We had a smaller group this year as our great friend JoAnne’s on medical leave, and her daughter, Jeanette—a nurse—stayed back with her. We missed them!

And some of us had to dribble in. Sarah had a work thing, so came up a day late, as did Pat. Laura had a family issue come up, so arrived two days after the start.

The rest of us didn’t let that stop us!

A pretty easy drive up for Kayla and me. We’re staying in the new Grand Lodge as the Chateau isn’t quite done. Fun to show that space off.

Kayla helps me arrange the Fabulous Prizes before getting a bite to eat. They brought us an easel for the score board—with giant post-in notes. Score board and prizes in place. I pour my first libation and unpack.

All settled in.

When Kayla’s room’s ready, she does the same.

Nicole arrives! Then Kat and Griffin. Griffin does love him a nice hotel. He shows off his new Mario sunglasses. Pretty cool! Then enjoys showing me what toys he brought with him, and exploring.

Room service dinner all around, and a first round of Bowling.

Hang out time followed by bed time.

Kat and Griffin have the second bedroom in the big suite, and in the morning we start what becomes our routine.

I’m up first, start my workout. Griffin wanders out, says hi. I invite him to join me, but he opts to watch. Breakfast arrives, and he calls out: I got it! I got it! And runs to answer the door. He says: Hi.

He will do this all week whenever there’s someone at the door.

He settles in with his breakfast, I finish my workout. Kat gets up, joins Griffin for breakfast while I clean up.

Kat makes use of the giant post-in notes and creates the day’s agenda, including the weather. More cool!

Kayla arrives. It’s shopping time! And off we go.

Meanwhile, Nicole has also wandered out, made a wrong turn and somehow ended up in what’s still a workman area. She did find her way out again.

I believe Kayla and I had massages that afternoon—time blurs. I recall Kat and Griffin had an adventure at the Wildlife Center, but that all might’ve been the next day as I no longer have Kat’s clever daily agenda.

Pat and Sarah arrive. Yay! Some catching up, some hanging out, more libations, dinner, Bowling, and a first round of Scrabble. I think!

Bedtime comes around.

And morning routine follows.

Everyone usually does their own thing during the day, then we meet up later.

Laura arrives. * After she takes a breath, settles, the evening fun begins. Dinner! Just Dance, Scrabble, Fabulous Prizes! Griffin likes watching the dancing, and he does do his own little dance when no one’s watching.

Bed!

An addition to morning routine. I spy Laura heading out for a morning walk while I work out. After his breakfast, Griffin wants to draw on the big post-its. I just turn around an old agenda, stick it up. He creates much art. A wild race track where he requests I draw a car. I believe he could draw one better than his non-artistic nana, but I comply. Over the rest of the week, he draws mazes, what turns out to be  large rubber duckie and more.

Pat, Kat and Griffin go to the petting zoo early as the ladies have plans.

Today, we’ll create art. Griffin has his favorite baby sitter as the rest of us head out to paint—and sip.

This is always so much fun. I really like trying to paint the image we’ve chosen, and to see how everyone else interprets it. I think we all did great. Kat, who’s actually an artist, added a lamb to her landscape. She had sheep on her mind as they’re sheering, and she learned they don’t keep the fleece.

Kat also spins, and then crochets and knits from yarn she makes.

So later, they brought her a big bag of fleece. I don’t think she’d have been happier if they’d given her a big bag of diamonds!

In no time she’s spun some into yarn and crochet some to show the staff.

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Laura note: we pause here for a gallery representing the beloved #randomkatness of the family trips. Here she takes us through her process with the fleece. All fleece-related errors are mine.

BTW, Nora is definitely underplaying Kat’s joy with this gift.

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We have salad and pizza for dinner, picked up for us by the excellent butler, Mathew, who recommended the pizzeria. And yum—good call, Mathew!

While we wait for the pizza, we have the Big Bags O’Clothes giveaway. I do not organize this. My method would be to dump everything on the floor and let the ladies jump in. But Kat begins to separate by type. I am more than delighted to se those big bags go!

More games, eliminations for some, advancement for others. Prizes galore!

Bed time, morning routine—and we say goodbye to Pat who has to get home. Then Kayla and I are off for mani-pedis. My feet are wonderfully pampered while I enjoy Sandford’s Toxic Prey. ** Bliss all around.

Kat arranged a jewelry making session for all interested. I made three pairs of earrings, Kat and Kayla created bracelets while Nicole made a necklace that suited her to a T. Griffin took on the challenge of finding and stringing beads for a necklace for his mom.

