Missy's Moments

Woman Lake 2009

I’ve written about Woman Lake every year and this year was no different- it was filled with fun, sun, tons of family time and just a overall feeling of contentment. Our days up there are filled with a whole bunch of nothing yet it is everything that fills my heart and soul with joy. Every year I get better and better at this whole family vacation thing. I wish I was better at articulating just how precious that time together is. I sometimes wonder if Kayla and Jordan didn’t get robbed of some of this time. You hear it all the time “enjoy them while they’re young it goes so fast”. You roll your eyes at the older man or woman in the check out line saying that to you while your child is freaking out about not getting that stupid five dollar yo-yo and thinking the laundry never stops, the brothers don’t stop fighting, a moment alone seems like it never happens, your sure your going to bust if you hear one more little person scream MOMMMMMMM and then before you know it you wish you could remember the funny way your daughter used to say bunny, or you look at old pictures and say “oh my goodness remember that?”. It’s not a old person saying time does go way to fast and I find myself just wanting to be a sponge, to absorb as much of those memories and pray that my brain and heart can hold it all. I said a few months ago that I no longer what to look back with regret- I actually said that regarding a picture of myself and the way I look looked but it holds true with all areas of my life. God does not look at us with regret or remorse but with a love so intense and so true He showers it upon us and extends grace and mercy far beyond what we deserve. Life lessons given to us so freely and yet so hard to learn. I hope that I strive to be better at sharing that love and intentional living with those around me.

Our vacation this year was missing one very important part and that was Jordan. It was the first year that we weren’t all together, it occurred to me that it won’t be the last either, although the reasons may be different in the coming years they still may or may not be able to join us as they grow and become more on their own. I know it was hard for Jordan not to be able to be with us, I know we missed him. He’s home this weekend and last night we were all sitting around watching America’s Funniest Home Videos and listening to all four of the kids giggle was a treat. Tonight we’re going to family fun night at church, I’m looking forward to being there but most importantly I’m looking forward to being together. I was reminded this year that we don’t need to be at the lake to make those memories.

Thank you Lord for our family, for Kayla, Jordan, Eric and Sam. Oh and Mom, Dad and Macy too. (as prayed during our nightly prayers)

So I can’t very well end the post without some vacation highlights so here they are in no particular order :)

*We left our house three different times this year- I was determined to leave early for fear of the dreaded traffic. We left the first time and had to turn back for a forgotten item. We left the second time and had to turn back with car issues. (which was fixed by using a friends vehicle- thanks Paul!) and then we left the third and final time. We were spared traffic and still ended up at the cabin earlier than we’ve ever gotten there. It felt like a bonus day!

*My mom beat us there despite our early arrival. I had to note that because it very well may never happen again!

*Sam and Eric jumped off the dock (with life jackets on) and swam to the trampoline to bounce and play. Last year they wouldn’t hardly get in the water! I guess the swimming lessons helped with some water fears. Money well spent. :)

*Sam woke up Sunday morning and said he was going to waterski and he did!

*We discovered that Eric is quite the little pyro! He liked to see “how hot the fire is” by stirring it with a long wooden stick that would just happen to turn into a lit torch that he “have to” go put out in the lake. Needless to say mom didn’t like that whole gig.

*Sequence Dice became the game of the week with the kids. Fun game and easy to play with all ages.

*I think I may have beat Rick at cribbage once or twice and I wish I could say that’s all the games we played. I don’t even want to talk about the game he skunked me! (insert pouty face here)

*Kayla shopped the small towns and was stalked by all the boys mosquitoes.

*My mom made a delicious breakfast every morning…. Eggs Benedict, french toast, eggs, bacon and potatoes, fresh fruits, sausage… name it and she made it. Needless to say I didn’t weigh in that week ;)

*We took about a zillion pictures of loons. Trying to get one better than this.

*Kayla got her hair wet (trust me that is worth mentioning)

*Sam caught a northern.

*Eric drove the boat and has requested one with a steering wheel next year.

*Rick and I couldn’t pay for any privacy so our time was family friendly. (yes I said it)

*We found an Osprey nest.

