Last minute summer road trips w/ G.G.

(Groovy Girl and her aunt)

Groovy Girl and I have been on a road trip frenzy to finish out the summer with a bang!  We headed northeast first to the Rochester area of my former home state of Minnesota.  I can wax poetically about growing up in the Land of 10,000+ lakes and my dad and his boating adventures.  We spent many fun times going up and down rivers, camping on islands, going round and round lakes as generations of children and adults took their turns water skiing.  I recently saw an old pair of wooden skis at an antique store and it took me back to 3rd grade when I had them on my feet for weeks at a time.

(Groovy Girl and her wee cousin)

We went to visit my stepmother and stepsister who is about to have baby #2 (remember when hashtags represented number).  It was wonderful to see everyone and we delighted in seeing Groovy Girl's young cousin, Amalia, who is growing fast. My other stepsister is in the process of moving with her husband and two young daughters to Minneapolis from the south side of Chicago so soon we'll be able to easily get together.

We came home for one day turnaround and headed east to visit my friend Barb. She lives in the great state of Indiana in the northeast corner.  She just purchased a new house and we helped her move, clean, organize, and build to make the new house a little more ready for her family to live in. We spent one long evening doing battle with an IKEA closet organizer for her son's room.

She runs a very busy business, Marilyn's Bakery, and was pulled in several different directions while we were there (every day for her) so it was great that we could be there to help.  Groovy Girl and I like to help in the bakery but this time it was even more fun to stay at the new house, all shiny and beautiful, and work on that major project.  We also had time to get pedicures, attend two yoga classes at The Yoga Room with Mike and go kayaking in the small lake that sits behind her new house.

(Barb and Groovy Girl)

Barb and I have known each since before we were married or had children and there is something comfortable about spending time with someone who knows you so well. We can talk about just about anything and we are lucky that we've landed only 2 states away from each other even though busy schedules keep us apart for most of the year.

While we were gone my youngest brother sent me an email asking us to visit before summer ends.  We saw each other in Montana but it would be great to see them again and see the new house they have under construction.  We'll have to see what the end of August-beginning of September bring as school starts next week for both of us.  How are you ending your summer?