't there 10 booths selling these...at the raspberry festival...I don't know. We made up for it in shakes).






It was the perfect little getaway! The girls went swimming at the pool and lake so much while we were there it actually ended up being really easy to get them to sleep (in the same bed even) because they were just so worn out by the end of the day.  We're already planning our trip for next summer!

And now, it's time to get "back to reality". The reality that is school starting (next week for me and in three weeks for Jillian). Part of me craves the consistency of a routine and schedule, and the other part of me (the larger part probably) just counts down the days until the next first day of summer. The only thing that makes it a little more bearable is that fall is my second favorite season.
(PUMPKIN SPICE ALL THE THAAAAANGS!)