7 Days at the Lake | Minnesota

Oh, summer. You really have your hooks in me this year. 

Every year, we come to Minnesota for a couple weeks in the summer. We begin by driving from Denver to Dellwood (or the White Bear Lake area, if you prefer) and usually just hang out around town seeing friends and lounging on my parents' deck. The only problem with that is the fact that we can't pause real life for everyone. My dad still has to go to work, my mom still has gardening and 10 million other things on her to-do list, and we end the trip feeling like we didn't get enough time together. 

Last year, we remedied this problem by going Up North. (Yes, it needs to be a proper noun.) Hours of fishing and swimming and napping and reading ensued and we knew it had to happen again and again. So we did a repeat this summer at the exact same place and are already planning to do the same thing next year. That Minnesota instinct to migrate North on occasion? It is very real and deeply engrained in us even though we live most of the year in Colorado. I love me some Colorado mountains, but I NEED my Minnesota summer adventure. 

I haven't been doing much in the food realm for a few weeks, but I did want to share some photos from our time Up North with you all. It's not Belize, but it sure was fun and filled all the little nooks and crannies of my soul that needed to be filled with love and laughter and way too much food. JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT.