Potluck 2012!

Every summer our association hosts a potluck down in the park where everyone gets together to share a meal and play games.  It's always a blast and of course filled with lots of good food, great friends, and laughter.  Shelly inherited the MC and lead organizational duties from her mom and this year was sporting a new blow horn with removable microphone - fancy! 

The little ones hitting up the prize blanket.

Picture drawing contest.

We also celebrated Grayson's third birthday...happy birthday buddy!

Though many kids participated in the bubble blowing competition....

... it was Liz who took home the gold!

Next up adult games and we started with the nail hitting contest.

None of our men did too well....

...and the women certainly didn't either, especially with Kel using the wrong side of the hammer at first!

Kel and Dan/Liz and Mike all did a great job in the tp mummy wrap.

The water balloon toss is always a favorite event!

Jack's effort unfortunately didn't save the balloon.

Same for Mom....

 Hoonzie and I were the big winners....now I have a title to defend next year :-)

 A great evening at Oakwood Estates!

The New "Old White House"

Since you (you being my few loyal readers :-) ) got a tour of the coach house last week, I figured you deserved a tour of the actual house itself.  My mom dubbed the house "The Old White House" and as you can read here, there was some serious work put in over the past year+ to bring it to where it is now.

Upon entering the front door you have the option to go straight upstairs, hang a left to the kitchen, or a right to the family room.

The family room/dining room has a great view of the lake with 3 sets of large double doors.

A bird's eye view....

While we're up here, let's take a look at the master suite...also with a great view of the lake.

I love the original "windows" (they open up to look out down on the family room) that were kept from the old house.

A quick peek at the upstairs bathroom....

Back downstairs, there is a nice den off the family room.

There have been a few updates to this room since I took this picture, but all in all it is pretty much the same.

There are 2 bedrooms downstairs.  One that my sister swears is haunted, but I think she is nuts!

The other is apparently free of ghosts, but a horrible quality picture as I forgot to snap a new one last week.  I also forgot to take pictures of the 2 bathrooms downstairs...will need to post updates soon!

The bedroom above opens up into the kitchen.

I think we all agree that the best part of the house is the front porch where we spend many mornings enjoying coffee and watching everyone walk along the lake path...and many evenings having long dinners also enjoying the lake.

When we're not out front you can find us on the side patio.

And here is the view I've been talking so much about...not too shabby :-)

The Coach House is Open!

Above the garage of the new house there is a "coach house" - or in laymen terms: a big room with a half bathroom.  Perfect for entertaining and sleeping when friends come up to the Lake!  However, getting the coach house inhabitable was no small feat.  Check out a couple "Before" pictures.....

We did all the painting ourselves...white on the walls with a blue ceiling.....

A few months later and we're almost done...definitely inhabitable by July 4th, which was the goal!

There is still some work to be done, but we're at least 90% of the way there.  Looking forward to making some memories up in the coach house!

Sunset Cruise

It's been so unbearably hot here lately that the only somewhat cool place is on the water.  So what better to do after dinner than take the boat out on that water?  Can't think of any place I would have rather been especially with the huge orange-hued full moon rising over the lake.