How did I get here?

2019 I was doing great with my weight. I was hovering around 150 which was comfortable.  I should really be closer to 135-140, but never really got there.  I was walking 4-5 days per week at lunch going at least 2 miles/day at a brisk pace.  I was also eating well and just taking good care of myself overall.

Feb 2020 - I finally opened up to my Primary Care Dr. that I had anxiety and depression (something that I was dealing with since my teens).  She had me take a quiz and said I failed miserably, like really bad.  NOT suicidal, but basically everything else.  So I was put on a medication called Lexapro.  I was also referred to a therapist which couldn't see me until April, but I decided to keep the appointment even though I wasn't sure how I would feel about opening up to a stranger.

March 2020 - COVID - all hell broke loose - my routine was broken - fear of death was constant - talk about anxiety!!!  I didn't work for a couple weeks, stayed home with Jacob while Jamie was still going to work.  

April 2020 - Finally meet with my therapist - over zoom - which was weird, but productive, even though I was a snotty, crying mess of a person. My doctor then increased my meds.  I was getting back to work, but didn't stay all day if there wasn't lab work to be done to keep distance from people.  I was no longer walking at lunchtime.  I was also not eating healthy - sweets have always been my crutch during depression/anxiety.

May-July 2020 - the meds seemed to be working for my anxiety/depression.  I still wasn't back to any routine for my daily walks and again food was just whatever I wanted, not really healthy, but I felt okay.

August 2020 - my Mom has breast cancer - WTF - really?!? This was a shocker and just devastating for our family.  My Mom had just turned 70, high risk for COVID and now will have to be on Chemo? Talk about a blow to the gut.  

Sept - Dec 2020 - Mom starts Chemo/Radiation/Surgery for cancer.  She is double masked in the car when I drive her to appointments.  I am handling it as well as I can.  Therapy was a godsend during all of this! (My Mom did great and she's been cancer free since all of this happened).

January 2021 - I tell my Dr that I have to try something else.  The Lexapro made me feel good, but I was having the worst night sweats - completely drenching my clothes at night. Checked for peri-menopause, but nope, not that.  So switched to Paxil...

Feb 2021 - Told my therapist that I liked the Paxil, it gave me the feeling of letting everything kinda roll off my back.  She told me to keep an eye on that as it could swing too far.  

Mar - Sept 2021 - Paxil was making me not care about anything, but it didn't bother me.  Quite the double edge sword.  My weight kept creeping up, but I didn't care.  I couldn't fit into my clothes, that's okay, I'll just buy bigger clothes.  Money was a huge anxiety trigger for me, but not on Paxil.  

Oct-Dec 2021 - I was no longer motivated... at... all...  I would lay on the couch, not interested in doing anything. I didn't want to go outside, I didn't want to go to work, I didn't want to see friends. It took every ounce of energy to do the minimum.  I knew this was bad, but again, Paxil didn't make me care.  I didn't even decorate for Christmas, just the pre-lit tree - no ornaments.  

My weight was awful - up to 180 pounds! But again, Paxil didn't make me care.

January 2022 - I told my therapist that this was bad and she referred me to a Prescriber, someone that would help me sort out my meds.  Unfortunately, it would take until April to speak with her.

April 2022 - get off Paxil and start Viibryd.  Easier said than done.  Paxil was soooo difficult to get out of my system.  It took me 2 months to wean off. I would get down to 5mg/day and start getting severe vertigo symptoms, so I would go back up to 10mg, for another week, then down to 5mg, for 3 weeks, then finally off.

June-Aug 2022 - Viibryd was better, I was finally ready to get back to life.  But my unhealthy eating habits and lack of motivation made it so difficult to re-train myself on how to be healthy.  My weight in August was 186 pounds... It was so depressing... 

Aug 2022 - Kelly needs a kidney - I can donate mine.  I went to UW-Health to see if I could be a candidate as a living kidney donor.  I knew my weight would be an issue, but they said it was okay, just don't gain anymore, but better yet, lose some weight.  I went through the gamut for tests and turns out I have a kidney worth donating - but two things - I need to lose weight and take iron supplements to get my anemia in check.

November  2022 - finally found out that my anemia was gone and my weight was down to 178, not great, but better. Unfortunately I was not a match for Kelly and would not be able to give her a direct donation.  (Luckily though, she had another person in her circle that was a good match, but in the end did an indirect donation and Kelly got her kidney last month!!)

