Well hello there, happy Saturday!

I’m popping in today to share a bit about my adventure with Suzanne last weekend, tell you about a few books she MADE me listen to, and recap this heavenly week at home mostly alone.

And then … I’m GONE again! My girls and I are heading out today for an outdoorsy FAR NORTHERN adventure that I have been planning for almost a year! We will be gone until next Friday night, and I will, of course, tell you all about it on Tuesday, June 16. In the meantime, I have a trip-related reading collection all ready for you this Tuesday, June 9, but I will NOT be in your inbox on Saturday, June 13.

24 Hours in Lake Geneva

Remember how last summer I went to Door County for the VERY FIRST TIME AT AGE 44? Door County is one of the very top travel destinations in Wisconsin, and I had completely missed out on it for all of those years. Well, enter yet another top Wisconsin destination that I got to experience for the first time in middle age ~ Lake Geneva. Suzanne wanted to treat us to a relaxing getaway at the Grand Geneva, and I was ALL IN ~ what a way to kick off my summer!

We met for brunch Saturday morning at the delightful Egg Harbor Cafe, and then made our way to the resort spa for our massages. HEAVEN. And THEN, the outing that I insisted on ~ A BOAT RIDE. You all know I’m in my maritime era! We did the one hour Best of the Lake Tour and it was SO FUN. We actually listened to the guides because we were so intrigued by the massive estates lining the lake shore, and wanted to know every detail about these homes.

Then dinner at a lakeside bar/restaurant I can’t remember the name of, and back to the hotel for a chatty, chilly stroll around the grounds and relaxing by the fire. Given that neither of us packed accordingly for how cold it would be, YES we wore the hotel robes like jackets on this outing.

On Sunday morning, after breakfast in bed, we made our way back into town for a walk along the shore path ~ my friends, THIS is my favorite part of Lake Geneva! It is so so so rare to be able to actually walk by the shore on almost any lake in Wisconsin, much less ALL 20+ miles of shoreline of a lake!

Due to the unique landowner requirement on Geneva Lake, every property parcel has to maintain this path and allow the public access through their property. It is absolutely beautiful, and the path ranges from paved to stone to sand to boards ~ some parts are wide and accessible and other parts feel like hiking. I’m determined to go back sometime and walk the entire lake in a day!

Geneva Lake is NOT like most Wisconsin lakes, as this lake has historically been the vacation spot for many of the wealthiest Chicago families. That means that the properties you get to gawk at while walking the path are not simply little rustic lake cabins, but instead are sprawling estates with stunning landscaping and on the lake side, incredibly fancy boats. The history of many of the estates is absolutely fascinating. This path combines so many of my favorite things: outdoors, water, walking, history!

Books Suzanne Told Me to Read

Suzanne is another friend who doesn’t just tell me to read certain books, she INSISTS upon them. When I say they’re on my list, she gives me that look and I know I can’t get away with a very long delay. Yet again, she didn’t lead me astray, and I started listening to the first one on my 3.5 hour drive home, and then immediately moved on to the next!

First up was Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke, which of course fits right in with Suzanne’s writing and work with sobriety through her Sober Mom Life Cafe. Please read my full review for my range of thoughts, but my overall take is that it was a highly engaging audio experience for my drive home that gave me a lot to think about regarding why so many of us keep doing things we know aren’t in our best interest. I’m even MORE interested in her forthcoming book Radical Surrender, which is about those of us addicted to control … does she KNOW ME?

Next I dove right into the book Suzanne texted me about recently that I said was “on my list” but upon her intense persuasion, moved it to the top. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth was excellent on audio, and proved me wrong about my typical aversion to anything tied to the thriller genre. I wouldn’t even really call it a thriller??? This ended up being a much more thoughtful and surprising story than I expected, and is ultimately about community and friendship, with some death sprinkled throughout of course.

Just a Few Links

Just a few things to share with you from the interwebs this week ~ I’ve been busy READING and MOVING and NAPPING and TRIP PLANNING!

• my mom told me to watch this short documentary about Red Rocks, and it did not disappoint!

• Oh no, a lost lighthouse!

• And a STOLEN lighthouse beacon? What in the world?

• Hannah Bay perfectly described this month in her piece currently romanticising: june ~ I mean, just read this intro…

Home Alone

My friends, I was HOME ALONE for 8 hours a day, 4 days this week. THIS HAS NEVER BEFORE HAPPENED SINCE I HAD MY FIRST BABY IN 2005.

What a goddamn DELIGHT. I got up at my usual 4 a.m. time to get my movement in and still make sure the youngest got on the bus at 7 a.m., but once my husband left for work at 8:00 I was ALONE all day until the bus came back at 4 p.m. For those of you with a very different life than mine, this might be normal, but I am almost NEVER in my house alone for more than a few hours at a time, and those occurrences are rare.

I read, I did chores, I napped, I planned, I thought, I wrote, I lounged in the sun. My pups were always near, but I was alone. My brain could work and work and work OR turn off completely and no one was talking and I didn’t have to talk and it was pure heaven after my typical days at school of being on constantly, or even in my house with someone else always breathing and talking.

This was an absolute perfect way to ease into my summer break.

Okay, that’s all ~ now we’re HEADING WAY WAY NORTH! I’m SO EXCITED! There will be woods and water and waterfalls and boats and lighthouses and there better damn well be some baked goods and ice cream? My piece on Tuesday will give some hints of where I am, but I’ll be back with the full recap on the 16th!