On Monday I got back after my first week of vacation for the summer and let me say, it was fantastic! Instead of heading far out of town we holed up at a cottage for part of the week, then tried our hands at camping for the second part. The idea was to have a low-key time to recharge and relax. In the end we had lots of that, but some unexpected adventures thrown in as well. Here are some of my highlights from the week:
Fishing
About halfway through the week my brother, sister-in-law and little nephew came out to join us for the day at the cottage. It was a great time (minus being chased by a guy on a motorcycle, but that's a story for another day) and it was made even greater when we went fishing. My brother took us to a spot he had heard about and while it was quite the trek through the bush to get there, it was worth it. The scenery was beautiful and the fish were really biting. We caught saugers, walleye, and white fish.
Reading
It's not secret that I absolutely love to read, but over the past few years I haven't been able to do as much of it as I would have liked to because my sleep issues really effected my memory and memory really effects your reading. But now that my sleep issues are so much better I've been able to start devouring books again. I read a couple fiction books and in the non fiction category I started and finished Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist, which I highly recommend and The Real You by Dr. Kevin Leman, also a great read.
The Great Outdoors
Of course we spent a lot of time in the great outdoors. We did quite a bit of biking and on one of our runs nearly came face to face with a bear! One afternoon we rented a boat and spent some time out on the water. I went swimming, but that fun ended when I had to jump in the lake to try and save a dog that was drowning. In the end the dog was okay, but I'd by lying if I said that experience wasn't somewhat traumatic.
Zero Gravity
In the past I was never the kind of person who enjoyed lounging. There was always something to do and I wanted to do it, however in recent years I've come to appreciate the art of just being still and that practice becomes even more of an artform when you have a zero gravity chair. There was one at the trailer we were staying at and I could have spent the whole week in it, reading, resting and taking in the sights of the lake. I need to get myself one of these! Or maybe not because my productivity level at home would likely drop drastically.
All in all, it was a fantastic holiday and while it is now over, the summer fun has just started. Later today a friend and I are heading out on a road trip to a nearby town, I've got another week of holidays coming up in August and plan to spend a lot of time playing basketball, lounging by the pool and camping between now and then.