*Sam won the minnow races.

*Woman Lake Lodge in Hackensack, MN is my favorite place on earth. :)

    

Woman Lake: Part Two Day One

We arrived at Woman Lake after a non-stop play by play given my non other than Mr. Sam Eagen. "are we almost there yet?" started shortly after we left-about 5 hours into the trip the question changed to "what time is it?" What really made me giggle was the response Sam gave Rick. Now keep in mind Sam has asked the same question about a zillion times at this point. Here's how it went

S-Are we almost there?

R- Not quite Sam we're getting closer

S- Why DO YOU keep saying the SAME THING OVER Daddy?

R- Because YOU keep asking the same question Sam

 

We unloaded in the rain, while I got settled the boys went out in the rain poles in hand to get the week started.

At the end of the night Sam feel asleep all cuddled up with me on the couch. I'm sure he was exhausted trying to align his thoughts with his constant motion!

Here we are.... one of my favorite places on earth with my favorite people. Hello Woman Lake... do you have any idea how much JOY I get every year from your beauty....

 

I wrote that the fist morning I woke, the lake was still and the sunrise beautiful. The beginning of a perfect week.

   

 

sneak peak to part three...... guess who waterski'd? stay tuned there's video proof

Woman Lake Part One: The Fish

 

side note: I realize it's been since May... I'm sorry. I'll start with the easiest and work backward! My hope is for the sake of the good the bad and the cute getting the gap filled in :)

side note 2: I've had to use windows live writer because Internet Explorer has some issue with posting.... Jenna this really was ready to go just in the wrong program!

Anyway on with the story...

Grandpa has waited PATIENTLY for these pictures.... I mean the voicemail, the massage on the machine, the email I know he wasn't in a hurry or anything to see what would make any Grandpa proud :)

Catch #1... Eric headed out to the dock with Sam and Jordan. New fishing pole in hand and ready to get in the water. You know I don't even know what he used for bait because I don't believe we had been to the lodge to purchase any crawlers or anything yet but whatever he had worked. I'm not sure he knew what hit him or how to reel it in. Good thing big brother was around.

The next day Sam was determined to have a taste of how catching the big one was going to feel. One funny quote from Sam as we were packing up getting ready to go "Hey Mom, bring my comic book to take a break from fishing, I get sooooo tired catching fish" Well he didn't have his comic book in hand but he remembered his tackle box.

 

It didn't take him long to announce his first catch and he was PROUD! :)

He even took him off the hook by himself... poor fish (LOL)

Here is a video of another catch while he was putting his new unhooking skills into action :)

 

I think it is safe to say that the fishing this year was better than it's been in a long time. Reason being the water was C.O.L.D.! Jordan's first big catch was a northern that weighed in at 8lbs and was 35in. The next night I think he caught his younger brother. I'm guessing this guy (second pic) would have grown more if given the chance.

Then of course I wanted to get in on the action but I didn't buy a fishing license this year. That and the fact that Rick told me there "wasn't a chance in H.E. double  hockey stick I could catch a turtle" sent me on my hunt.

Don't tell me what I can't do! (giggle)

 

Jordan also went up to Leech Lake for a day with a friend from another cabin. His first real taste in Walleye fishing proved to also provide a tasty supper.

And of course the testosterone in these next pictures speak for itself!

 

Dad what do you think? :)

Woman Lake 2007

note: grab a cup of your favorite beverage this is a long one! couldn't be helped as I wanted all this recorded for our family

Woman Lake~that time of summer has already come and gone but not without leaving some great memories and fun stories. Our time up north this year was nothing short of wonderful. I just can't sit here and adequately find the words that fit the bill for our trip, neither Rick or I were ready to come home at the end of the week and trust me that is rare.

I've listed the pictures in order that they happened and instead of writing about each child I hope to share a few highlights of each day, thankfully I don't need to come up with many words as the pictures do most of the talking.

