Much Needed Time Away

I am hoping that one of these days I'll actually do a post when the event really happened. But today is not one of them. We were so happy to take a little vacation last month. My cousin and his wife own a timeshare in Door County and were unable to use it this year. John had a few crazy busy months at work and decided that this sounded like the perfect opportunity for a brief get-a-way and indeed it was. The kids were so excited and of course were counting down days from the moment they found out there was an indoor swimming pool. I think John and I were also.

We arrived at the Rushes on a Friday evening and stayed through the next Wednesday. I had been there quite a few times before over the years being that my Aunt and Uncle owned a timeshare and I would go with them when I was in middle school. My Grandparents own one as well and I spent time with them when I was in high school. And when John and I were dating we both went along for a visit and so it was a bit nostalgic for me to be back especially as I walked through the door to the scent of "the Rushes". Do you associate certain smells with memories or places? Even the hand soap in the dispensers was the same scent and brought back memories.

The condos here are next to a nature preserve and are also on a lake. The surroundings were much like home but our condo was not. Upon entry the first thing Seppy said was "It's SO clean!" And I wholeheartedly agreed and was very thankful to be away from our clutter for a time. It also helped that we didn't bring toys along and had only the bare necessities for clothing.

Our days were spent visiting little towns, here where the kids dipped their own candles...

Here our one meal out -- a yummy breakfast at Village Cafe... and look I made it in the picture!

Looking for lighthouses...

and joining in the activities that the Rushes offered for that week including, geocaching, letterboxing...

 ...orienteering (using a compass), and nature hikes.

John said he felt like we were in a retirement community which was fine with us. They all seemed to enjoy our children at the various gatherings such as playing bingo where everyone won a prize. Seppy ended up being the "ultimate loser" which brought him to the verge of tears until he found that it was an honor as he won the most candybars with that title! The older ladies were cheering him on as he now proudly went to collect his winnings. :)

The rest of our time was spent swimming, swimming, and swimming some more. The kids had a blast and John and I were so relaxed. It was wonderful enjoying each others company.

We had a very hard time saying "goodbye" and hope to have that type of vacation again!