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

best auntie, ever! haha.

after we cleaned out an under utilized workspace behind the garage... my niece and i got inspired and decided to spend a day styling it into a cozy hangout for her and her friends. needless to say, after a day of successful thrifting, it turned out AWESOME! ;D she loves it and therefore i'm the happiest auntie in the world right now! <3

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.