December-March 2023 - I was feeling okay, but not motivated as much as I would like to be.  Decided to talk to my prescriber about changing my dose.  So in March I went up from 10mg to 20mg.  Within a week I was scratching my body all over - not a good sign.  I went back down to 10mg.

April 2023 - told my prescriber I'd like to try going off all medication.  It's been 3 years and I feel it is time to see my old self.  Will I be the same or have I learned enough about myself to fight back the anxiety and depression???

May 6, 2023 - first day without any meds.

Current weight - 178

Changing Sides

Have you ever changed sides?  It can be hard to do.  You will feel strange, unsure if you made the right decision.  You might even feel a bit lost and uncomfortable.  It can be a life changing decision and sometimes even permanent. 

Well, when we moved into our new house we changed sides… in bed that is.  I used to always sleep on J’s right side, but due to the layout of our new bedroom I had to change sides.  You see I need to be close to the bathroom, not because I have an incontinence problem, it is just the way it is.  We tried having the bed so that I could still be on his right and be close to the bathroom, but that was not working for me.  So we moved the bed and I just had to change sides of the bed. 

Surprisingly this wasn’t as much of a change as I thought it would be.  I was a bit confused in the mornings why I was where I was, but that could have been due to the new house anyways.  It’s been 3 weeks now and I think we are used to our new sides. 

Out with the Old. In with the New!

On April 26, 2004, I closed on my first home.  It was a 3 bedroom condo about 30 miles away from my hometown.  I was 25 years old and scared.  I called my parents shortly after signing the offer to purchase in tears saying I just wasn’t sure about this.  It was so much money and a HUGE commitment.  It literally took my breath away that I was actually BUYING A HOME!

During this time I got married, owned a cat, had a baby, lost the cat (well, he actually ran away), hosted a few holidays and small parties, landscaped, remodeled, and bought two cars. 

Now, 10 years later, I finally sold the condo.  Tonight is the eve of closing on our new home.  It is such a different feeling.  I’m not scared or nervous, just anxious to move in.  It is a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in a town MUCH closer to our hometown.  It does need some work, but we are looking forward to making this house our home forever (or at least I never plan to move again if I can help it).

We took the little guy through the house tonight for our final walk through and he picked out his bedroom.  We’ve already bought bamboo flooring to remodel the dining room, kitchen, dinette, hallway, and first floor bedroom.  We have paint swatches and the moving truck is coming with our stuff mid-morning.  I’ve filled out the address changes and even started using the new address this week.  Yep, I’m definitely ready to move in!

30 years ago

30 years ago I was 5 years old. I was in half-day kindergarten and making new friends that I would still be friends with today.   My memories aren’t the best but I do remember the sand table and nap mats.  And I think there was a stuffed animal bee that each child was able to take home for a week.  Becky, Jenny, do you remember this?  Someone also got to be the line leader when we went outside the classroom.  Our teacher was Mrs. Plum.  What a great name for a kindergarten teacher.

I heard that 30 years ago on this day The Breakfast Club was serving detention.  I can’t believe that movie took place in 1984.  It was and still is one of my favorite movies.  It’s one of those that I have to stop and watch if I catch it on tv. 

The Breakfast Club–Trailer

I also saw online that Footloose was released 30 years ago as well.  Another great movie that I have to stop and watch.  Kevin Bacon was on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last Friday and did a little dance before his interview.

Kevin Bacon’s Footloose Entrance

I just checked, and Dirty Dancing came out in 1987, phew!

Baby Shower Cheater Quilt

I love quilts, but I do not know how to quilt.  I was told it was methodical and fun but that it takes time and patience.  I like my sewing projects to be quick and easy so I was excited when I found a blog for a cheater quilt.  It uses a alternative down comfortable with squares already sewn in and you just sew a smaller square of fabric inside each square.

Picture from blog Cheaty Mc-Cheats-A-Lot

I thought this would be the perfect activity for my sister-in-laws baby shower and would provide her with a unique and personalized gift for the baby.  The first thing I needed to find was the comforter.  I couldn’t find one small enough for a baby crib, so I bought a twin size one and cut it in half and sewed up the cut edge.

This gave me a comforter that had 24 squares which was just about the number of guests we were expecting.  The next thing to do was cut all the squares of fabric that would eventually be sewn onto the comforter.

I cut the squares about the same size as the comforter squares, then washed and dried the squares (wish I had done that before cutting all the squares), ironed them, and sewed all four sides about a 1/4” to keep them from fraying after they were sewed on.  This took a bit of time but I think it makes it look 100 times better.  This picture above is before washing, drying, ironing, and sewing the sides.

