Nissedalen – Day 2 – 2020

Another gorgeous day filled with skiing, tubing, fishing, kayaking, floating in the water, grilling for dinner and relaxing by the lake. (And a quick trip to town to visit the Chocolate Ox.)

The moon was beautiful tonight.

Nissedalen – Day 1 – 2020

This was my view today.

I know I’ve taken similar pictures in the past, but I love this view so much. It is such a relaxing place to be, especially after the last six months. I’m grateful Jake’s grandma is willing to give us the opportunity to vacation here. This summer we were able to bring friends with us. The kids are having so much fun. And it’s only day 1!

Here’s my evening view.

Shecklet #3 at the lake

Five of us came home from the lake Monday night. Shecklet #3 stayed two more days and hung out with her cousin. From the sounds of it, they spent A LOT of time in the water, visited the candy store in town, and had a great time playing and laughing.

Jake drove up this afternoon to pick her up (and bring our kayaks to the lake.) Her cousins left earlier in the afternoon, so she got to spend a few hours one-on-one with Grandma Lois. They went to A&W for dinner, had a visit from Jake’s aunt and uncle who live in the area, and had some much needed down time.

A day at Nissedalen

Jake took a day off of work (but did get on two video calls) so we could spend the day at the lake. The kids had a blast hanging out with some of their cousins and visiting Great Grandma Lois.

MN rollercoaster

Cold and rainy last week. Swimming in the neighbor’s pool tonight. MN weather = a roller coaster 🎢

Cousins’ Day 2019 @ Nissedalen

We spent the day at Nissedalen with over 40 family members.  The weather was fantastic, the food was tasty, and the memories we made were plentiful.  I love that my kids get to experience the gift of having a large extended family.  There’s always someone to talk to, play with, or laugh alongside. And to think – this is just a portion of the family!

One thing that I enjoyed watching (this year especially,) was the way that Jake’s younger cousins (who are now all adults) have taken an interest in showing my kids how to do certain things – helping them ski, how to safely use a gun at the shooting range, as well as taking the time to talk with them and ask about their interests.

Here are the rest of the photos from Cousins’ Day and the shooting range the day before.

Jake’s cousin, Jess, let the guys ride up north with her on Friday AM. I followed the next day with the girls.

Paddle boarding & Nissedalen @ 50 years

✅ Paddle boarding!!

We spent the day celebrating 50 years at Nissedalen today.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the lake water was warm enough for me to enjoy being in it.  If you know me at all, that’s a pretty big deal!  With summer (sort of) winding down, today was a great day to attempt the next major item on my recovery checklist – paddle boarding.  Jake rented a couple of boards from a local shop and his cousins let us use their trucks to transport them to the lake.  When the little kids weren’t using them, a few of the adults gave them a try.  I was thrilled to not only get up without falling off the board, but keep my balance while paddling down the shoreline and back! Hooray for another recovery item checked off!

Group shot – 4 generations!

Grandma Lois & Papa Dale with many of their grandkids (and spouses) and great-grandkids!

One note about the coloring of the pictures.  The smoke in the air from the fires out west was intense.  These have been tweaked a bit just to tone down the yellow tones a bit – and they still look hazy!

Shecklet #2 also got up on skis today! Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of him, but he wants to go again, so I’ll try to capture one next time.

The rest of the day’s photos can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kT3NcQ9JhhWmu5878

Hammock swinging

We spent the day at Jake’s parents’ cabin today. Sun was out, wind was a tad breezy (read: cool,) but comfortable weather overall. Shecklet #3 brought her hammock and we took turns swinging in it.

There was also lots of swimming, kayaking, hotdogs on the fire and s’mores for dessert!

Cousins in the pool & pearls

My aunt and uncle are in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with my cousin and his family. Part of their stay involves having the older two grandkids stay with them at a hotel so they can swim. My aunt invites us to bring the Shecklets down to meet their cousins and swim. The 6 kids had a great time spending close to 3 hours in the pool!

After having pizza for dinner, everyone sang HBD to me and we had cupcakes. Yum! Then my aunt gave me a small gift bag containing a Christmas pin of my Grandma Fran’s and the pearl ring she always wore. The pearls in the ring were given to my grandma by my Grandpa Bill – he got them in Japan during WWII. I am thrilled to have this piece of jewelry to remind me of my grandparents 💗