Libations, more food none of us have to prepare, games and prizes!

The next day, our best weather day, though we really lucked out there most of the week—we book a cabana at the big pool for the day. Kat’s off for a treatment, and Griffin goes with Nana and Kayla. Sarah and Nicole join, then Laura after her treatment, then Kat.

We hang, we read, we have lunch, Kat and Griffin have a swim. I have a margarita. Just right.

Then we head back to take a tour of part of the Chateau. The family, and Nicole and her family will be back there in a few weeks, and I’m delighted with the changes in our usual suite. It’s so bright and airy!

Can’t wait to settle in there next month for a week.

Back for dinner, and final rounds! The tension is palpable!

Laura will bitch***, but her Scrabble game has much improved, and she made the semi-finals. So’s Kayla who also hates Scrabble. It’s Kat, Nicole, and the two reluctant semi-finalists. With the reluctant players eliminated in the end.

I should say I was eliminated my first round. But it’s really hard to get major points when, for three or four turns running you have seven freaking vowels! Since I recuse myself from actually winning a prize, I take it like a woman.

Okay, not really. Though maybe some in the Scrabble face-off.

Nicole and Kat are the finalists there, Sarah and Kayla final in Just Dance, and I think it’s Kat and Kayla in Bowling, but could be wrong.

Kat takes Scrabble, by I believe it was three points. Kayla nips Sarah in Just Dance by a hair or two. I can’t for the life of me remember who won Bowling.

Anyway.

We’ve played a few rounds of Moniker—a fun game the game-hating Laura**** gave me. It’s ridiculous fun. I think Kat took that one.

The next day, Kayla up, Kat and Griffin are at breakfast. I go into shower.

When I come out, no one’s there. They’ve vanished.

I am confused. And a little weirded out. I text Kayla. Nothing, and she’s never without her phone.

I text Kat.

They’re down at the newly improved rope’s course, a plan I completely missed hearing about the night before.

I head down.

I missed Kayla on the adult course, which she says is harder than the one they had before. Then Griffin tackles the kid’s course.

God, so cute in his harness and helmet! He says it got harder as he went, but stuck it out.

Then Kayla wants to do the Quick Jump. You go up and up and up stairs to a dizzying (to me) high platform. You’re harnessed and well, you jump.

Fast! Whew, not for me. Ever!!

Griffin watches then says: Where’s my harness? He wants to do it, and meets—barely—the weight requirement. Kayla will go with him.

I have to work at holding in the nerves. He’s such a little guy, and it’s really up there.

But up the steps he goes, then I see him and Kayla on that platform. She’s going to sit and jump as she did the first time. He sits, then decides, no, he wants to stand and just jump.

Okay, on three, she says. She pushes off on three. He quickly sits, is within a breath of pushing off. Then stands. It’s too high for him, he tells the staff guy who’s up there with him. Maybe next year.

I think my legs stopped shaking when he was all the way down the steps.

After that, I can take some breaths with the treat of oil painting. I’ve discovered oil’s more forgiving than acrylics—though I have fun with both since my personal expectations are not high. For reasons!

Everyone has fun, everyone creates something of their own.

But now it’s back to the Lodge, for dinner, then the crowning of the Queen of the Spa.

Turns out Kat and Kayla tied—a first! So Kayla wears the crown, Kat holds the scepter. And each chooses the Fabulous Prize of their choice.

Well earned, ladies!

In the morning, after the routine, it’s pack up, hugs goodbye, and head out.

A fun, happy, lovely week—and we’re already booked for next year.

Nothing beats real time with girlfriends.

Nora

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*I timed it. Nora waited just under 7 minutes to tell me I had to play catch up for many games.
** Did you know that in Toxic Prey, Letty Davenport reads J.D. Robb’s Celebrity in Death? A delightful surprise for Nora who’s a Sandford fan of the first order. I loved this quote from the book:
“While not as prestigious as the [Quarterly] Journal [of Economics], the Robb novel was distinctly more intelligent and certainly better written…” Toxic Prey, John Sandford 
*** My spelling is fine, my strategy sucks. Sexy was the first word I played in the first game and remained my highest score. Because silly me didn’t play a Q when I should have.
**** Game-hating? Maybe it should be scarred eldest of seven who always had to play younger siblings to give her mom a break. Besides, it’s more the Stupid Scoreboard I dislike.