Here are some of my favorite pictures of this past weekend. Just looking at them reminds me of the whispering wind through the trees, the smoke curling up from the campfire and the smooth ripples of water running past the boat. Ah, it's a great place to live. I hope you enjoy a little Minnesota beauty through my eyes.
 |
| My nieces and daughter (second from the left) are practicing their nail polishing skills for a fundraiser at the end of July. The lucky recipient? |
 |
My husband Dave! He's such a good sport.
|
In the evening my brothers lit off fireworks from the top of their pontoon and the kids were given sparklers to play with. I kept my shutter open on my camera while I took some of these pictures and I am amazed at the results!
This coming weekend Dave and I will be heading off to another Minnesota Twins game and we'll also be helping my brother-in-law build a patio at his home in preparation for his wedding! On Saturday we'll be going to my cousin's high school graduation party. Another fun-filled weekend in store for us!
What are your plans for the upcoming weekend?
Yay for MN on the 4th! This weekend I'll be working on galley proofs for a book, and praying for rain, and doing a little work on a landscaping project. :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the rain! Everything is drying up in central Minnesota, although the Mississippi is still extremely high and some of our surrounding lakes are still flooded. Have fun with your galley proof and landscaping project!
DeleteOh how much fun! Minnesota is pretty. :)
ReplyDeleteMy weekend plans include a dozen to-dos that, unfortunately, will keep me indoors most of the time. But that's okay. By Sunday evening I'm hoping to feel ridiculously happy about the weekend's productivity. :)
Good luck with your to-do list! I'm sitting in my brother-in-law's back yard right now watching my hubby and his two brothers start working on the patio! I feel a little bad about not helping, but I brought along my Book Buddy and Deep & Wide by Susan May Warren and I'm immersed in my story world! The kids are with a sitter and this is my official vacation day to write!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous little house! It looks like you guys had a great time--just relaxing and being together. I can definitely see why this is one of your favorite summer pastimes! :)
ReplyDeleteMy brothers are contractors and they just built that little cabin last summer. My parents pull their camper onto the property and between the two we have a relaxing place to spend some lake time. We're also blessed because my husband's parents live on a large lake full time and we hang out there when we're not with my family. My children will have a lot of lake time memories in their memory bank from both sides of the family. :)
DeleteLOL...there is NO WAY my husband would EVER let anyone paint his toenails!!! He cannot stand the smell or the thought of the paint chipping off in his food! He doesn't even like for me to wear it on my fingernails because of that!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a blast! So glad you were able to have some fun.
The first time I met my husband he had painted toe nails, because his cousin painted them - and that was one thing that stood out to me - Dave is so comfortable in his skin, very little makes him uncomfortable or uneasy! That is, until you have him drive in a metro area - we could never live in a big city because he'd drive me crazy on the roads!
DeleteGreat pictures! I relaxed just looking at them. Hope your weekend is productive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ava! Right now I'm sitting in the back yard of my brother-in-law's home working on my WIP! Tonight we go to the Minnesota Twins game. It's like a mini-vacation away from the kiddos for a day. Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!
DeleteThat house and setting are beautiful! I wanna come visit!
ReplyDeleteThis weekend hubby is out of town. Boo. But that means tomorrow I should be able to be uber productive. I'm hoping. Praying. I want to get lots of brainstorming done for my next book AND have to write some mini lectures for the online course I will start teaching next Tuesday. Fun fun!
Someday I dream about having a writing retreat in Minnesota for some of my writing friends! Wouldn't that be fun?!?! In between writing and plotting we could go for a pontoon ride, take a swim or lay out in the sun. At night we could gather around a campfire and share ideas about our books or just relax and visit. Ahhh...
DeleteGood luck with brainstorming! I'm reworking my entire WIP because of all the fabulous things I'm learning from Susan May Warren! I love her teaching style - it makes me dig much deeper into my story than I ever have before.
Go Dave!! WHen my daughter was itty bitty, she'd make her Daddy do "Scottish Land Dancing", hands on hips and everything.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend? Soccer, neighbour's pool, pack 3 boys for camp and unhook the phones for the 4 days of being alone with no kids before I fly South.
Four days by yourself! I sigh just thinking about it! And then a research trip...you're living the dream Jennifer! Good luck packing the kids up - I know how much work that can be.
DeleteHow beautiful! And I'm so intrigued by a pond with lilly pads. Makes me want to hunker down on the bank and watch the tadpoles, frogs and dragonflies have a ball. Fun!
ReplyDeleteThis particular lake is very small compared to some of the others in our area, but that means less people and more solitude. The picture of the lilly pads is actually part of the lake - and the very next day they bloomed, but I didn't get a picture of the flowers. It's so beautiful in Minnesota in the summer - winter had it's own beauty, but we live for the summer.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post, Gabrielle!! Love seeing your great pics and getting a taste of beautiful Minnesota:) Love that cabin, too! Growing up with cousins is so important and makes for wonderful memories. I treasure my memories of my brother and cousins when we were small. Looks like everyone is having a ball - I was admiring your wedding post, too! Wow, the things I miss being on WordPress and pulling off Blogger:( You were such a beautiful bride!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up with a whole slew of cousins and that was one thing that was very important to me when Dave and I were making some big life decisions, like where to live. I agree that having those memories is priceless.
DeleteThank you - I felt like a beautiful bride, but then I hope all brides feel beautiful on their wedding day. I miss you on Blogger, but your new site is so lovely I don't blame you for moving. :) Thanks for stopping by and catching up, Laura, I'm excited to pop over to your blog and see the reply I'm sure you left me (you amaze me with your replies!).
Fun stuff! I'm working this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to say hi, Loree! I hope your work is pleasant!!
DeleteGREAT PICS! I can never get pics of fireworks. And your hubby was a great sport w/the nail painting! Minnesota looks lovely. Nothing like lots of room to run and play!
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of my camera, but I have been loving the pics I'm getting of fireworks. My hubby is a good sport - one of the reasons I love him so much. :) Thanks for stopping by, Heather!
Delete