As I sat down to type this, I had a big gross coughing fit, to which Rowan responded “You ok over there, mom?” He followed up his inquiry with bringing a stuffy, in true Rowan style 💜 Goodness he’s a tenderheart.

Anywho, as you can imagine, we’re all battling some illness here. Brady went to work feeling hopeful, but came home after just a few short hours. He has reached that frustrating point in his illness where his throat is now just irritated beyond belief, and he’s basically coughing on his own throat. Nothing to actually see or fix in there. Just an angry throat. So he coughs and coughs and coughs. Its very discouraging. He was quite disappointed to have to leave work. That poor boy and his monster work ethic :/

Brady is used to a solid two day cold. Thats how it always was. Hopefully how it will be that way again someday. During covid, no one was allowed to be sick, and all of our immune systems got out of practice. That hasn’t been surprising. Then, chemo took what little of Brady’s immune system that he had left. I do believe it will regenerate over time, but it is certainly not all up to snuff just yet. And thats a hard pill to swallow for him. Amongst all the other pills he has to swallow.

If you’re the praying variety, please say a prayer for us here. For Brady. He is trying to quash an ear infection from the outside while preventing it from worsening from the inside. He is completely under water, with both ears plugged. He is managing an abscess draining, as well as leaky eyes, congestion, and a horrible uncontrollable cough. He is disoriented and frustrated. He has all the drops. All the drugs. All the grace. But he is fed up.

Yet he is still soft and loving and doing all he can to care for his people 💜 I’m proud of you, Brady. I’m sorry you couldn’t stay at work. We all love you, and we’re happy to have you home.

It felt like a sad end to our lovely weekend. Our little fam hauled out early in order to get our sickies home, resting, medicated, and comfortable. We need them better. We are all SO tired of having sickness in our home. And I mean really, it’s a wonder how they all keep cycling through sickness 🙄

The prettiest nose picker there ever was 🙌 

So the morning played out with the kids getting up, getting meds, and then rallying long enough to help pack the place up before we hauled out and grabbed a late breakfast agt Tims in PA. No one is hungry when they’re sick anyway. We made it home, napped three, bathed two, and then Brady and Solly hit up a clinic. 

It was worth the trek, and Brady came out of it with some good meds and hope that the craziest of this mess is over! Thank goodness! 

Cher stayed with us and made soup and toast for supper, which was absolutely a perfect supper for sickies! Now, bedtime approaches and I’m more than ready for the day to be done 😅 Not because it didn’t have it’s good moments. But because I want everyone to feel better and a YUGE part of that is rest!!! Wish us luck, folks!! 

Our family is unfortunately coming down with some more bummer illness. We are so tired of being sick, especially when we have loved ones out to visit 💔ugh. Could timing be any worse?! 

Regardless of that, we had a really beautiful day. We ate a giant breakfast by the fire…

And then headed to the beach! 

We played games, kayaked, dug in the sand, and really really enjoyed each other’s company 💜 It was really special to see our family and our lake family come together. Oof. My heart was very happy to see my nieces, and my sister and brother in law make friends with the Dahlsjo’s while reconnecting with lots of other people they haven’t seen in years. Thank you Lord for giving us this beautiful meeting place! 

The beach day ended ominously, and beautifully!! 😍 The sky got dark and we decided to pack it in before the storm! 

We had supper and cake together in honour of everyone’s birthdays, near and far. It was yummy and fun and so good to be together! 💜 But our sick bunch faded quickly and we headed back for bed. Both Solomon and Rowan expressed how ready for bed they were, which was absolutely out of character for them. But bedtime was smooth and everyone is tucked away, falling asleep to the rain sounds. 

Sleep well, friends 💜 Stay healthy!

It was a beautiful overcast day of food, fires, friends, family, and all the playground playing that could be mustered. 

As we enjoyed some actual in-person visiting with my sister and her family, and my mom! I really enjoyed the mix of having them here alongside our friends and loved ones here at our lake. What a beautiful mix of people we truly love. 

Tomorrow forecasts more sun than clouds, and warmer temperatures, so we have high hopes for a beach day with the cousins! 

