SOCIAL MEDIA

Summer 2015 Family Vacation

6.27.2015


We did it! We finally got away from out tourist town home and were tourists ourselves for once! Hallelujah! This truly does not happen enough. It was just what we needed. 

We booked a cabin in the middle of the Chequamegon National Forest at Delta Lodge, complete with no internet, WiFi, television or phones and were in complete bliss, (technically they did have WiFi near the office but we didn't need to use it)! Our trip coincided with Zoey's birthday and Father's Day so we had a little celebrating to do as well.


It's kind of hard to believe that this sweet girl of mine is now eleven years old. Time goes by so very fast. She is such a trooper allowing her crazy parents to whisk her away for a family adventure.

This was our cabin (pictured below).




And yes...our dog Leo came with. This place was amazingly dog friendly. Each cabin had at least one dog with, some of them had three!








Upon arrival we had Zoey's little birthday celebration. She opted for a grocery store angel food cake bought on the way up.


I'm not sure why Leo was so intrigued by the gifts since there were no food items wrapped!










Zoey has always loved (and been pining for) a certain American Girl doll (doll #4) which if you are a collector you would know is very rare and difficult doll to find and when you do, it's very pricey (upwards of $400) so it was never going to be in the cards for purchasing for Zoey...I had made that clear many times.

Well...as luck would have it, I discovered one that was on eBay for a decent price but wasn't in the greatest of shape. The day she arrived in the mail to me I shipped her off to the doll hospital hoping they could fix her up, knowing she wouldn't arrive in time for Zoey's birthday because it usually takes a month or more to have them work on the doll(s) and then ship back.  We were packing for our trip and the FedEx guy delivered the doll right as we were packing up the car!!!

So perfect, it's almost as though they knew it was her birthday!


Here she is in her doll hospital gown.


Zoey was so surprised and happy and the doll is in pristine condition. Truly amazed!


Our cabin was close to the Delta Diner which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives so we made a point to eat there once (or twice!) while on vacation. It was definitely worth all the hype. 











I had a cheeseburger omelette sans the toast since it was one of the few gluten free breakfast options and it was AMAZING! I truly couldn't believe how good it was because the sound of a cheeseburger omelette was a little off-putting to me initially.


Ethan had the Bourbon French Toast...


Zoey enjoyed the Vanilla Bean Pancakes...






We had one day of rain which meant some play time with some of Zoey's new birthday items...




and some exploring in the lodge's old school game room where we discovered Zoey loves playing darts. They had board games, darts, a pool table, two arcade games and a jukebox.

So cool.










Sadie (Zoey's new doll) loved being on vacation with us too, can you tell?





Here is a shot of the water's edge...off from the swimming area and some of the docks. You had free use of any of the kayaks, canoes, row boats and paddle boats.



These photos are from the afternoon that we had some rain but things eventually cleared up quite nicely.




We enjoyed cooking meals at the cabin mostly (with the exception of eating out at the Delta Diner twice and then ending our trip with eating dinner out at a favorite restaurant in Bayfield, Wisconsin, Maggie's). Leo appreciated that we ate mostly at the cabin with him.



There was some pouting though when he realized that just because we were on vacation didn't mean extra treats were in it for him.




We enjoyed swimming lots (every day) and pretty much lived in our swimsuits daily. We had sandy feet, messy hair and wore smiles more often than not.












They provided fire-wood for our fire pit...we enjoyed a fire every night that we were there.








Again...Leo appreciated being with us on vacation even if that meant bed hopping. He had to find the comfiest spot.


We were lucky and our cabin had a sauna...we didn't use it but I could totally see using it if we go back in the fall.



Some of my favorites from this vacation was being out on the water. We took the row boats out as well as the kayaks. We all want kayaks now!













We brought our bikes with too and took off right from the lodge and discovered two beaches not far from where we were staying. So fun!








It was so nice to re-connect, slow down and just enjoy one another.







While on this trip it was Zoey's first time kayaking all on her own. That was fun to see and it was so nice for Ethan and I to be able to actually kayak on our own as well. There are so many things it seems that we've been patiently waiting for to "get to do" again. While it's bittersweet to see Zoey getting older, it's also allowing for us to have a bit more freedom again.
















I also enjoyed using my camera to capture some of the area's beauty. The flowers alongside the roadways were amazing! I captured some while biking and then for the lupine I actually had Ethan stop the car so I could get out and get some shots. So amazing.










And here we are at Maggie's. My favorite restaurant in Bayfield. There are flamingos everywhere in the decor...and you can't tell here in this picture really but Zoey's doll's dress has flamingos all over it too.




As always, I got my favorite meal...the gluten-free Greek Salad Pizza, YUM!


Out last sunset from the cabin on our last night...



We came home feeling refreshed, happy and a bit more in-tuned with one another I think. Hoping it lasts and we will definitely be going back!

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