a long weekend at the cabin on the lake..!

...yet another fabulous and fun weekend with my favorite people up north! during this long labor day weekend, it was really nice to enjoy some r&r, fun on the water and cold beers (with a side of LAKE) under the northwoods sun in lac du flambeau, wisconsin! i really do love unplugging and enjoying the company of great friends; there may be no wifi, but i find a better connection. :)

camping with my favorite people!

with 4 brothers and 4 sisters, it's not an exaggeration when i say i have a huge family! throw in all the nieces and nephews (nancy, cassandra, elyjah, annabella, kassie, jadeleen, dominic, madison, aviana, nalana and hazel) and it makes for... very expensive christmases, to say the least! haha, jk. :)

as each and every one of us is growing up, moving away and starting new chapters in our lives... we still try our best to make it a point and get together for our annual family camping trip (as well as all major holidays). this year's destination was high cliff state park - on the northshore of wisconsin's largest inland lake, lake winnebago. we spent 3 days and 2 nights out there and, like always, the trip mirrored my family's personality exactly; great times, serious eats and lots of laughs! i'm blessed.

during our family nature hike, my niece maddie and i started collecting a "rainbow'quet" for her scrapbook! the goal was to put together a bouquet consisting of elements of each color of the rainbow representative of wisconsin foliage - and what an accomplishment it was! <3 i love that it's these little experiences i can have with her that her big heart will always remember!

...we even spotted a leaf bug, whoa! such a neat little creature! ;D

happy july 4th!

what an awesome holiday weekend spent on the lake. the weather was absolutely perfect to spend outdoors and enjoyed under the sun in westcentral wisconsin. not to mention, it was definitely a great bonding experience with my niece and i was glad i could expose her to a little of my world... and i have the amazing judd who hosted "the best weekend ever," to thank for it all. :)

the icing on the cake, though? my 16 year old niece caught her first fish - and even had the opportunity to enjoy more off the dock during down time. although nothing substantial, this auntie is still proud and hoping another fishergirl was born! yep.

from fishing to tubing, waterskiing to cliff jumping and kneeboarding to kayaking - we had an absolute blast! thanks again, judd, i do wholeheartedly appreciate your patience and time in having us over and keeping us more than entertained the entire stay... even amidst your already very busy weekend hosting other guests, preparing for the pontoon parade, and throwing your j4th party! good times with good people :) there's nothing better. well, maybe catching big toothy creatures too! haha, jk.

camping in musky country, us of a!

i absolutely love the great outdoors and anything associated with it! :) over the weekend, we went up to the northwoods in vilas county and hunted muskies... and i couldn't have asked for a sweeter more amazing person to have explored and go lake hopping with! j, you are such a trooper!!! what awesome memories!

a weekend adventure in lac du flambeau!

autumn in northcentral wisconsin is definitely one of my favorite times and places to breathe in during the year! the cool and crisp temperatures, changing colors of the landscape and silent sound of the seasons clicking… there really isn’t anything more peaceful.

the crystal clear lakes and bald eagle sightings are just other treasures in our beautiful state that the average resident takes for granted. i'm blessed to live a life i love!

lake alice in tomahawk!

on saturday, i joined everyone on lake alice in tomahawk to celebrate the july 4th weekend! did a little fishing upon my arrival, but the real fun was spending it further north on long interlaken lake! took the boats up and had quite the recreational day on the water... before heading back to the cabin for the night and indulging in great food and drinks. overall, a wonderful weekend! <3

vilas county, north country!

icefishing in central wisconsin.

these lakeside sunsets and amazing central wisconsin views are half the reason i brave the cold to icefish and spend time on the hard water. and living up to its reputation, it's been an insanely brutal winter with recent windchills reaching the depths of neptune here... so it's only natural that a heated shanty is sensibly the only other reason icefishing hasn't been too much of a drag! haha. well, that, and the fact that i enjoy taking the sled out exploring the river when fishing gets a little slow.

imagine... pants parties with M & N, eazy e in the tape deck, and jim beam to keep warm with :) oh, and i can't forget about the random games of scrabble to pass by the time too! nothing sums up this winter more accurately. <3