But first – sleep. Coffee. Breakfast. Coffee. Then we can talk beach 😎

I love Cher. And I love lists. So.

C is for courageous. Not to be deterred by fear. Brave. This is a constant effort that Cher makes, and it pays off! Vulnerability is brutal, but its beautiful, and describes Cher perfectly.

H is for hardworking. Or helpful. Either way, Cher has a heart to put in all she can to assist those she loves and who love her. If there is job she can take off my list, she will.

E is for empowered. And while self empowerment sounds great, she is empowered by Christ alone, which is a huge gift, but also a lot of work. And she puts that work in to fill herself with the right stuff! With God, Cher is capable of absolutely anything!

R is for receptive. Even in the thick of struggle, she will consider angles and ideas she may not have before. She is open and willing! This is a beautiful sign of humility!

I is for important!!! I know this doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of this list, but I really want it in here. Cher is valuable and worthy of all the love and affection and care! She is an incredibly important person in the world, and I am honoured to call her my best friend!

C is for creative. Cher is an artist in SO many avenues that likely many of you don’t even know. I’m sure there are ways I don’t even know! She is creative with different tangible or digital mediums. In picture or word. In household or food. She has an incredible brain.

E is for empath. My beautiful Cher feels so deeply, and carries very real feelings for those around her. Almost to a fault, she shoulders much that does not belong to her, but it is part of how she loves and how she was created by God. It is not an easy job, but she was made for it, and she does it beautifully.

As my sweet Cherice celebrates another year around the sun, I thank the Lord for her existence in this world, and in my family.

Dear girl, you are my sweet lady. My best friend. My sister 💜 I love you, and I miss you! I can’t wait to see you in a couple of days and give you 32 smacks on the butt. And one for good luck, like Mrs. Lepp would do.

I love you I love you I love you!

Hear me out.

Firstly, I will say we are OVERWHELMINGLY grateful for everything we’ve been given! Our camp spot is absolutely a gift from God, and we could not feel a deeper sense of belonging than we already do. Along with our camp spot, we were gifted a golf cart, to make transport WAY easier for Brady! What a HUGE gift!! Then, last summer, Dekker was gifted a kids kayak! Everyone uses it, and it is SO fun for everyone! Meanwhile, our kids get invited to join others on boats, adventures, and events with friends. We have everything we need. Please hear me heart. I am NOT ungrateful.

I truly would just like a moment to bang my fists on this keyboard and shout “WHY ARE BOATS SO EXPENSIVE?!?!?!?!”

As we sit on the beach, we stare at the boats docked in the lake. How amazing would it be to have a boat we could take out, jump off of, float around on, have picnics on, listen to music on, bring friends along, fish, crochet, read, tan, etc etc etc. It would be SO fun. And honestly, very our family’s speed.

Except there are many of us, and we need sturdy. Which means we would ideally have a pontoon boat. But goodness, have you SEEN those things?! They are STUPID expensive! As in thousands and thousands of dollars! There is simply no way, haha! And that is FINE. Because we are absolutely NOT without! But goodness! Have boats always cost this much?!

So with that off the table, I’ve been investigating getting a couple more kids kayaks or paddle boards or something fun like that! I saw a couple of years ago, a place in Swift was dumping off probably a hundred paddle boards for $10 each. They were, of course, immediately gone, but it left me with a false hope that they wouldn’t be SO expensive to find second hand.

I was mistaken. They are NOT inexpensive. Not at all. I am incredibly grateful that people are so willing to share at our beach, because there is NO way we can have multiples of these things! It makes me feel a little guilty that we’ve been given the one kayak to begin with! Yikes!

Anyway. All of this is just a little rant. Be assured I am NOT asking for anything! I’ve had to learn to be very careful on here because so many of you just jump. Which is INCREDIBLE. But I assure you, no one is asking for a handout. One is more so just cheap and cannot fathom how these things are SO expensive! Has it always been this way? Or just since camping got trendy during covid?

One of our favorite meals at the lake is big chunky salads. And yes, I did say “our,” as in including the kids. Big salads is a meal we really enjoy here at home too, so it translates really well to those hot, sticky days at the lake.

