can this be forever?

we have some great friends, dane and aimee, and each summer we have been in boston they invite us up to her family's cabin.  it has become a tradition of sorts and we know i loooove traditions - more cabin posts here, here, and here. so we drove to new hampshire and spent yesterday at our favorite lake.  it's the best place to be.  i mean look at that view from the dock.  it's dreamy. 

 the cabin is complete with lots of fun toys so we enjoyed every bit of our day.

jeremy loves those kayaks.  that's always the first thing he wants to do.  jeremy and i kayaked around and then jeremy took his turn water-skiing.  he's a champ! i was too nervous to try. 

see?  everyone is just so happy at the lake.  

i got photo-bombed by amber and ryan and thought it better to just embrace it.

we took turns hitting some floating golf balls into the lake (this activity is a must for the boys) while the kayakers fetched the balls.  aimee and i went on the jetski ride of a lifetime.  she's a wild one when it comes to getting that adrenaline going so i knew it was going to be awesome.  we zigzagged across wakes from the boats and caught some air a few times.  i loved it.  it's like a vespa on water.  when we came back to the house i was told they could hear me whooping and hollering as we ventured all over the lake.  you can thank my mom for my loudness, it's something she's known for.

we ate some lunch, practiced our dives off of the dock, swam around, and relaxed in the hammock - also one of my favorite things.  i tried to convince my parents to put one in my bedroom from wall to wall when i was 9.  sadly, they didn't go for it.  something about it not being good for my back as a bed replacement.  the funny thing is i ended up with scoliosis regardless.  but i digress.

in the afternoon aimee and her dad, jim, convinced me to give water-skiing a try.  they taught me what to do and what not to do in "ski school" and before i knew it i was in the water fumbling to put the skis on my feet completely terrified and sure it would be disaster.  the first time i struggled and quickly fell, but every time after that i got up and was off and running skiing.  i fell a couple times on the turn arounds, but otherwise was able to maneuver in and out of the wake.  i was pleasantly surprised and totally excited about the whole thing.

evidence: scared katie on the left (look at that furrowed brow) and happy katie on the right.

there is something about conquering what i don't think i can do that just makes my day.  it reminds me to take risks because sometimes i surprise myself.  jim told me i was a natural on the skis and that was the icing on the gluten free cake.  it rocked.  then he showed us his skills on the slalom ski.  he was carving it up. i couldn't help but think of my own daddy that surprised us with his water-skiing talent when we went boating with family friends for the first time when i was in high school.  dads are pretty cool.

after we were all tuckered out, we grilled up some burgers and ate so much watermelon that it was coming out of our ears.  while we were filling our bellies and chatting away, a small family of loons wandered over.  everyone stopped to watch the endangered birds dive for fish.  a boat follows them around on saturdays to keep them safe.

after the loons safely passed, we hit some more golf balls, put away all of the toys, posed for a quick photo, and said adieu to the lovely scene.

i love this boy so much.

we had a sublime day. the cabin is the perfect place for all things summer: good company, tasty food, adrenaline rushes, and so much fun and games.  it truly is my favorite.  jeremy and i keep talking about the need to have a lake house of our own some day.  we sure dream big.

thanks, dane, aimee and family for being our friends and letting us play and relax in the mountains with you.