Saturday: Leaving on Saturday morning went really smooth, I decided this year no pressure, we'd leave when we left and I wasn't going to get myself all bent out of shape but being 'late'. How can you be late when your on vacation? So we pulled out of the driveway at 9:48 and I checked the record from last year and it was not that far off from last year and without the stress! Plan A worked so onward.

For whatever reason I got car sick almost right out of the starting gate, heading up to Minneapolis was really making me queasy. My best guess was anxiety over the heavy traffic we encounter every year going through Minneapolis/St. Paul, lack of sleep, hunger (but nothing sounded good), feeling heated (the sun came in on the passenger side). Whatever the reason was I did learn something very noteworthy: Rick seems to drive much better when he believes his wife could ralph at anytime! Trust me folks, this is not a bad thing! LOL Well thankfully the car sickness finally passed and all the above items changed so who knows, didn't care I was just glad I felt better.

Rick and I played the ABC game and I promptly won, Jordan slept in the back seat, Kayla wasn't with us (missions trip), Eric was watching CARS and Sam was entertained most of the 7 hours by a $1.00 spider-man dry erase board I found at Target. The ride up was by far our best one yet.

this first picture is one that we all love seeing, only 8 miles after we turn.......Sam kept asking are we on Woman Lake Road yet?

the next picture is Sam and Daddy happy to be unpacked and looking out at the lake

Sunday: Sam and Eric spent some time fishing off the dock, Sam got a little impatient (imagine that) and came to find me to get a nack (snack). On the way to the lodge I had a little conversation about his first fishing experience that week.

Me- Sam did you catch anything?

S- NO, my fishin pole DON'T work!

Me- really? What's wrong with it? Does Daddy know?

S- The fish just keep gettin my worm..... (as he grunts and makes a angry face)

I think the fishing pole is fine but there may be a small problem with the fisher BOY.

Also on Sunday Kayla and Alissa arrived, I was really missing my girl and it didn't really hit me until we got to the lake. Up north seemed different without all of us there. My brother stayed behind a day to drive them up and they arrived around 4.  It didn't take long for her and Alissa to get settled and start playing

Kayla and Alissa on the swings (this is kind of a before picture, the after will come later in the week)

Our other Sunday event was the steak fry, this is one of the nights the entire group eats together, grills full of steaks and everyone brings a dish to pass.

Here is a picture of the steak fry, my best guess there is 40-50 of us. Guess I never did an official count.

My brother and my boys enjoying their dinners

I could stare at pictures like this one forever, love watching my family, brings such a feeling of contentment and blessing.

At our fist fire we broke out the s'more stuff. I believe Rick perfected browning marshmallows and even Eric got in on it, although Eric's s'more order was something like this:

Can I have a s'more with no marshmallow and no crackers?

I think it would have been easier to ask for a candy bar?

Sunday evening Sam captured his first crayfish or crawl-dad and I forgot to mention earlier in the day that pole finally worked and he caught "a fish with fins"

Monday: Rick's sister Laura and her husband Jerry own a cabin about 20 minutes from the resort we stay at. We planned on heading over to visit for a while as Rick's parents were up staying with her. Her cabin is beautiful and Laura looked so at home there, it fits her and Jerry nicely. While we were there Eric helped Grandpa Eagen play a game of cribbage. I'm not sure who won this game but Eric sure had fun.

Below is Rick, his mom and Laura out on the dock.... I told you I liked these pictures.

Well while everyone else was hot in a game of cribbage or looking out on the dock Sam and I decided to go exploring, I was thinking we'd see a chipmunk or a pretty bird, maybe even a cool looking bug but nope we found this guy .....

Daddy came and caught him so the boys could have a closer look. What is that saying? Snakes, snails and puppy dog tails... the snails come later, the puppy is at home at her own resort

In the picture below Grandpa is teaching Eric how to play cribbage and Eric played the whole game (with help). This is precious to me and I pray these memories plant firmly in Eric, they will be treasures.

