The Fun Times Guide

In fact, Jim got SO relaxed on that first night, that he was embarrassed when he realized he'd actually become... "that guy"! (...and to think, he's always commented how he never wants to be 'that guy'!)

No lie. You see, Jim RARELY drinks. Or should I say, when he drinks, he sips, and never really consumes much in the end.

But as soon as we arrived at the beach house, we were both eager to start our vacation with an ice-cold adult beverage. Especially Jim... he'd worked SO hard all weekend tearing down and building up that racecar, that his body finally hit a wall the moment we hit sand. He was BEAT! (...and dehydrated!)

...that Wild Turkey & Coke was doing down REALLY smooth. (gobble, gobble)

First, we took in a decent sunset over Lake Michigan (it had just rained, so the skies weren't the clearest), but no matter... especially to Jim who seemed to be enjoying the Turkey MUCH more than the sunset anyway.

After taking a couple photos from the shoreline...

...we headed back to the chalet where THIS became the highlight of the night:

...Jim passed out cold!

Poor guy. I've been married to him for almost 6 years now, and I've NEVER seen him drunk. Not once. I guess he'd been saving it all up for this one night...

Jim likes to think back on this night as a testament to the fact that he's one heck of a party animal! (...when he's conscious, that is)

Day Two At The Summer Rental
Fortunately, Day Two was much less intoxicating...

We used this as an opportunity to get to know our new friends better: Abby's sister Alison, her husband Steve, and their little one, Evan.

Just Add Water
We also spent a good deal of time at the pool. It was quite entertaining to watch little 3-year-old Evan counting down while practicing his diving:

It wasn't at all fun busting my a#s when I slipped off the top step and straight into the shallow end of the pool. That "cheek" had a bruise the size of a grapefruit for a week!

In A League Of His Own
Later, this little leaguer taught us the proper technique and form for throwing a baseball. That was good for a few laughs...

Cornhole Games
Finally, my "friends" all wrestled me to the ground and MADE me agree to play a game of Cornhole. While I wasn't overly excited for this moment to arrive, I indulged the group with my stellar lack of skill, power, and aim and completed one full game of backyard bean toss! (...I mean Cornhole)

The highlights:

And I'm not sure I even scored a point.

Fortunately we quickly found something to take the attention OFF of me: Food! Neil, Abby and Alison worked hard cooking up some VERY tasty dishes this weekend... Thanks, guys.

Red & Orange, Green and Blue...
Shiny Yellow... Purple Too
This night was topped off with one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen:

In summary, how I spent my summer vacation:
Good friends. Good food. Good beach. Good sunsets.

...A good time was had by all!