meanwhile, back on the ranch...

Activities of late have included...

Green Giants swim meet!

Riverbend Run

and another weekend at the lake!

the video is shaky, but hillarious... J&P decided to "double belly board"... note the laughter!

won't you stay

David has been rationing his vacation days for this year, and he took his second day off (in 6 months!) for a mini staycation this weekend. We wanted to be able to actually spend the night at the lake house- something we always wish we could do when the sun starts to set and life calms down on the lake- so we did! We spent Thursday and Friday nights, and we headed back out there Sunday after church.

memories from this weekend will include:

David making his grandma's shredded beef and potatoes for the gang, and enjoying it lakeside

lots of fishing

catching a 40 pound fish-that-looked-like-a-log (David + Patty)

swimming practice (some late at night)

helping Hayden not drown ... and work on her strokes

collecting our deviant dog from the neighbor's house multiple times

heartfelt conversations about life

first ski run of the year (behind the jet ski... resulting in immense soreness)

date night with Kevin & Lynn (first time ever!)

reading this book (eh... it was fine)

sleeping in the latest we can remember (8:30! even the dog!)

spending 1.5 hours making pancakes and bacon

World Cup soccer

sunburns and suntans

drinking approx an entire case of G2

Kate's first tube ride

Kate crying through her first tube ride

figuring out that instead of riding the tube Kate would rather swim, twirl and pretend to lay her head on the surface of the water (and try to drink it... ew) - adorable and SO fun

a failed attempt to slalom

... lost sunglasses due to the former

30+ people shindig to honor all 4 Mosier kids (Lynn, Sam, Karen and Joe) in town, Cissy in town and Uncle Dave in town

having an entire family of non-relatives treat us like their own

Easter weekend: part 1

My Easter weekend began Friday with a day off work! Thank you, UTC for acknowledging Good Friday. And thank you, Jesus for this beautiful weather! I utilized my morning for packing and errand running, but I took the midday to relax by the lake. Mary Shelton was in town, so I jumped at the chance to hang out with her. We spent our time chatting and fishing (yes, this post is dedicated to fishing). The Bryants got a fishing boat, and since my fishing experience is limited to church retreats in elementary school, they had to teach me a thing or two. I was unsuccessful, but MS and Margaret Anne both caught a fish! MA's first one! It was so exciting!

As soon as David was able to leave work, we jumped in the car and drove to Columbus. I'll post later about our time there, but for now I'm just talking fish.

As soon as we got back home on Sunday, we unloaded, started laundry and guess what... headed back out to the lake, of course! David tested his hand at fishing, and he caught the biggest crappie they have gotten so far. He's pretty much good at everything. Fortunately, I caught one too- my first caught-as-an-adult fish! It was actually really fun, and there is nothing more peaceful than the calm lake on a cool evening.

PS- all of these pictures were taken with our phones! I'm totally impressed with the quality.

for JB

here's a [shaky, kind of hard to watch] video of John wakeboarding

wishing I was here...

... it has not stopped raining for 2 days. Fortunately I'm inside on this rainy day, but it is still a bummer for it to be so gloomy outside all of the time! I can't believe I'm just now posting weekend pictures... I learned to wakeboard Sunday! It was so fun. I'm hooked.

labor-less day

Labor Day meant little rest and lots of fun for the Geyer fam. We were in Columbus for a few days (more about the book sale to come) and then home for more fun. We had a great weekend, full of:

...cute puppies playing together...

... celebrating August birthdays...

... opening gifts...

*D got a cornhole set! In OSU colors!*

...hanging out with my cute brother... [He's almost 18.]

...lunch with these sweet, enormous kids... [Please, Rhineharts, stop the growing already! I can't take it anymore.]

...then home and babysitting this munchkin!...

...unloading and organizing my new books!... [I love a tidy bookshelf. (one of several in the house... I pine after more shelf space...)]


...cashing in our birthday gift cards!... [Thanks Bourke parents & Johnsons! We got a pair of trick skis (60% off!) and a life jacket for David! It was an exciting day!]

...and Monday, a day at the lake to break in the new skis, life jacket, cornhole set and books!

Thank you, federal holidays!

wind in his hair

What a weekend!

Because it was SO jam-packed (Friday- rehearsal, rehearsal dinner; Saturday- wedding, spend the night at the lake house; Sunday- lake church, big brunch, lake day, 1st anniversary!), I'm going to stretch the weekend-in-review post out into several different ones.

Since this topic has the fewest pictures, I'll start here!

I mentioned in my last post that Harley loved the boat, but I failed to show you any pictures (sorry, Mom)! So, here it is:

Harley loves the boat

and the jet ski

.

Oh, and David loves naps.

this is the life

Well, it's true. Our weekends just get better and better! Ashley decided at the last minute to come visit us on Friday, and we had a blast. Friday night we ate at Taco Mamacita, met up with the Rocha/Power family at Coolidge Park, and hung out at home with Courtney and Jonathan (who also happened to be in town for the weekend!!). We ate this pie and Ashley fell in love (with the pie).

Saturday morning, we left for the lake! Courtney got to come with us, and the three of us all ended up wearing our uniform: the white v-neck tee.

I can't tell you how much we loved being on the lake. We love it more and more every chance we get to be out there. There is nothing better than the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and the water beneath you! How could you ever deny the existence of a loving God when you are surrounded by such peace and beauty?!

We hung out with the Bryants until they had to get ready for the Cotton Ball then we took the boat out.

We skied and rode around, just loving every second of it!

Like I mentioned, Saturday night was Chattanooga's debutante ball, the Cotton Ball. Mary Shelton was being presented, so we helped her get ready and then took pictures of the family all snazzied up. They were SO beautiful/handsome.

We really dressed up for the occasion, obviously. And something must have been really hilarious.
Gorgeous girl!
So many people honked and made comments about them getting married that MS and Colton decided to ham it up!

After the ball preparations, we rushed home to see Ash off and I left for Sarah's bachelorette party. I was exhausted, but got a second wind when I met her fun friends. We had quite an eventful night, but with loads of fun. I didn't take many pictures, but here's one of our lovely bride-to-be:
Sunday was another long, but fabulous day. I dropped David off at the lake house and headed up Mowbray Mountain for Sarah's bridesmaid's luncheon. We dined and chatted for a bit and I rushed back to be with the fam (the Bryants, but they are fam). It was Mary Shelton's last day in town, so we soaked up as much time together as we could.

Tell me there's a more beautiful place to be on a Sunday afternoon.
Sun kissed cheeks. (and arms)
Tired bodies from exercise.
Special friends/family.
Encouraging conversations.
An abundance of hugs and love.
Breathtaking scenery.

We had an amazing time and wished we could have stayed all night! Of course, duty (aka- work) calls, thus we're back to the grind for another week. But, I think the lake house has a pretty good chance of being our new favorite place-- and don't worry, favorite place, we'll be back.