Paradise Found, Again.

I just returned today from another ten-day stint in my little slice of paradise: Priest Lake. Like last month, I headed up with my parents and Lia for the entire time. Ron was able to join us for the first five days (Hooray! He finally got a vacation this summer) and my brother, Brent, and his family came out from Montana for the second half. We truly had such an enjoyable time. We did all the things we love to do while up there: skiing, swimming, playing on the beach, eating, napping, game-playing, reading, and just enjoying each other's company. It was pretty hard to pull myself away from that place today. Now it's back to reality and piles of laundary...

Here are several pics capturing our comings and goings in no particular order.

Papa and baby in the boat after our morning ski.

Ron joined my dad for a second time in his annual swimming-across-the-lake. Pretty impressive for a 70-year old, wouldn't you say? My father normally likes to complete this activity on a calm, glassy morning, but ended up choosing a day when the lake behaved in an opposite manner. By the time they were done, Ron and my dad were battling white caps! They made it across regardless.
I had the good fortune of tagging along their side in the boat.



A close-up of the two.


Lia discovered the log railings in the cabin for the first time during this vacation. She enjoyed peaking down and sticking her leg through the gaps at various times. Such a silly girl.

The Hartland fam.

Ever since Lia discovered sand while waiting to boat over to Blake Island in June, she has been best friends with it. She absolutely LOVES playing in it and can entertain herself for hours. It makes going to the beach a piece of cake for me! Thank you, Lia.

In addition to loving the sand, Lia loves the water. She really is a gutsy one-year old! Last month, we discovered that she loves to just jump off the dock into any pair of waiting arms. We were totally surprised by this. Here is a quick blow-by-blow of how we do it.

Step #1: She does a little, happy dance in anticipation on the dock.

Step #2: She leaps into my arms.

Step #3: She comes crashing into the water.

Step #4: I throw her into the air for good measure.

Step #5: We finish it off with a kiss.

Like mother, like daughter. Two girls who can't get enough of the water!

Lia really re-bonded with her Montana cousins who she hadn't seen since March. She loved being with Spencer, Kelsey, and Mae Mae and having some playmates. My dear niece, Kelsey, really took over as the surrogate mom the five days we were there together. She was such a huge help. I love you, Kelsey!

Crazy Spence flying through the air.

Crazy brother flying through the air.

We are truly a family of water skiiers. My brothers, my mom, and I love, love, love to ski and Priest Lake is the perfect place. One can often time find endless miles of glass at various times throughout the day. In keeping with this tradition, my nephew, Spencer, decided this was the year to learn. Here he is with the ultimate instructor, my mom, who taught all four of us how to ski. How's that for grandmotherly love?

My mom and Spence with Spencer's family looking on in the boat.

Alright, those of you who have seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding will appreciate this picture. This is my brother, Brent, battling the yellow jackets on our deck with Windex and broom in hand. For some reason, the yellow jackets were out of control this month! They were everywhere and very aggressive. My mom, my sis-in-law, and I all got stung this past week. Since I can only remember being stung by a honey bee, I had NO idea how much worse a yellow jacket's sting and aftermath is in comparison. Yowza! My toe is still a swollen, pink, itchy sausage three days later. Ugh.

G'ma and Lia enjoying a glorious summer afternoon.

I heart family.