This past weekend, we headed to Wisconsin for a relaxing weekend away. We arrived home late Friday night and were able to spend several hours visiting with Curt and Missy Schmidt (Matt's H.S. basketball coach). They had put together a highlight video of Matt's senior year, and we enjoyed reminiscing and catching up with both of them.
Bright and early Saturday morning (we were going on about three hours of sleep), we drove up north to Three Lakes, WI to my grandparents cabin. Dad, with the military side coming out in him, wanted to be sure we left at 6:00 a.m. sharp that morning. That's typical of Kaiser family vacations... Dad wanting to leave early and keep to a schedule, and me (now Matt and I) testing his patience by messing with his schedule. Oops! :) Anyways, we arrived up north to be greeted by the twins, Elle and Nina, my aunt, Mimi, my grandparents, Ethan and Jessica, and 4 dogs. Although there were a lot of us, it was a fun yet relaxing weekend with way too much food! Papa and Grandma had been finishing the basement over the summer, and it looks real nice. I think my favorite addition is the whirlpool tub Papa added in the basement bathroom!
Matt, Karissa, and I went canoeing and the water was so calm. The clouds and surrounding trees reflected off the water so I just had to take some pictures. It was beautiful!
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| The reflection of the sky on the water was amazing! Working on my Chaco tan too. :) |
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| Sisters and Friends |
Following our canoe trip, we took a nap which was definitely needed at this point during the day! We had a visitor though; Nina wanted to nap with us too. Unfortunately she didn't seem too sleepy, but rather wanted to climb all over us and snuggle. It was pretty cute!
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| Nina climbing on Matt. |
In the evening, we tried out the tandem bike, introduced the fam to Ticket to Ride, and were able to catch the first Packer preseason game. We were thrilled seeing that we usually miss those games living in Minnesota. Saturday night after the kids had went to bed, we had wine and cheese tasting. Papa brought out nine flavors from a local cheese factory. Not just any cheese, but the GOOD, specialty cheeses...everything from an ale, cranberry-orange, sage, peppercorn, chives, etc. flavored cheeses. YUM! They were delicious, and we definitely ate way too much!
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| Yum! We love WI cheeses! |
Last, but not least we had to visit some of our favorite stops in town, Lick-a-Dee Splitz (the ice cream/candy shop) and wine tasting at the Three Lakes Winery. We love trying the different wines here, and this time we ventured out in our purchases with Boysenberry, Pumpkin, and their Holiday Harvest (mixture of Cranberry & Rhubarb) wines. Although, their Cranberry wine and cheese spreads are always favorites too. :)
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| Elle enjoying her Blue Moon ice cream. |
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| Wine tasting! |
If you are ever looking for a little get away, we would definitely recommend Three Lakes, WI. I've been going there ever since I was little (back when the cabin was really a true log cabin with bunk beds and no electricity or running water), and we truly love its charm. Three Lakes is known for being the Largest Chain of Lakes in the world, and was voted the Single Best Town in America this year. If you ever venture to this quaint town you will definitely have to check out Lick-a-Dee Splitz and the Winery.
We look forward to our next trip back! Winter in Three Lakes is just as good as the summer! Cross country skiing, games, cozed up in the cabin with a fire, and a snow-covered winter wonderland = absolute bliss!
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| August 14th - Sunset off the dock. |
Remember when you were little and we tucked you in at nite, you thought Dad and I always had a party when you went to sleep...yea OK....the party was picking up, folding laundry and making lunches and typically just preparing for the next day. I wonder what the twins will think....now there is proof that we party when they go to bed....hahaha Mimi and Jeff will just say that only happens up north.
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