So July? Yes it happened!
We are not really people who celebrate occasions often, such as July 1st, but this year we had two events to attend for just that reason.
First Lindsay and Jeremy hosted the 1st Annual Stecyk Beach Day on June 28th. They live in the Summerside Community and there is a lake and beach club right there! It was a hot one out, so a perfect place to spend the day. After hours of playing in the sand and water, everyone headed back to their house for a BBQ. Great hosts and great fun!
Next some friends from my wine group host a July 1st BBQ annually, and this year we were home and decided to go. The great thing about this BBQ is that it is on June 30, which means that most people can stay and enjoy themselves and not worry about work the next day. We had such a great evening, meeting new friends, seeing old friends, and enjoying a night out. The fireworks were amazing and the food beyond compare, as potlucks usually end up.
Thursday and Friday I was in courses, renewing my safety certifications, Some classes can be taken online but when able to I prefer in class instruction.
The weekend was spent relaxing as we prepared for our annual Family Vacation, this year held again at Ole McDonald's Resort near Stettler. What a great week it was. We spent days on the beach, riding bikes and go-carts, of course the train and tractor rides, and just enjoying each other's company. We love this time with just our family. I even snuck in a massage on the beach!
The next week at home was pretty quiet. We needed a bit of that as we were headed to a Saskatchewan wedding and a family reunion.
We pulled what we refer to as "an Uncle Ed" and arrived at Ken and Brenda's just before midnight. This is a phrase from Don's Uncle. Throughout his visiting and RV years he would show up at any time of day or night, and we would always tease him.
Anyhow, Friday was spent on wedding set up, etc, Saturday the AMAZING wedding, and Sunday cleaning up then relaxing. Monday we made a quick trip to Tisdale to see Dad, then back to Ken and Brenda's for our camping trip. We spent 4 days at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park on Diefenbaker Lake. HIGHLY recommend this campground. Lots of great walking opportunities, a weekly fish fry at the clubhouse, full facilities, etc. The days flew by and Ken and Brenda were wonderful camping partners.
Friday we headed to Swift Current for the last Smith Family Reunion. I say the last because the extended family of Louise and Jim Smith have decided to stop hosting reunions. There are many factors related to this, but mostly the fact that all the families have grown, some having challenges even collecting their own immediate families together. This reunion was hosted by the Seymour Smith group, and they did a fine job. As always excellent food and fun for all. Kind of bittersweet, but we all agreed that as we host our own families in the future, we will always extend open arms to our cousins and their families.
We headed home on Sunday as Don had a couple of days of work to complete, and of course we had another camping trip planned!
We spent a 4 day long weekend with the Cameron family at Long Lake Provincial Park. We were all excited about the "new" boat. Well a new motor on the old boat. It ran splendidly and added to the fun we always have on these trips. The kids could spend hours on the tube behind the boat, and Blake even tried water skiing. He made it up once but the inexperience of what to do worked against him. After that attempt the water and waves did not cooperate again, so a goal for next summer has been set.
So I am not really drowning, because this is all fun and a great way to see July speed by. But I could use some time to clean house etc. But that is somewhat overrated anyway!
August isn't looking any slower and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Talk to you in a month!