Happy 4th...No "Ifs Ands or BUTTS About It!"

So for the 4th of July this year--our Lake House was FINALLY complete! My parents had been there for a few weeks, so I took off two days of work and was able to enjoy a nice, long and very relaxing weekend with the family (minus Chad, who was in Argentina!)

The best part was probably getting to spend time with my nephews! Sure, we eat dinner with them and such, but they have to go to bed or have naps, etc. But this week, I got to spend all day with them! Baby Charlie is getting soooo big! And Luke never ceases to amaze me...too precious for words!

Luke and I in front of the waterfall...

I got in late on Tuesday night, but woke up nice and early on Wednesday morning. Then, I got to REALLY appreciate the beauty of the new home. I can't even put into words how absolutely amazing it is and what a wonderful job my parents did building and decorating.

My favorite feature...other than the amazing deck/grill area, is my nest! I call the area my nest because it is up on the 3rd floor and overlooks the deck, with a beautiful view of the lake. I wanted a porch/balcony area, but I wanted to be able to have comfy couches and chairs so I could prop my feet up and read a good book...oohhhhh my is it a nice place to relax. I even went up there to read one day with my sister and fell asleep with my feet propped up on the railing...yeah, of course they fell off and I jolted myself awake. But at least it was nice and relaxing!

Of course, the highlight was going out on the boat! We had a few picnics out on the lake...making sandwiches to take out on the boat. Even the dogs came along for the ride a few times...of course every time we hit a wave in the lake I had 2 large bundles of fur in my lap (Ginger and Bailey...go figure!)

The 4th of July was a beautiful day out-although there are droughts in SC right now so a lot of the fireworks shows were cancelled (huge relief for Ginger, who has panic attacks when they start going off!). We really tried getting Luke in the spirit of America's birthday...and let's say he got to party in his birthday suit!! A priceless moment I caught on Mimi's camera...when we showed Luke this pic, I asked what he was wearing. He took a moment and responded "Crocs"...we all died laughing, it was too adorable!

I volunteered to be chef for dinners, so Friday night I did my sausage and cheese plate, BBQ chicken, tomato salad and OF COURSE, my American flag cake!

Saturday was another relaxing day...we managed to beat the rain most days.

View of the back from the lake...

View of the front...

Overall, I'd say it was an absolutely perfect trip. Good quality time with the family, lots of fun. I can't wait to go back!