Life at the Cabin...

We finished off our vacation with four nights in a cabin near Itasca State Park (where the Mississippi River begins). Long Lake (one of over 200 Long Lakes in Minnesota) was literally just a few steps out the front door, with a shallow, sandy swimming area that was perfect for everyone.
One of mine and Glen's favorite dates before we were married was fishing on the Provo River. Since then Glen's zeal for fishing has not waned even with his recently developed severe allergy to consuming fish, but it has become more of a Daddy/son activity.
So although not a mountain river, the fishing on the lake was fantastic and it was so fun to just be able to go out the front door to do it. We all caught many fish, especially after we discovered that cheese made for almost 100% success (Glen called it cheating, but the kids called it fun!)
One of the best parts of our trip to Minnesota was---HEATHER! Oh how we missed her photo taking sessions, back and head rubs, hair styling sessions for the girls, and you know that any outfit I pick out for my girls will never compare in coolness to what Aunt Heather picks out. We loved that she was able to join us on our trip, and my girls are already excited for their next shopping trip with Aitch (at Christmas time)!!

The kids would not allow us to neglect our "rustic" duty, by insisting that s'mores were part of this cabin deal (they certainly don't care about the extreme sugar overload that always accompanies the consumption of these gooey treats)! So here's sweet 2-year-old Ellie with a s'more in one hand, eating a marshmallow in the other hand, and crying that we wouldn't let her carry the whole bag. Don't you feel sorry for her?
And lastly we just played together, read the final Harry Potter, talked about the final Harry Potter in coded terms so as not to spoil for those still reading, laughed a lot, fished some more, and swam and swam and swam.