Lake Conroe Summer Vacation- Last Part

Halle and Mike (Papa Mike)

Friday was a great day.  Brian and Halle woke up extra early for a guided fishing trip with Mike.  Halle loves to fish, so this was a treat for her.

 

The three of them caught plenty of fish.  They fished on the north side of the lake and caught a lot of catfish.  They also did troll-fishing.  As they were trolling they got a big bite.  This is when Halle reeled in the "catch of the day."  With some help she pulled in a 24 inch, 8 pound hybrid bass! 



Halle's hybrid.  It is actually longer than the picture shows; the tail is curled up toward the back.

With all of the fish that they caught, Brian had a lot of cleaning to do.  He spent a good three hours filleting. 

Brian's fish-cleaning station

the finished product

That evening Mike and Christy took the girls to dinner and then Conroe's Chrighton Theatre to see a play.  They saw Cinderella.  Arden's forte is NOT sitting still, so I was concerned that she would get fidgety during the show.  According to Papa Mike and Gigi, though, she did a great job sitting like a little lady! 

Arden with the play program

Christy (Gigi), Halle, and Arden at the Chrighton Theatre

 The girls truly enjoyed the play.  When I asked Halle what her favorite part of the vacation was, she told me watching Cinderella.  The girls always love hanging out with Papa Mike and Gigi!

While the girls were at the play, Brian, Jack, and I took an evening boat ride to Walden to see our friends.  After that I got a chocolate craving.  I was in the mood for brownie a la mode.  The only restaurant open at that hour was IHOP, so I ended up with an order of chocolate chip pancakes and a bowl of icecream.  Close enough :)

Saturday, our last full day of our vacation, we spent at Rusty's boss's lakehouse.  We took the kids tubing and I got to ski!  I haven't water-skied in years.  It was so much fun even though I wasn't able to get up on one ski like I used to.  I also helped Alicia and Amanda learn to ski.  Skiing made me use a lot of muscles that I ordinarily don't work, so I was sore for the next two days.  It was worth it, though.  The kids swam in the pool, fished, and we cooked in the outdoor kitchen.  It was a memorable day.

Me teaching Alicia how to water ski

Rusty's boss's lakehouse.  I'd live there.

The big kids: Rylee, Jackson, Jadyn, and Halle

An action shot of Arden.

All in all, our vacation was a success.  The rain forced us to rest, we had adequate time to enjoy the water, we spent some quality time with family, and had all of the amenities of home (rather than a hotel.)  Thanks to Mike and Christy for allowing us to use the lakehouse and boat!  It was a HUGE blessing. 
  


Lake Conroe Summer Vacation - Part 3

Wednesday of our vacation was a very dreary day.  The weather forecast for the week was 60-90% chance of rain; the radar showed the storms spanning San Antonio to Lufkin to Galveston.  The lake storms' enchantment had worn off and I was getting stir-crazy.  We decided to make the most of our day by taking the girls roller skating and to see the movie, Brave. 

We headed to the roller rink near downtown Conroe.  We got out of the truck just as a bus of summer daycare kids showed up.  A wave of orange shirts began descending from the bus steps.  I wanted to beat them inside so I wouldn't have to wait in the long line that would soon form.  I deserted my family and made a mad-dash to the front door.  Ha!  I beat them!  I felt victorious, and this race, unbeknownst to anyone but myself, was a highlight of my day.  It's the little things, ya know.  :)

I was glad to see that they had "Skate Mates" available at

Lake Conroe Summer Vacation - Part 2

The first few days of vacation at the Lakehouse were spent sitting inside watching the rain, sleeping, eating, and watching TV.

Brian and Jack hanging out on a rainy day.

When the sky cleared we would sneak outside and take advantage of the few minutes of sunshine.  The girls would fish, ride their bikes, and go to

Lake Conroe Summer Vacation - Part 1

I loooove the lake.  I always have.  If I have to choose between the beach and the lake, I will always choose lake.  Some of my fondest memories come from my lake trips.  I remember all-day catfishing trips with my dad on Lake Conroe when I was five years old.  The horrible smell of catfish "stink-bait" is ingrained in my head as a pleasant scent.  After hours of watching and helping my dad fish, I would fall asleep to the rocking motion of my dad's aluminum flat bottom fishing boat.  I would wake up with my skin browned to a crisp, load up into my dad's truck, and stick my face into the blasting AC while he loaded the boat onto the