At home, we make salad in our giant popcorn bowl and sometimes still run out! So at the lake, we make two big mixing bowls full 🙂

Our big chunky salads include lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers. Every. Time. Sometimes I’ll add tomatoes, but not all the kids like them so they eat a little less. It happens, but not every time. We then add chunked up chicken nuggets and shredded cheese. Toppings include bacon bits and crunchy onions, and dressing options are your basic ranch, italian, or my homemade honey mustard.

This meal goes over SO well. Everyone eats their body weight in salad and other yummy things. If we ever worry about not having enough veggies on hand, we’ll throw some garlic toast with it, but its rarely necessary. This is a heavy favorite over here 🙂 Perfect for summertime!

It has been a FULL afternoon!

I left right around noon to make my 1:00pm counselling appointment. My counsellor and I are terrible for rescheduling, but we finally made it! We had a really loaded appointment, and I felt great at the end. I’m definitely tired after those appointments, but they leave me feeling validated and understood. I love it. I’m excited to see what comes next in counselling!

After my therapy appointment, I went for my other appointment – waxing! That was oooooverdue! Laela ceremoniously waved goodbye to my leg hair…

and then it was GONE!

Ta-daaa! All nice and fresh and clean!

Meanwhile, laundry continued!

There is never a shortage of laundry after camping!

The kids are eating supper now, and Brady, Cher, and I will eat after they go down. I’m SO looking forward to some downtime, comfort food, and good company 💜

Tomorrow is another day of prep! Groceries and packing!

This weekend at camp was worlds apart better than the previous. Thank you Lord for this beautiful reprieve, where we played for hours and hours in the water, in the hot sun, with our people. Where we ate easy meals and lots of treats. Where we slept in. Where we regrouped in our ice cold camper. Where we met goals and progressed in healing. For these things, we feel truly blessed. 

This morning was shockingly beautiful. 

A completely solo beach was a treat 💜 All the fun stuff was at our disposal. Brady and I sipped coffee as the kids played. 

Can anyone say bleach blonde?? 

We packed it in shortly before lunch, and headed back up to camp to get on all the jobs! 

Laela did dishes. Dekker and Rowan refilled the water jugs and the wood bin. Solly packed up all the clothes and laundry. Wavy retrieved all the stuffed toys and books, as well as gathered up all the boots and shoes off the deck into a hamper. Brady made hot dogs for lunch, and we all sat and ate before we packed the van and got on the road. 

These three days in between trips are FULL days, and we’re here for it! Making memories and taking names! 

It has been one of the most beautiful days 🥺 My heart is full and happy and hopeful and light. Here is a quick breakdown for you to share with us 💜 

We had some terribly cute additions to our breakfast, where we made roughly 30 s’mores and very much enjoyed ourselves! 

We hit the beach early and enjoyed a peaceful, overcast morning of lake time! I have zero pictures to prove it, but it was so beautiful and so calm. 

We lunched and headed right back to the beach. It was hotter and busier but still so incredibly lovely. It wasn’t long before Brady took a plunge that he’s been debating for a while. It was time to get that man on a paddle board. 

With our friend Stacy’s help, we got the boat stable, Brady out onto the dock, down the ladder, and onto the board so seamlessly. He was an INCREDIBLY happy man. 

I felt very overcome with emotion coming off the dock, and lo and behold, there were a few other friends sitting on their beach chairs, working to gather their composure as well. It is SO incredible to be SO loved and cared for here. I could rave about the community here all day long. But for today, I will just say that I am truly touched. 

When it was time for Brady to be done, someone we don’t know well who is just visiting for the week overheard and offered to come be our third person. We accepted, and she steadied the board so Brady could more easily get off and onto the dock. 

The entire thing was a raving success 🥺😭 

The day wrapped up with our friends joining us for supper, and then all of us going for dessert at their site. 

It has been an incredibly lovely day. I know it will be a joy to be home tomorrow. It always is. But I am so grateful to have such a beautiful getaway here for our family. Praise God!!!