I knew she was having a boy, so I used a gingham blue and green and a polka dot blue and green for the fabric just so it had some design ahead of time.  Next up was taking the comforter and squares to the shower.

I hung up the comforter on a clothes line with the squares attached with stick pins.  Each guest could take one square and design it using fabric markers and stencils.  The stencils were “boy” themed with trucks, cars, dinosaurs, animals, sports, trains, and robots.

After guests were done with their square they hung it back up on the comforter.  The fabric markers were great because they dried so quickly.  But one word of advice is that the markers will bleed through the fabric, so you MUST have a backing in place when they are drawing/coloring.  I pre-cut cardboard squares to go under each square when guests were using the markers.

The last task was sewing on all the squares which was a bit cumbersome.  I sewed each square on one-by-one and the fabric of the comforter was a bit slippery and I had to remove more stitches that I sewed on it seemed.  But in the end it turned out great! 

My sister-in-law gave me her square after the baby was born so she could put in his measurements and name which she kept quiet from everyone. We had two squares without any designs so I kept them in the corners.

I think it turned out great and is something Mom, Dad, and Baby can treasure for years. 

Random

I just don’t know what to blog about.  Life’s been busy and hectic, and the weather has been way too cold for way too long.  So here are some random things that have happened.

My mother asked me to make a corsage for my cousin’s baby shower since apparently the price of one at a well known area grocer is $25.  I’ve never made one before, so I looked up a few pictures and a few websites and found a blog with a simple step-by-step tutorial.  I already had floral tape and wire, so I just bought a bouquet of flowers at the supermarket ($6.00) and corsage pins from Walmart ($2.50).  I did have to disassemble it twice before I was satisfied but it turned out quite pretty and I think my Mom should try it sometime.

I made my own coffee creamer following a post from Pinterest. It is so simple, although I’m not sure on the cost savings.  All you need is a 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1-3/4 cups milk (any %) and your favorite flavoring.  I started saving my old creamer containers a few months ago and this was enough to fill 2 containers about 3/4 full. So I made one with 1 tsp vanilla extract and the other with 1/2 tsp peppermint extract + 1 tbsp chocolate syrup.  I would say I prefer the peppermint one over the vanilla, but it's not quite as good as the Thin Mint creamer that I found.  Check out this site to find a bunch of other flavoring options.

We took the little guy skiing which was a bad idea.  He went last year when he just turned 4 and he loved it.  But something this year made him lose it (and I may have also lost it along the way).  I think the problem was mainly that we put him in a 2 hour beginner class with about 25 other kids and he just can’t do 2 hours.  The year prior was only a 1 hour one-on-one session.  Maybe we will try again, but probably not.  While we do have a lot of snow, it just isn’t good for skiing because it freezes too quickly in these Polar Vortexes (not to mention the cost to go).

My friend, Becky, came home for a visit from her family’s 6 month stint in the Netherlands for the holidays.  It was great seeing her.  I wrote her a couple letters and I must say that I miss letter writing.  It is much different than email.  I just write any random thoughts or topics that come to mind.  I often ask questions but I hope she realizes she doesn’t need to respond.  It is just the way my mind wanders.  Anyone want to be my pen pal?

Back in December the little guy had his first school Christmas concert.  It was really great, with one exception.  He is in Catholic school and I went to Catholic school, but at least half of the songs they sang I had never heard of.  They were ALL religious.  I remember singing Rudolph, Frosty, All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, among other kid friendly classics.  Not one of those made it in the program.  The kids were still adorable though.   

Weight a minute!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous 2013 and have exciting opportunities in store for 2014.  Did you follow through on your New Year’s resolutions? I don’t make resolutions because I never follow through on them.  I have decided to make one resolution this year though. I’m going to hide my scale and not weigh myself at home at all this year. I tend to weigh myself too often and I let the number on the scale dictate my mood for the day or week.  It is a source of elation and frustration which just stresses me out too much. I know how my body feels and looks without the scale and I hope this will keep one less stressor out of my life. 

Thanksgiving 2013

I really should have posted this before Thanksgiving, but I let life get in the way and I’m finally getting around to it.  This year we hosted our very first Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Everyone brought a dish and we took care of the turkey, rolls, and a dessert.  I also wanted to dress up the house a little, so I made a Thankful Tree and napkin rings both of which were made from nature’s bounty.

