Car Troubles

Sunday night Scott and I headed for a hotel in Park Rapids. We enjoyed lunch with Wes and Lorinda at a really fun park and then they headed home and we went to our hotel for naps. Our hotel was really great, it was a good place to be "stuck." We had a nice nap, watched the amazing Wimbledon championship, and took LONG hot showers. When we first got to our hotel Will said "What is this place?" Once he figured out that we were staying and his cousins were no where in sight he started saying "I don't like THIS house!" over and over. Monday morning we were lucky to get our car into the dealer to get fixed. Mind you, this is the 5th time our car has been in the shop since January, and our car isn't old. Everyone who knows has said things like "you have a nice car though?" or "Subaru's are supposed to be good cars, right?" and yes, we like to agree with them, but it seems that all the major repairs are coming due all at the same time, and that our poor car is not handling it well. While at the subaru dealer, we were sadly looking at the new, or newer subarus.... suddenly trying to formulate a reason for a new car ; ) Hahaha, Scott told me not to impulse buy! I just hate having a car that you're never quite sure you can rely on, and after the 5th time out of the shop, we're starting to feel a little uneasy about our little subie. Anywho.... while we were waiting, we walked around the cute little town of Detroit Lakes. We saw their "mall" which consisted of about 10 stores, and saw this great big fish.... so we thought we would take a photo to always remember the end of our very memorable trip to the Northwoods!

PAUL BUNYAN! BIG PAUL BUNYAN!

You can't go to the Northwoods and not see the famous logger, PAUL BUNYAN! So, even with our car about to fall apart, we made the little trek to see the giant Paul Bunyan statue. Before we left our cozy cabin, we had to get a group shot - isn't our cabin great? It was very rustic, and very memorable! :) Can you find what's missing from this picture? THE BLUE OX! How can you have a giant statue of Paul Bunyan and not have the BABE?? Oh well, we figured this wasn't a one and only statue of Big Paul, since he was more than one home in the Northwoods of MN. Will was not liking this giant guy, but after we took pictures, other people went to take some pictures and Will said "That's Paul Bunyan right there!" with a big grin of course. I guess he just didn't like getting a little up close and personal, sorry Paul.
The kids, minus little 2 mo. old Norah. Can you see Will? He's screaming and Ivie is trying to soothe him, isn't she a good little cousin?
Northern MN really is beautiful, we loved the lakes (all 10,000 that we saw!) and all the greenery and woods. I hope we can go back again someday, with the worries of our car and not being on a poor student budget!

More Big Timber Lodge Fun!

Here is Will doing what he did the whole time we were at the lake. This little beach was right out our front door, but there was a much nicer little sandy beach just down a little ways. It didn't seem to matter where we were, Will thoroughly enjoyed the water, and I enjoyed relaxing while he played with his cousins! Saturday morning - they were all a little timid at first, but about 20 seconds after this picture, they were all pretty much soaked and loving the water. The only downside to all this water fun were the bugs!!!
The sunset looking out our cabin windows. It was so pretty, I think I could live there every summer, all summer long and never get sick of it!

Big Timber Lodge

At first, Will was very camera shy, and wasn't so sure he wanted to be friends with Uncle Wes, but after about 5 minutes, that changed. Will was Uncle Wes's bud, constantly saying things like "can I go with Uncle Wes?" "Where's uncle Wes?" "Uncle Wes you want to come?" "Uncle Wes, what one do you want to be (talking about playing fish with him)" Uncle Wes was so nice to let him see all his fishing gear, poles, spinners, sinkers, and nets. Will REALLY had fun with Uncle Wes and is still talking about him, and playing with the fake fish, littly tiny squid, and leech that Uncle Wes let him bring home. Thanks Uncle Wes! I think they are looking at a bird or something?
Will and Daddy on the paddle boat at our cabin!
Our cabin had a great little sandy beach just a few steps from our cabin, plus kayaks, paddle boats, and all sorts of fun toys for kids. It was so pretty, and Will had so much fun playing in the water! I brought 3 changes of clothes for him and he soaked all three, and completely dirtied his swimsuit..... he had a great time!

The Headwaters

Will spent the ENTIRE time in Itasca throwing sticks, rocks, sand, and pretty much anything else he could get his hands on into the water. He did this for about 30-45 minutes while we were at the headwaters. Being the 4th of July, it was a bit busy, but we still got to enjoy the headwaters and the lake. Caleb and Ivie jumped right in and were swimming around!
An action shot, of Will throwing rocks.
A family picture, where it all began!
Waving from across the Mississippi!

Itasca!

Our trip to Itasca was great! A few minor stresses along the way... listening to our car make awful noises the whole (4 hours) drive up there, and realizing I only brought one swim diaper, and listening to the same 4 songs over and over to appease Will. Okay, the last two really weren't stressful, but at the time, it was really anxiety provoking. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, just perfect. And the bugs were in full force! I've never swatted at bugs so much in my life.... I thought people were joking about the bug population, and Scott and I laughed hysterically at our travel size bug spray. Yes, we had to stop at a gas station and buy the big bottle! COUSINS! I think this was Will's favorite part of the trip, he LOVES playing with his cousins. I have never seen him play so well with kids other than when it is cousins, there is just something about family. I'm so glad he has Caleb for an older boy cousin to show him the ropes. Caleb and Ivie are so patient with Will and like to include him in what they are doing.
The map of the Mississippi river route.... from MN all the way to the Gulf of Mexico! Pretty amazing!
I know I don't look happy in this picture, but I didn't know Scott was taking it, I was really excited about this sign. This picture is dedicated to my chocolate loving - especially fudge - MOM! I wanted to buy her some and send it all the way to Uruguay, but never had the chance. Maybe that will entice her to come back to MN and try some fudge from the headwaters!
OH - and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO EVERYONE! I love living in such a beautiful country, where we can enjoy the freedoms we enjoy, and the opportunities we have been given. We really are blessed to be living in America!

When it rains, it pours....

Well, after a wonderful 2 and a 1/2 day vacation at a beautiful lake, we are now enjoying an extra night of vacation waiting for our broken down car. Yep, we got all the way here, it started doing funny things and sounding worse and worse, the closer we got to our destination. Of course, it is a holiday weekend, so nothing is open, and our car won't get fixed until Monday. Until then, we are going to enjoy wandering the streets of a very small town, and hopefully making the best of our interesting situation. Our little cabin and trip to Itasca was beautiful, and Will had a blast! He LOVED spending time with his cousins and Uncle Wes became his favorite Uncle ever, after showing him all his fishing gear over and over and over. The kids loved the lake and spent ALL day Saturday playing in it. Pictures to come!!... if we ever make it home! :) Wish us luck!... I'd really like to call up the mechanics that looked at our car the day before we left and assured, and reassured us that it was driveable and we had nothing to worry about coming on our trip.... don't you think they should pay for our repairs? Especially since we probably made the problem worse by driving 4 hours away from home! Uggggh.