I Heart Monday vol. 9

It's I heart Monday ya'll!!!

These past two weeks have been crazy and super stressful! I had a cold that still isn't all the way gone (go away already), family is ill, I started a new job, we opened the lake, and now we are selling one of the summer places at the lake!! It's crazy! We will still have my grandparent's place so that's good, and you never know what might come our way!

Here is some positive inspiration to get your week started!

I downloaded a new app called Afterlight. It's like a mini photoshop for your phone. I love it, and idk why I haven't been using it this whole time! For only .99 cents it really is worth the price if you want professional looking edited photos.

I also was looking for a different app that will let you write over your photos. There's always A Beautiful Mess, but I wanted more fonts and more customisation. Over is the app I chose, and it's a bit more at $1.99. You can do a lot more with this app! I've only played with it for a bit, but the photo is above next to Afterlight.

If it's a weekend, then you know we are at the lake! We have a summer place on Deep Lake, and have had it for over 50 years now! This past weekend was full of work, washing walls, organising drawers, fixing bathrooms and sweeping, but it's all worth it for a summer at the lake. The lake has definitely earned its spot on my I heart Monday list and will probably take up many many more spots as well! I love it up there.

You never really appreciate it until you don't have it anymore. When I was here all the time I didn't go up so often, but when I went to Shanghai I found myself talking more and more about the lake, remembering the fun times we had there.

Ashley and my gymnastics routines during the Olympics that one year, painting our nails every colour we could and then taking it all off so we could paint it again. Purple and turquoise were our favourite colours.

Toby having friends up and whipping them around on the speedboat. Catching turtles and frogs in the channel.

Long float boat rides with the family, rocking with the waves when a speedboat got too close. Sticking our legs out the railing on the front of the floatboat so we could pretend we were barefooting like dad.

Grilling out with hotdogs and hamburgers, garbage can cookouts, and The Events!!

Playing with that 'Map of the USA' puzzle and trying to get it to actually look like a map of the USA. Impossible.

Having everyone up at the lake before and after my(our) wedding, and showing everyone why 'the lake' is so amazing.

The Beach Bar. And 'The Stop'.

The trailer on the hill, then the trailer on the lake, and then the trailer on the other hill.

But there are always bad memories with the good. And it's only then do we really appreciate the good ones. There have been plenty of bad ones, like when Toby hit his head on the dock trying to do a front flip, or when I accidentally killed like 10 baby tree frogs trying to keep them in an aquarium in the sun, or when Toby hit his head on the water and had to get lifeflighted to Toledo Hospital, or that feeling you get on Sunday when you have to go back to Toledo cause you have work on Monday, or even worse, in the fall when the lake closes. Basically Toby needs to be more careful.

Like I said, take the good with the bad. The lake will always be a place that brings me joy, filled with so many memories of my own, and so many more that I hope my family will share with me one day. Then I can share them with my kids one day. And on and on.

Here is a cute little turtle I found in the water. I took a photo and put it back so it would grow up.

This was Coopers reaction to previous turtle.

What is it?!

Last but certainly not least...chocolate. I found this in the most unconventional of places, Old Navy. Seriously. It was a total impulse buy but man did it hit the spot. Caramel. Brownie. Hazelnut. OMG. It's so good that I've been saving it. That means that I have been NOT EATING it on purpose. Thats how good it is. So yum.

Please go get one now and you're welcome. It is heaven.

That's it for this week's I heart Monday. I'm thinking of making it every week again, what do you all think?! Is there anything else you'd like to see on here?!

Post some suggestions!

Tory xx