The Thankful Tree came from an idea off Pinterest.  We have a wooded area a block away, so the little guy and I went searching for branches.  We also collected pinecones and evergreen tips from the trees in our backyard.  Before using the pinecones I baked them at 200F for 20 minutes to kill any creepy crawlers that made the pinecones their home. After 20 minutes I turned off the oven and left them in there for about an hour to cool (you can take them out right away, I was just busy with other preparations).  I put the branches in a tall vase and then filled it with the pinecones, evergreen tips, and some cranberries. 

I made tags from white pieces of paper and punched holes in the corner.  Our guests wrote down what they were thankful for and hung them on the tree. Most of the tags hung with just the hole, but some people used the string I provided to tie theirs on. 

I made napkin rings with extra evergreen tips, pinecones and cranberries.  I hot glued the tips together then hot glued the pinecones and three cranberries on.  I wrapped them around the napkins and that was it.  So pretty and festive!

I also made a flower arrangement with a $10 bouquet from Walmart and this pretty white vase.

Sometimes it is just the little extra touches that set the tone. I never got around to taking pictures of the whole set up, but it was so nice to get together with my family and enjoying a great dinner and company.

A Soldier's Silent Night

I heard this song a few years ago and it always brings strong emotions to me when I hear it.  It is the morning before Christmas and I just want to wish all those near and far a very Merry Christmas!

DIY Advent Calendar

Since the little guy is almost 5 and all about counting these days I thought this was the perfect year to introduce an Advent Calendar.  We just put up our tree and he’s asked at least 6 times how many days until Christmas so this is perfect for him to count down.

I had a really hard time finding one I liked so I decided to make one instead.  I made this using a few different ideas from Pinterest and they used toilet paper rolls, but I made this last minute so no tp rolls.  Instead I used three wrapping paper rolls that were all the same diameter (not the skinny ones).  I cut each roll using a serrated steak knife into 8 pieces that were about 3-3/4” long.

 

Using a ribbon spool, I made circles on silver tissue paper that were about twice the diameter of the rolls.  I cut them out and then glued them onto one side with Elmer’s glue. I found it easiest to first put down four sides then wrap your hand around it and smooth it down.

Next I wrapped each roll with more silver tissue paper. I didn’t have quite enough to wrap them completely so I had to leave a little bit unwrapped but I figured it wouldn’t show by the time I was done.

Next up, you can either glue them into a pyramid “tree” shape with three coming down for a tree trunk or glue them together into a 4 x 6 grid using a hot glue gun.  Then write the numbers 1 – 24 on each one (or if you are like me and accidently skipped number 21, then print out numbers and glue them on). 

Oops!

I found a 24 pack of small ornaments while shopping on Friday but only half of them actually fit inside so I filled them up with an ornament or Hershey kiss or both.

To hang it I cut a slit midway along the top of the outer rolls and slid in wide curling ribbon and tied the ends.  The little guy should be able to break the tissue paper really easily and get the prize inside!  I’m super excited to start this new tradition with him.

*My rolls started falling apart, so I made a quick modification and wrapped ribbon around the entire outside to hold it all together.

Polka Dot Flower Arrangements

For the Cute As A Button shower I made these flower arrangements in polka dot pots.

I took a 2 hour flower arranging class a few years ago and surprisingly a couple things stuck with me.  I really enjoy doing this and it is easier than you might think.  I apologize, but the pictures below all ended up washed out.  I blame the bad lighting in my kitchen.

You will need wet flower foam (make sure it is the wet kind).  It comes in a block, but you can cut it easily with a knife. 

It doesn’t need to fill the entire space, just fit inside and close to the top of the container. Fill up a large container of water or the sink with water and let the block of foam float and it will slowly fill with water and fall to the bottom. Then place it into your container.

Next you will need flowers.  I bought these bunches at Sam’s Club.  For these arrangements I used white mums, pink, red, and purple carnations, and yellow roses.

You will begin by cutting the the flowers into individual stems and remove all the leaves.

The next step is to open up the roses.  You do this by removing 5-6 outside petals.  Then using your finger, starting from the outside, run it in circles towards the center of the flower.  This will loosen the petals and make them fuller.

Now it’s time to build the arrangements.  I used three roses and put those in first in a circle near the center.  Then fill in the top part of the arrangement with the other flowers mixing the colors around. 

Here’s a view from the side so you can see about how high I started the arrangements. 

Now, all you need to do is keep filling in around the bottom alternating colors.  I did this by adding one color of carnation throughout, then another color, and then the third color.  I finished by adding in the white mums as an accent color throughout the colors. 

