And All Good Things Must Come to an End

Well, it's hard to believe that we have been home a week now. .our vacation already seems like it was an eternity ago!! But, as not to leave you all hangin, I will enlighten you on our last two days of the trip!

Friday found us back in Grove in the morning. I told Jeremy that I had wanted to go back and browse through a few of the cool looking little shops that were there. .and also wanted to go into the Lowes to pick up some stakes to add a few sprinkler things to my existing drip irrigation system. He volunteered to go with Cami and I (and the boys. .GREAT. .they HATE shopping!) I was nice and let them come.

We ended up missing the first little iron works shop that I wanted to check out, presuming them to make and sell cool outdoor deco items in iron. .OK. .the plan was to go on the way back out of town. Then we missed the little Amish wood shop lookin' place. Grr. And the two nurseries. .like I needed anything to plant in this drought anyway.

We ended up at the water sports store, where the kids had been eyeing the 20 inflated ski tubes that were tied up out on the sidewalk. Grant and Dev had decided to combine some of the money they made on their food items at the premium auction and buy one. 

They found a new one that didn't break the bank and enjoyed it for the entire afternoon!

I got a new pink Oklahoma hat while there. .to keep  my unruly humid curls under control. It is my first hat EVER! The boys thought the hat was nice. .but that my glasses made me look like a bug. Hmmph. .what do they know about style!! Sharksy (AKA Cami. .who thought she should be called Sharksy) LOVED my hat!

We made it to Walmart where I graduated to a woman's life jacket. .for the last 13 years I have been wearing the same guys lifejacket that the salesman threw in for free when we bought our first boat. Tristan now gets that one. .and I get one that fits!! Whoo hoo ME! It's even a delicate lilac color, Cami's SECOND favorite color of all!

We made it to Lowes, where Jeremy proceeded to watch me pick up all the parts I needed and then said. .What are you getting all that stuff for. .let's get the stuff to bury a sprinkler in the flower bed. .Eye brow went up, threw my stuff back and watched HIM think and calculate it out. .Long story. .different post. .stay tuned!

While at Walmart. .1 motorized boat turned into boat envy. .turning into 2 more boats (I'm so glad everyone remembered their wallets that day!) They really did have a great time with the boats!! And OUR fish are happy to share their pond with the motorized shadows that incessantly float over since we returned home.

In addition to all the resting. .I was happy to be back in a kitchen again. Being on the go so much this summer hadn't allowed me much time in my kitchen. .which is quite therapeutic for me!! I had found several new recipes that I wanted to try the week before we went. .so I made a long list of ingredients and brought all the recipes.

 

We had such things as frittata (baked eggs) with grape tomatos and Italian cheese, french toast using english muffins soaked over night topped with Greek yogurt (which will not be consumed by any of my crowd again. .I didn't think the yogurt was THAT bad, mixed with a little syrup) and fresh fruit, and some mixed berry Clafouti (it's French!) found on my friend Bonnie's blog last month. I like culture. .and I am trying to pass that on to my kids. I'm not sure that they are too interested. But they did eat everything! I had to explain what a Frittata was 4 times (five if you count Jeremy) as they came out of their rooms that morning!! I didn't spend a ton of time in the kitchen either. .but it was fun for me to fix and eat some different flavors while we were gone! Much more festive and vacation-ly. We also ate out a few times too. .but not at one of the places on the lake. .which was on my bucket list of things to do. .you drive your boat to the restaurant and then go in and eat. Maybe next year!

                                     

I actually set an alarm on my phone and got up to walk several mornings while our breakfast baked. We also enjoyed several sluggish strolls in the evenings as we enjoyed the multitude of winged creatures and beautiful homes and scenery. 

We enjoyed a little more water time Saturday morning before we left. By then, the kids were worn out. .and so were we!!

Everyone was ready to pack up and head for home!! We sure enjoyed all the resting, relaxing, eating, playing, and being off of our daily grind schedule!! But it was also very, very good to get home to our place. .which we love very much!! It's hard to believe that the kids have one last week off before school starts again. After enrollment this week, I am the official mom of a high school kid, an eighth grader, and a third grader!

Oh. .and just so you know. .I never did get to stop at ANY of the cool little shops that I had been dying to hit all week!! It was a conspiracy. .I KNOW it was!!

Adios from the Grand Lake Adventures. .

Please come again real soon!