Green Lake & Chicago Dreamin

This past weekend, Adam and I were up at Green Lake. This was the first weekend we've been up there since the 4th of July! I sure did miss it. My brother rode up with us and we all headed out Friday after work. I was a little stir crazy from sitting all darn day at work, so I wanted to go for a bike ride right away around the lake. I managed to convince Adam and Scott to join, and we headed out shortly after arriving. We were racing to get around the lake before the sun set, but boy oh boy did we fail. We had a bit of an anchor {not naming names...} and she was a little slower than the boys. We ended up biking about two miles in complete darkness, with the small help of Scott's cell phone flashlight he held up. We inhaled mosquitos and dodged parked cars all the way around 13 miles of hilly shoreline. An eventful way to start the weekend! The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying family time. We got in another bike ride with Mom, the boys played tennis, we swam in the lake, played bocce ball and went on a fishing adventure . I decided to give everyone special names when we went fishing. My dad was the Captain, Adam was the First Mate, I was Second Mate, Scott was Chum Master and my mom was Quarter Master. Nobody got as big of a kick out of the names as me though. I'm so funny. Adam and I were the only two fishing, but we caught a good number of fish! We each caught two or three smaller ones, as my dad tried to keep the boat hovering over a large drop off . The weather wasn't fantastic, but it was very enjoyable to be outside.

I've been eating very healthy for a few weeks now {Adam too!}, and last weekend at the cabin we introduced my family to the smoothies we make almost every morning. We brought up fresh fruit, spinach and the organic mango juice we use {left behind the Greek yogurt}. I made a few helpings for people to try and they went over well! Hands down, my dad's morning waffles would have been a way better breakfast at the lake, but I was proud of my self-control. I was worried that a weekend at the lake would throw me off track, but it didn't. It makes sense though and I'm not sure why I was worried in the first place, as my favorite memories of the cabin don't revolve around food, they revolve around the time we spend together. We've both been feeling really well since our healthy endeavor and are hoping to keep it around indefinitely. The most challenging thing is stocking healthy foods and for me, purposely drinking a lot of water. This typically means more frequent runs to the grocery store {and bathroom...}and more prep in the mornings to make breakfasts/lunches. We've also been mixing in workouts together and are really enjoying it. We even met some really nice neighbors in the sauna two nights ago post-workout, bonus! This weekend in Chicago will be the ultimate test. A city known for their starchy, cheesy wonderfulness. The two very things that put me in a place of unease with my health in the first place. I have faith we will do well. Plus, I Googled healthy restaurants that we can try out ;) I'm sure we will give in to a few local favorites, but I'm really hoping the majority of our meals are relatively clean. So are my skinny jeans.

We don't have too much on the agenda for Chicago at the moment. My parents gave us an anniversary gift of tickets to the Blue's Brothers Gospel Brunch on Sunday {our actual 1st anniversary!}. We are really excited for that. There's an Air and Water Show at the Lincoln Park Zoo Saturday and Sunday, which we may check out. The rest of our days will be filled with exploring, shopping, tasting, relaxing and reminiscing. One year of marriage. I can't believe it's gone by this quickly! I'll get too teary eyed writing about it now, but I'll post separately about our trip and my thoughts on our first year being married. I can't wait for our mini-getaway! Hurry up weekend, we're ready for you. Our wonderful brother has volunteered to sleep over and bring us to the airport at 4am tomorrow morning. What a guy!

Adam's huge catch!

BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa Metcalfe's. A late 53rd Anniversary celebration!