And voila!  Four simple bunches of flowers turned into unique and beautiful arrangements!  For those curious about the cost, the containers were on clearance for $3 each, the wet foam is about $8 which was enough for all four pots, and the bunches of flowers were about $36.  So each arrangement cost me $14. 

Cute As A Button!

My coworker is having her first baby next month.  We hosted a shower for her last night at work and we chose “Cute As A Button” as our theme.  It was a lot of fun to put together and I think it turned out so cute! 

Another coworker looked to Pinterest and saw the idea of using colored paper plates and adding black dots to make them look like buttons and then strung them together with curling ribbon. 

I made cupcakes and decorated them with chocolate buttons using a mold.  I found a blog with button cupcake wrappers and toppers, which brought everything together nicely.

My coworker also found these cute tins with a flower and button in the center.  She filled them with pillow mints and were a cute favor for everyone to take home.

I also made these flower arrangements using polka dot pots I found on clearance at Stein’s last fall.  I was just waiting for the opportunity to use them, and they were perfect for the shower.

Carnival (Circus) Themed Party

Every year we have a party at work that we call our Spring Social.  It used to be a wine and cheese party that has expanded into more elaborate parties.  We’ve done a mini-golf theme where everyone was put in teams and they had to make a mini-golf hole using supplies around the office.  Last year it was more subdued with Food & Drink from Around the World.  This year we decided on a Carnival (Circus) Theme and it was one of our best yet.

We rented a dozen carnival games from the Milw. Public School system.  They were $200 and they dropped them off and picked them up.  They were less expensive than other party rental companies and we liked that the money was going to the schools in the area. 

For decorations we decided on red, blue and yellow as the main colors and had balloons, streamers, tablecloths, and banners.  These were all bought from the Dollar store or Bartz’s party supply.  In total they cost about $100.

Food included jumbo pretzels, nachos, mini corndogs, mini cream puffs, licorice, lollipops, cracker jack, cotton candy, peanuts, and a popcorn wagon.  For drinks we had old fashioned soda, beer, and a slushy machine with lemonade.  The slushy machine can be rented, but we have a insider that got it for us for free for the day. 

We also had five prizes (each $20-30) that we raffled off to the group.  They included a beach blanket with cooler and beach ball, popcorn popper with popcorn and seasonings, pizza grill stone with utensils, gardening kit, and a pair of Brewer tickets.  Everyone who played a game got five raffle tickets and they could put them in for whichever prize they were interested in.

Crazy, Busy

This has been one of the busiest and craziest summers that I can remember.  This is my event list from now until the end of August:

2 Weddings

2 bachelorette parties (I’m getting too old for these)

2 baby showers (Yay!)

A week at the lake (can’t wait!)

4 birthdays (including my own)

Company picnic (I suck at softball, but it won’t keep me from playing)

4K Orientation (4K already?!?!)

Most likely another trip up north over Labor Day weekend

And showings, showings, showings… will we ever sell this place?

The calm before the storm

It’s 7:16am on the last day of June and I am sitting outside on our deck.  It is currently a cool 58F with a light breeze but I hear it will be a beautiful sunny day in the low 70s. 

We don’t utilize our deck as often as we really should.  We eat dinner out here a couple nights in the summer, but that is about it.  So I thought I’d spend some time out here before the storm comes.  Oh, that’s right, its supposed to be nice today. 

Jacob will be waking up in about a half hour and he is the storm I’m talking about.  Every weekend morning he wakes up and the first words out of his mouth are “how long did I sleep for” and then “do you want to play with me”?

Oh my dear Jacob, can’t we just sit quietly while I wake up and have at least one more cup of coffee?  Must we play the moment you open your eyes?  I know one day he won’t want to play with me and I need to cherish these moments. 

My usual response to him is “why don’t you sit next to me on the couch so we can cuddle for a few minutes” which will last about 30 seconds and then he has thought of what he wants to play.  This isn’t quiet play either, usually it’s soccer or fighting dragons.

SIGH…

Well, I have a few more minutes to enjoy the birds singing outside before the non-stop play machine wakes up.  I hope you all are enjoying your summer to the fullest!

Wisconsin State Parks

Camping season is here!  I’ve been camping since I was 2-3 years old.  My parents took us kids all the time and I loved it and still love it.  Something about sleeping in a tent while it is raining outside that is so calming (until you realize you have to pee).  Or sitting by the campfire on a cool night mesmerized by the flames.

