First Family Getaway

Last weekend the Stelsel family went to the lake! It wasn't exactly a Griswold family vacation, but it came close. Our friends, the Jessweins, have a family lake house in Michigan. You may recall we took this trip for the first time last year and had a blast.

When the email went out this year inviting everyone to the lake again, David was all aboard. I, however, was not as enthusiastic about it. Although we had so much fun last year, I couldn't imagine doing it again with baby in tow. After a lot of coaxing, I agreed to go (on the condition that Kirk and Laura would be available to keep Chase). As it turned out, they were going to be out of town, so I was adamant that we should cancel the lake trip.

Well David did cancel, against his wishes. And we were immediately flooded with emails and a phone call from our friends telling us they really wanted us there and they would help out any way they could. Needless to say, I was so floored by the response (and so appreciative!) that I decided, "What the heck. You only live once. Just go." So off we went!

We packed two days in advance to make sure we didn't forget anything in a frenzy of packing at the last minute. I give credit to David for that idea. It was smart, but Chase sure didn't like it. He gets depressed when the suitcases come out, and sure enough, he was on edge for the two days our things sat packed up in various rooms. I found him like this as I was leaving the house to return to work after lunch:

"Now you CAN'T go without me!"

We had a good time at the lake with 12 of our good friends. The accommodations were a little cramped, but we knew it would be after last year's excursion. Everyone seemed to have a good time; if Ford bothered anyone, we didn't know about it. He was on his best behavior, which made the trip a lot easier. He took good naps and slept through the night, so I couldn't have asked for more. Chase and Ford both enjoyed the attention from our friends -- it's always nice to have new people to play with!

All in all, it was a successful family getaway. We all enjoyed the nice weather and change of atmosphere. And, of course, hanging out with our friends!

Categories: fun with friends