Tuesday the weather was so so. It was warm enough to play in the water but overcast and humid. You had to wonder when the storm was coming but it managed to stay away from us. Rick had the boys out on the jet ski and they loved it. Later that afternoon we slipped away to see a movie, I was pretty sure the weather was gonna get icky for awhile and I figured it be a good way to avoid it. We saw Ratatouille and it was cute. Sam snuggled with me the whole movie and it was a good thing because that theater was freezing... Rick and Eric couldn't sit with us because we were a little late and it turns out Rick had Eric on his lap also trying to keep warm. Can't say I minded a bit.

Sam didn't even have to be moving to have a great time on a jet ski!

Sam was a little cold here.... LOL

In the evenings after dinner we'd visit the neighboring resort and enjoy some of the great ice-cream they offered.

Eric developed a little crush on Kayla's friend this week, how could he not she's a really sweet gal and she loves the Lord, at least Eric's on the right track!

Since I had the camera most of the time this was the best picture of me the first few days!

My mom and Rick enjoying the fire

Wonder what he wanted? Trouble is most people (including me) have a hard time saying NO to those eyes....

Wednesday cleared the skies and brought BEAUTIFUL weather..... high 70's, low humidity, sunny and warm and the only goal for the day was to see who could get water logged first. Eric and Sam were pretty cautious last year about the water. This year Rick and I really wanted to encourage them to get past some of that fear. We traveled out to a play raft that was stationed between some docks and once out there I realized to convince them I'd have to take the plunge, so in I went. Sam was convinced enough to get in with me for a few minutes but almost took me under trying to hang on to me, I couldn't get the notion in his head that what he was trying to use my neck for was being accomplished by the life jacket. Eric also had a hard time with the idea that the life jacket would REALLY hold him up so I just gently 'set' him in the water and let go and once he realized that he indeed really did float he got quite excited. He 'swam' to Daddy and then back again and then no matter what that life jacket did enough was enough and he wanted out. Nevertheless I was proud of them for trying. Progress.

Jordan enjoying some time in the water

Eric on a boat ride

Either the day was just that nice or Sam eye's got the best of my mom because trust me when I say she hasn't been in the lake for YEARS! In she went to help Sam find snail shells and they found quite a few.

Snakes... snails (or shells) and puppy dog tails

between brothers

Daddy taught Eric how to skip rocks... his favorite skipper rock is home on his night stand

Wednesday was coming to an end, we'd had fun in the sun, great meals. Did I mention that my mom made these incredible breakfasts everyday? Eggs Benedict, french toast, pancakes, sausage... oh sorry side tracked there. Back to the story. Anyway I was walking in front of the cabins and I hear "Missy, Missy come over here Kayla's hurt". His voice and tone were so calm that I didn't really think much of it until I got close enough to hear and see my girl on the ground and indeed hurt. She was sitting up but hunched over and holding her arm. I thought for sure it was broke when I first looked at her. She had been swinging and the swing broke from under her when she was in a swinging motion. She fell backward and landed on the back of her head and her back. Because the shirt she was wearing had a low back there were rocks and gravel in the scraps on her back. Her hair was filled will rocks, gravel and dirt and what I thought was an arm injury was a finger. The finger right next to the one she smashed the beginning of June. Thankfully we were able to triage her in the cabin. This was her third accident in the last four weeks.... can she be done now?

Here you can see her back, my mom is holding ice on her head and I'm looking at her hand/finger making sure all the right parts move.

My brother was still big fish story-less so thankfully with photoshop you don't need to come up with stories, you can just photoshop in what you know you would have caught had conditions just been a little different.... here is the picture he took, the fish was added when he got home.

This is a real fish! Jordan caught this but it wasn't big enough to eat so he went back to the lake to grow some more.

Sam and Eric 'surfin'

Isn't she beautiful...