My parents would take us for a week to Big Muskellunge Lake at the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest group site 10G.  We would camp with my parent’s friends and there would be about 30 of us.  This site was always fun with our own private beach and it was huge!  At least to a kid it seemed that way.  It’s north of Rhinelander and West of Eagle River.

As a kid and an adult I’ve been to Devil’s Lake in Baraboo. This park is probably one of WI’s most popular state parks due to the deep lake which people use for scuba diving and also the hiking trails that come in many difficulty levels.  The high bluffs create some difficult hikes and for rock climbing, but the views at the top are awesome. I’ve camped at the single sites and also at the group sites.  The single sites are more open to other campers, but they are closer to the lake and trails.  The group sites are nicely wooded and are on the opposite side of the lake but there is one trail nearby that will take you to the more populated areas.  This is a great park to visit for a day of hiking.

Mirror Lake is another park nearby Devil’s Lake which I’ve camped at with my girlfriends.  I don’t think I’ve actually been to the lake at this site, just camped.  The sites are wooded and fairly big for a single.  It doesn’t have a lot to offer, but it’s close to Devil’s Lake so we could make a quick drive over and do some hiking.  It’s also just down the road from Ho-Chunk Casino which is a fun activity if it’s raining. 

Jamie and I camped with some friends at Lake Kegonsa.  Jamie’s cousin was getting married near Madison and I decided we should go camping near there instead of getting a hotel room.  Some of you probably think I’m crazy, but the bathrooms had electricity so I was able to shower, do my hair and makeup and then leave straight for the wedding.  This had nice wooded sites and I believe hazelnut trees, since Brian’s girlfriend got hit on the head with a nut that fell from a tree and she had quite a bump.  We went in October, so we didn’t check out the lake.

One of my favorite camping spots is Merrick State Park.  This is right on the Mississippi and we like to get the walk-in sites 78-80.  I’ve been here with my family when we reserved all three sites and Jamie and I have gone with friends.  It takes a few hours to get there, so I prefer if we can camp from a Fri – Mon to make use of our time.  This site is literally on the river and you can fish right from your campsite.  The walk-in isn’t too bad, flat and easy enough to get your supplies in.  I prefer site 80 so other people aren’t passing by throughout the day.  I highly recommend checking out this park if you have the time but I would go mid-late summer. Oh, and watch out for poison ivy, Mike got this one year.

Another one of my favorite camping spots is at the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit. This park is very large and we’ve camped at Ottawa Lake and Pinewoods. 

Ottawa Lake is our preferred spot.  We have done both the regular sites and also the walk-ins.  The regular sites are nice, some more private than others, we’ve liked sites 381 & 388. This is where we took the little guy for his first camping trip (he was only 9 months old).  We have done both walk-in sites 334 & 335.  These are very far away from the other sites, about a 1/4 mile up hill.  We bring a dolly to lug all our supplies up to the sites.  When we do the walk-ins we also like to get a regular site (333) so we can use the walk-in for our party site and 333 for our sleeping site.  That way we can stay up late if we want and not bother those that are trying to sleep.  The lake here is really nice for swimming.  I really didn’t catch much fish, but you will see lots of fishing off the pier.  There is also a nice play area for the kids.  It’s not showing on the map, but the lake is on the bottom left side.

At the pinewoods site I’ve booked the group sites.  These are large and wooded.  Site D is flatter and I would say more dirty.  Site C is actually a walk-in site, so best to be prepared but it was nice and private.  This is located in the Southern Unit and it is a short drive to get to Ottawa Lake.

(I’ve been to the northern unit once and I don’t remember enough about it to make a good review) 

Last year we went with a big group to High Cliff State Park on Lake Winnebago.  The group sites were in a field with no big trees around.  Unfortunately we went on a really hot weekend and had no shade.  Even napping in the tent was too hot.  But the lake was great!  It is shallow, about knee height, for at least 100 ft before getting deeper.  So it’s great for little kids.  But bring water shoes or wear sandals because it was a bit rocky. 

Last weekend we went to Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan right off Lake Michigan.  I got the last site (87) but it was in a really good location.  There was a pit toilet very close, but the flush toilets and showers were just a short walk away.  We brought our bikes and took them out several times during our short stay.  The beach area looked really nice, but it was too cold to go in.  There is also a really nice play area for the kids and the swings were also great for adults.  I would definitely go back here again.

Well, that just about covers all the state parks we have been to.  What state parks have you been to?