Back from the lake house

Spring was in the air over the weekend and my soul let out a big sigh of relief to be away from the noise and stress of home, and fully emerged in the sights, sounds, smells, and lack of responsibility that go hand-in-hand with these all-too-rare weekends away. We drove up early Saturday morning, after my dad dropped off Daley, our dog that my parents adopted when we realized what a cruel fate it was to condemn a young dog to living yardless in a condo.

The drive itself was pleasant because, after a year of driving in silence, we finally got our radio repaired; now our random banter was accompanied by the old school housy goodness of a Booloo Master mix CD. Daley curled up into a secure little ball in the back seat, just as he always does, and quickly passed out and slept for the duration of the drive. World's. Best. Car. Dog..... Ever.

Shortly after we settled in, the caravan of cycling folk arrived bearing bags of groceries and cases of beer; wonderful. Julie and I went for a jog around the lakes with her wonder dog, Molly while the menfolk went for a ride (Julie is also an avid biker, but due to the marathon she is training for, she had to get her miles in on two feet). I seriously can't believe how much better I feel running out in the fresh clean air of the countryside, rather on the congested pavement of Chicago. I was actually covering some really hilly ground yet felt a million times better than I ever have running back at home in the pancake terrain of Chicago. I wish it could always be 65F and sunny on a Wisconsin Saturday afternoon when I venture out for a run!

After all the activity, we had an excellent grilling session with ears of corn, portobella and swiss cheese bratwurst, grilled portobella caps, and boca dogs (twice baked potatoes with horseradish chedder cheese were cooked in the oven). Mmmmm grownup food. You know, as we've aged we may not have become any more mature, but the food and beer selection have seriously improved. The night was capped off with a bonfire in the backyard that went on for hours, and watching shooting stars over the dying embers until they failed to give enough warmth to keep things enjoyable. Good food, good friends, good beers, and great conversation.

I seriously can't wait until the summer when we do this more often, and can't tell you how many times during the weekend I seriously considered exploring my options in terms of telecommuting jobs that would let us move out there sooner. It'll happen soon enough, but I really wish we could speed things up; talking to Dan about the whole thing, we know we're both on the same page about that one. Some day...