Jordan and Eric on the paddle boat

Yes that's me, yes that's a swimming suit enough said

 

Alissa and Kayla around the fire

Rick woke up at 5 am long enough to see this guy on the dock in front of our cabin

Thursday and Friday went too fast! The weather continued to hold and our only mission was to play. I just tried to literally soak in everything I could, watching our family play, enjoying the beautiful environment that is just so undeniably God's creation. In the past I spent so much time thinking about packing up on Fridays that I forgot to enjoy them. This year I said pack up, smack up.... it'd get done and I didn't care. oh my goodness.... I almost forgot to write about Kayla, no not an accident this time but with her track record lately I have to admit it made me nervous. When Kayla was younger (8 or 9) she tried water skiing, it was not a good experience. She gave a whole new meaning to a big gulp and after tasting that much of the lake without success she hasn't tried since. This year she said she'd try and not only did she try she made it up!!! Yeah Kayla Also on the last day Jordan dropped a ski and did great! Yeah Jordan We played in the water all day, got some ice cream, burned up the last of our fire wood, took a boat ride and marshed the last of the marshmallows, stopped up at the lodge and made the reservation for the next time...... until then the other Woman in our life will be waiting and this is one other Woman that I welcome anytime.

Kayla in the water getting ready to ski....

Up she went......

Down she went

and up again!

Someone pushed Jordan in the lake.... LOL (mmmm kayla)

need I say more?

Eric watching his big brother on one ski

Saturday....9:21am tears

Woman Lake 2006

Woman Lake Lodge is a resort that we've stayed at for many years. It started out as a invite from a friend of my mothers in 1983. My brother was 1 and I was 11. Needless to say the friend is more like family and this has become a cherished tradition throughout the years. During some of my later teen years and the years I lived in California I didn't go but in 1994 I traveled up with Jordan than 1 and Kayla than 3 and have made many memories there with my family, this year was no exception. I must say every year I get just a little better at getting my family packed up and ready for the trip. In fact my only big hang up is the traffic on the way up north. I seem to create a small crater in the passenger side of the vehicle from pushing on my imaginary brake!

We started off from our driveway at 9:23am and at 10:01am Sam asked for the first time "Are we there yet". Is that one of the phrases that children are born knowing how to ask? Rick and I chuckled and I grabbed a pen and thought it would be a good little project to keep track of the times this question was asked. Now this may seem pointless to you but this is my record so here goes:

10:01 Sam

10:14 Sam

10:20 Sam

10:25 Eric

(note: they are watching a DVD~ )

10:35 Eric

10:56 Sam

We stopped for lunch sometime after this as we had been in bummer to bummer traffic for a while.

Back on the road again around noon.

12:33 Sam

(Sam fell asleep for about an hour and Eric was watching Larry Boy)

2:30 Jordan~ yes Jordan

Note: Kayla rode with brother's girlfriend

3:39 Eric and Sam

3:45 Sam plus a bonus burp/giggle session , also after this inquiry Sam with frustration in his voice says "PLEASE JUST TELL ME WE ARE CLOSE, DADDY "

3:52 Sam

4:19 Sam

We arrived shortly after 4:30. We might have gotten there a bit sooner but the dead turtle the size of a small tire in the middle of the road backed traffic up.

I decided to start singing a little at the end, it's very possible Rick used excess speed just to get me to shut up!

We've had the same cabin since 2003. I walked in and did my usual rearranging. Rick unloaded, I unpacked and WA-LA the rest and relaxation begins :) That is exactly what we spent the week doing. The weather could not have been better. It was cool at night and warm and sunny during the day. Rick spent his time playing with the boys, finding muscles he forgot he had on the jet skis, and making sure there was enough firewood for the evening fires. He and Jordan were able to get out and fish together a couple of nights. Eric and Sam played with Daddy a lot this week. He is so good with those boys.

Eric and Sam got fishing poles this year. They were really content the first day just learning how to throw the line with the fake fish in the water. That is until they caught on that they'd never catch a fish that way! So off to get bait and they started out with 'waxies', let's just be real, they are maggots and as gross as it sounds it's better than those nasty earth worms! I lucked out in the bait department. I only had to deal with it a couple of times but I swear every time a fish was caught the stupid thing had swallowed the hook. Anyone that fishes knows this is a bad and gross deal. I would just tell Eric or Sam Daddy would help that fishy! ICK. On the last night of fishing Sam threw out his 'magic hook' as he called it and a 'big huge fish' aka 5 inch perch snapped his line and the magic hook never made it out of the lake! Poor Sam. Here are some pictures of the fishing adventures with Eric and Sam.

