My Little Homeboy

Here's another photo of my boy, or I should say, my Homeboy. Check out that hand signal! Of course he had no clue what he was doing, I don't even remember him doing that when the photo was taken--but I think it's so hilarious how he totally looks like he's going to break into a rap! This photo was taken at Brookside, a resort up in northern Minnesota that we stayed at last summer. In fact, my history with Brookside is a really cool story....

When I was young, my best friend Gabi used to go to this Brookside resort every summer with her family. For a few of those summers, she invited me to go with them. I remember it was a long drive from Iowa City, her dad blasting opera in the car and singing along at the top of his lungs. (we cringed and decided we'd have to wait until we got there to listen to some REAL music....Shaun Cassidy!) We were so happy to finally get there--it was such an amazing place! I remember how we'd help bring things into the cabin, which was basically right on the lake surrounded by other cabins, and then we were gone. All week we had the freedom to run around and do whatever we wanted to do--which was often nothing! When we did want to do something, we could swim or tube in the lake, or take any of the vessels they had available out into the water, play putt putt golf, tennis, golf, swim in the indoor/outdoor pool, play in the arcade, play games and eat ice cream in the lodge. It was heaven. And of course there were always plenty of boys there--either the ones staying at the resort, or the ones working there. Talk about heaven! Kind of like Dirty Dancing without the fancy restaurant and the dancing. I have such fond memories of that place, with Gabi.

So! Fast forward about 20 years, and I meet Cory. He's from Park Rapids, a town up in northern Minnesota. On the first visit to his hometown, I casually mentioned that I wondered if maybe Brookside was somewhere around there--and Cory said that the resort was only about 12 miles from his house!!! It was so strange to think that there I was, dreaming about boys, and my future husband was right in the same town! Now of course, it sort of kills Cory to spend all of that money (and it ain't cheap!) to be at Brookside for a week, when really we could just stay at his Mom's house for free! But there's no Bingo night at Connie's, no lake outside your door, no sand...just not the same. (no offense to Connie, of course!) Somehow I talked Cory into spending a week there when Vivian was Sullivan's age, 4. We had a wonderful time and of course it meant so much to me to be back.

Fast forward 5 more years, and we were back at Brookside again. This time it was extra special, because we shared a cabin with Gabi and her family! Talk about full-circle. There we are with our own children, doing the same things she and I used to do. And it's just as amazing to be there now as it was when I was a child. Now even Cory brings it up more than I do, looking forward to meeting up with Gabi's family again this summer and making it our yearly tradition. It makes me so happy to think of how it will be a part of my children's memories, too, in even a stronger way.

There I go again, the picture of my little homeboy making me reminisce about fun times in warmer weather. I've gotta stop before I make myself crazy!!