Independence Lake

 I am not a lake person. I think they are pretty gross. With the exception of the Great Lakes, I've never wanted to plan a trip (day trip or otherwise) to visit a lake. I think they smell and are basically dirty pools of poop. Leah has been working hard on her swimming and her confidence in the water, and I knew a lake would probably be a big hit with her.

 We packed up to spend the afternoon at Independence Lake. I was pleasantly surprised with the short drive and availability of reasonably clean bathrooms. We played in the lake, ate a picnic lunch, and played in the lake some more.

 Both girls had a great time. Leah had the best time ever. She loved it! She was so sad when we had to go home. She played "mermaid" and "Dora" which basically meant you had to call her "Ariel" or "Dora" and do whatever she told you to do.

 Juliet loved playing in the sand and had a great time walking deeper into the water than I was comfortable with. She even went face first into the water at one point. I was so worried that she would be freaked out, but she was laughing uncontrollably when she got up.

 Happy Girls, Happy Weekend, Happy Life. It was even happier because Chris and I went on our first date in a  LONG time. We went to Costco and PF Chang's. Then we drove around and looked at houses and potential neighborhoods. It was a perfect date!