I'm back from a very fun weekend with the sisters in Wisconsin. Here's what was happening...
Friday - it rained all during the night and all morning. I made sausage/cheese omelets for breakfast and finished packing. Jim took Lydia and me to the airport. Gave Starbucks some business (long line and slow service). Good flight to O'Hare where Theresa picked us up and off to Eagle Lake in Kansasville (west of Racine) and our weekend stay at Doris's wonderful home. It was so pretty flying over Chicago with the fall colors and the sun shining. Enjoyed that view very much!
It was about a 1.5 hour trip to the lake and although a small group this year (only 8 sisters), we so enjoyed one another as it's been a while since we were together (not everyone made the 2 weddings in October).
Doris has the perfect home for entertaining many (and overnight). She and Rich have 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When they built this home, they made sure each family had a large bedroom, plenty of bathrooms, etc. It is sooo spacious and homey.
We gals settled in with wine, appetizers, chicken stew, chocolates from nephew Paul, etc. etc. We played games, cards and by 10, we were all yawning and ready to call it a day (gone are the days when we would've stayed up till 2-3 AM)..... We were missing Marilyn, Nancy and Sharon. This tradition of the sisters getting together (usually a fall weekend - few times in the spring) started in 1993, the year after oldest sister Carol passed away. And now Sue is gone, too. But Lydia, Beth and I (the in-laws) have been included from the very beginning and it's one event we just don't want to miss.
Doris started the evening game time off with all of us shaking dice and any time someone got a double, they put on a hat and pair of gloves and then had to start unwrapping a very tightly wrapped (using 4 kinds of tape) bottle of wine. It was fun and crazy, but the person who got the last of the tape off, got the wine.
Here I am frantically trying to get the last of the blasted tape off....
but
Janet came out the winner with a bottle of Meiomi
Proposing a toast to those missing....especially Marilyn who had to cancel at the last minute due to being exposed to Covid
Pat, Theresa, Joan, Beth, Janet, Doris, Karen. Lydia
Mark did several odd jobs around Flo and the shed + a bunch of book work/computer stuff.
Saturday - slept well and while some of the gals were up bright 'n early, others of us (including me) slept in a bit. Great breakfast casserole, Racine kringle, fresh fruit, mimosas, and coffee made a good start to the day. We got the games going, some went for walks (spectacular fall day). Just nice 'n relaxing around Doris's big dining table - these gals are soooo into games and we had a huge variety to choose from plus lots of hand 'n foot (card game).
We went to 5:00 Mass at St. Mary's and then to dinner at The Red Oak which was delicious (farm to table). On home for more games (Sliva poker).
Pat is pondering her next move as Beth looks on
Sooo many games going on
and then "let's play the dice/unwrap a bottle of wine" game AGAIN!!!
Tonight's winner was Theresa and she won a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
Way toooo go!!!
Our "Hostess with the Mostess" - Doris
Mark celebrated his birthday early with Jim for a delicious dinner at Connor's (seabass for Jim; ribeye for Mark) - one of our favorite FM places.
A very nice surprise came this afternoon when Annette sent a thank you video of Luke and Maeve for the Halloween cards. ALLELUIA.....those cards finally arrived (12 days to get from Fort Myers to Lake James)!!!!! Later Blair did a face time "thank you" and Brady texted us!
Michael sent this beauty of Lake James taken tonight
Magnificent!
Sunday - Today is Mark's birthday. He enjoyed phone calls and facetime from the kids and grandkids, plus text messages, e-mails, etc. Thank you all...
The "Birthday Boy"
Looking good at 74
Another gorgeous day and another yummy breakfast with assorted bagels, cream cheese, yogurt, fruit, etc. Since we got an extra hour of sleep, we were up earlier and got right at the games before it was time to leave. We also got the washer/dryer going with sheets/towels and beds made up fresh for Doris's kiddos at Thanksgiving.
Mark went to Mass at St. Francis, then to Waffle House, ran some errands and on home.
The sisters started leaving around 11ish. Theresa took Lydia and me to O'Hare for our return to Fort Myers. We had plenty of time to get our coffee fix, chat, people watch and then a snack before boarding, Good flight and Mark was there to pick us up. We sat and yakked about our weekend - always so much to share after the sisters are together! 😀 No zoom for us tonight.
Monday - Mark opened some presents, we went for a walk, I did the laundry and just a nice relaxing Monday. Rode bikes in the afternoon - a perfect November day weather wise in SW FL Jim had brought Mark some red velvet cake which we sure enjoyed!
Tonight kicked off a busy week. Dinner at Kings Kitchen with our neighbors, Rog and Martin. We've heard about this place in downtown FM, but never been. Weellll....it was absolutely fantastic - fun spot with a menu covering so many different ethnic choices. We dined outdoors and I had the fried lobster tacos which I do believe are thee best tacos EVER!!!! Everyone enjoyed their food and of course, lots of good conversation! Very enjoyable evening!
Martin and Rog
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