I think Eric liked his fake fish better!

Before we left Eric and Sam also got an UNO game from their daycare friend. She bought it mainly because it has the CARS movie characters on the deck so Eric and Sam wanted to learn how to play. I wasn't quite sure how this would go. The box says ages 7 and up and I was clueless as to how to explain this to them without seeing their cards. So I had them lay the cards out in front of them and with each card that was in the middle we'd go through a little series of questions to determine the right move. 1. Do I have a card the same color? 2. Do I have a matching number? 3. Do I have a black wild card? If the answer was NO to all three than we had to draw. Rick and I decided to team up with them and Sam and Rick played Eric and I and things were much easier to teach in that fashion. By the second day Eric decided he no longer needed a partner and proceeded to beat Rick in a couple of games. We decided to advance things a little further and add a third player to the mix so it was Rick, Eric and the team of Sam and Mommy. What I thought would be a quick game turned into a cut throat game of UNO. There was no sympathy card here for the five year old. I was gonna get that little card shark to draw four as much as possible because he was getting the game all to well! Sam passed out on the couch next to me around 10:30pm and the game went until shortly after 11. Over an hour later the little UNO champ prevailed! Love this boy!

Rick taught him how to deal. 111,222,333, etc...

He was a little upset with me after that last Draw Four! LOL

We could find Jordan one of three ways up there....

Either with a fishing pole in his hand, ...playing in the fire (with me yelling at him)... or on a jet ski. He has no problems keeping himself entertained. I have a problem getting him to eat and sleep. He just goes, goes, goes. One of the days at lunch he told us he had to go. He said they were going to take the canoe out fishing and I thought nothing of it. He and his buddies hop in a paddle boat or canoe and head out to fish often. About 10 minutes later I was looking out the window and there is my oldest son heading into a area called the channel (shallow water leading to other bays) all by himself! Needless to say I was not amused. Surely he doesn't think he can handle this canoe by himself. Surely he didn't bring his tackle box, if he tipped he'd loose everything. Thank goodness I have never even hinted at the idea of the life jacket being removed. The kids know they'd have way more than drowning to worry about if this mama saw them without a life jacket. Anyway we concluded he'd be fine and Rick and I decided to take the little guys for a ride in the boat (one with a motor) and we'd venture over to check on Mr. Jordan. We rounded the corner and this is how we found him.

Thank goodness the water here is only about 4-6 feet. Standing in a canoe~ yikes. I took the picture and then gave him a little lecture and this is how we left him.

"mom, relax why are you so worried?".... sheshhhh

Well when we came back through this channel area he was gone. We didn't see him and assumed he returned safely, which he did. As he was standing in this shallow area fishing in a canoe alone probably the most exciting thing in his fishing career happened. A 27 1/2 inch Northern came by looking for lunch. Jordan was fishing for Sunnies and Perch (Northern food) and found the end of Jordan's line. He managed to get it in to the canoe and back to the resort with out tipping the canoe! If any of you have caught a Northern you know they fight. This was definitely the catch of the day for our group!

Here is another picture of Jordan on the jet ski. The kids sure have fun on them. I think Jordan and Kayla would agree it was worth the 8 hour water safety class I made them take this spring to ride these.

There is always this sense of soaking in all the rest and relaxation that you can when your on vacation and this year I believe Rick and I really did that. He looked at me one day and said you know we can sit here and do nothing. I hope our vacations continue to be just that, a time to enjoy our family and relax. When you come home more exhausted than when you left the mark has been missed.

The week went way to fast. The tears were quick to come as we pulled out to come home on Saturday. I don't believe the drive home involved any "are we there yet"s". It was nice to be back to the Red house. Rick went back to work today, the laundry is caught up, the mail is sorted through and I think I've returned most of my phone calls. Jordan was back to summer school today and Kayla is hunting down her friends for sleepovers. The only thing I can think to say is I'm just content, there is a peace that feels refreshed and restored and I'm once again I'm in awe of the beauty in all of it.

Last picture that I wanted to share~ God Bless