That’s what our sweatshirts said…although we never got a photo of all of us together!
In mid-August, we went to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland with Andrew’s family. We went last year and liked it so much we decided to stay in the same house again! It’s a well-known fact that the Layers don’t like change, so we’ll probably be at this lake from now until the kids go off to college…much like Andrew’s childhood trips to Lake Tippecanoe in Indiana.
We’ve grown by a grandkid since last summer, so we did decide to spring for a bigger house for next summer. PRAISE GOD. It was getting a little cramped!
I can’t believe how much Maelle has grown (and her hair!) since last year’s trip!
Unfortunately, we had a lot of overcast skies and rain, so we weren’t out on the water as much as we would have liked. Hot tub to the rescue!
Andrew’s family really enjoys bonfires, and the weather was perfect for that! We made s’mores, prevented small children from falling to the fire, and even had some extra excitement when Andrew offered Carolyn $20 to jump off the dock in her clothes! She did, and thankfully it was all caught on video.
Late in the week, when everyone was feeling a bit stir-crazy, the dads, kids and I headed over to the state park to burn off some energy. There are some trails, a sandy-ish beach and multiple playgrounds. The house next year is even closer than this one was, and I’m already looking forward to spending a morning there with the kids playing in the water.
We did get in the water a few times, and the last day (of course!) was beautiful. Andrew, Maelle and I went kayaking all morning!
We did, of course, play games in the evenings and even watched Jungle Cruise (still in theaters!) together.
Just like last year, Andrew, Maelle and I headed out Friday after dinner, this time to visit my brother and his wife and their new baby in Lynchburg, Va. My parents met us there and spent the day Saturday visiting. They have a bit of a project house and gardens that need some TLC, which makes me wish I lived closer so I could help.
Because we’d just about DOUBLED our drive time by going further south, we decided to split the trip home into two days and stay in State College with a friends’ parents. They are GEMS and even had our friends’ kids with them. Maelle had a blast playing with the boys in their den and doing breakfast the next morning at the Waffle Shop.
Andrew, Maelle and I spent the morning on campus, walking around and stocking up on new PSU gear. It was the first day of the semester and I loved seeing all the students heading to class.
All good things must come to an end, and by early afternoon we had to head home. We already can’t wait to bring Maelle back to campus soon!
thehealthypineapple 