Grandview 2010

After a quick laundry and repacking pit stop at home, Jason, the girls and I climbed back into the Expedition and headed east to the one of the 10,000 lakes Minnesota boasts about~Gull Lake. A quick 6 hours later, we were unloading our stuff into the gorgeous Jones Cabin 11, Grandview Lodge. Supper at Billy's was our first order of business and then it was time to settle in for our first of many rousing rounds of a new game Josh introduced us to, "Things". Some of the answers made us want to disguise ourselves...

But most of the answers just totally cracked us up...
After many hours of laughter, we retired so that we would be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a long day of boating on Friday...

There was an impromptu "Whose head is the smallest?" contest, using Lily's beach ball hat as the measuring stick...

I don't know if a winner was determined but I do know Lily was happy to get her hat back with nary a stretch.

And then, more boating...

Lily was beside herself with joy when she was invited to take a turn at the wheel...

She steered us safely back to shore and then the volleyball court was calling us...

Cleaned up and our bellies full of steak and corn on the cob, it was time for

our crew to conquer the Grandview bingo hall...

The Paa siblings were our only winners, sharing a $10 pot but there's always next year.

Saturday brought another day of gorgeous weather, perfect for a day at the beach...

We caught wind that Grandview offers free tubing so JerBear fought the crowds to get the kids signed up for a half hour spot out on the lake which was met with huge smiles and just a few nervous butterflies...

Grace, Lily and Austin climbed aboard first...

And enjoyed themselves immensely...

Lily tired of the water splashing into her face so she hopped off and Ella and Emma gladly took her place...

As the tube was being pulled back to the boat, Ella hollered out, "That is living the life." I do believe that sentiment was shared by all the kids...

Next on the agenda was a leisurely paddle boat ride around the harbor...

And some more beach time...

A trip to Northern Minnesota wouldn't be complete without a round of mini golf...

And the accompanying photo opportunities...

And finally, it was time for the culminating event for any Carter/Paa/Kolb vacation~The Big Shake...

It was a thrilling game of ups and downs but Mr. Kolb prevailed as the The Big Shake champion this time around...

Sunday morning Jason, the girls and I hit a few of the quaint shops of Pequot Lakes which resulted in two pairs of shoes, one shirt and a few memorable photos...

And then before we knew it, we were at our final stop of the weekend, Zorbaz~for pizza, spaghetti, mexican food and the final photos commemorating our fabulous four days together...

We loaded back up into the Expedition for the long journey home.

After over 24 hours in the car and over 1500 miles covered in two weeks, I believe this video accurately depicts how all five of us were feeling...

We've had an awesome two weeks as world travelers and the memories will be cherished forver. However, there is a strong possibility, we may not be leaving our house again until school starts. If you need us, you know where to find us.