Hello Friends!

 I'm back to work today after taking a much needed mini-vacation to Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa.

 I must confess up front, I wasn't sure I would enjoy myself very much. The idea of going to a lake resort area and hoping for fun sounded a little too much like rolling the dice to me. But I went anyway (largely beacuse Mandy already had it planned and I wasn't going to ruin it for her). So we went and had a ton of fun and relaxed at the same time.

 Before this most recent visit, it had been YEARS since I had spent any time in Okoboji. I wasn't sure what to expect. What we found was a resort town which has retained much of it's charm although it has seen quite a growth spurt in the recent years.

 We went mini-golfing at "Pirate's Cove" (Austin did a pretty good job for a four year old. I still stink at mini-golf). We spent a lot of time walking the beach at Okoboji, watching the little waves crash against the beach and spent a lot of time watching boats traverse the beautiful blue horizon of the lakes. We were tempted to rent a boat and go out there, but we just didn't feel comfortable taking an active 4-year-old and a wiggly 1-year-old out on a boat. So we didn't.

 We spent a lot of time driving Lakeshore Drive in Okoboji, looking at all the quaint lake houses big and small. I think Austin said "I want to live here" at least 50 times.

 But better than the view, or the sun and the weather (both of which were great), was the time I got to spend with Mandy, Austin and Cameron. I didn't take my cell phone with me. I looked in on TV news sparingly (though Mandy will tell you I tried to a lot, I really didn't). I checked my e-mail ONCE. I never heard the chattering of a police scanner or a ringing phone. I didn't have to look at a clock and worry about making a deadline. I wore flip-flops the entire trip and loved it! All that was missing was a little Jimmy Buffet playing on the radio. Mandy and I got to talk and re-connect with each other. Austin gots lots of hugs and kisses and got roughed up a time or two wrestling with his Dad. Cameron got to see Daddy grow one of his patented "vacation beards" and rubbed his face against it a lot, saying "whoa" every time. We all would laugh. It truly was a wonderful time. Little to no stress. Austin got to go swimming a lot (kudos to Bridges Bay Resort. It's relatively new but the staff was courteous and the furnishings for our little condo were fantastic!). We really enjoyed ourselves. To the point that we're already talking about going back next year and Austin still says he wants to move there. We took lots of pictures to remember our little excursion. I loved it. It was more about the people than the scenery, but the scenery didn't hurt!

 Quote Of The Day: "It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad." Jimmy Buffett

 This Day In History: World War II officially begins when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on this date, September 1st, 1939.

 Something You Should Check Out:  I can't think of a better way to ease back into Monday (especially a Labor Day Monday) with 'Come Monday' by Jimmy Buffett. Listen to it and see if you can't feel a little island breeze.

 Thanks for stopping by today. I really do appreciate all of you who send me e-mails (Thanks Patty) and thanks to those of you who forward some of my articles to your friends. I really do think it's great! Feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here!