4th at the Lake House

Okay, so it was actually the 6th when we got there. Friday was spent visiting his mom and his friends in Marathon, which turned into an engagement party about an hour before we left. Huzzah. I got to witness a surprise proposal live and in person. I love that. I hope it all works out for them.

So, Saturday we got the kiddos packed, us packed and hit the road, dropping children off accordingly. We brought my six man tent (I love that thing) as we knew Saturday night would be crowded. It was.

We got in an hour ahead of schedule (whoot), which gave us plenty of time to pitch our tent, dig out our swim gear and hit the lake.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen of LJ, Queenie went into the lake.

At first I did the slide, which was scary until I hit the water, then it was scary because I was slipping on algae-covered rubber mats in waist deep water. Then I felt refreshed, as it was very hot.

Second time was a walk in with SNB. We got to the slide area, waist deep. My heart is starting to pound. We went to shoulder deep and I started shaking. SNB tried to coax me out a little further and I shut him down, explaining how very freaked out I was at that moment and I was not taking one step further out. Period.

"How about a floatie?" He offers.

C's family has a variety of inflated tubes and lounges and chairs. I picked a big blue and white tube, with mesh in the hole to hold you (and keep your butt safe from the fishies) two hand holds and two drink holders. Once I was in it, I felt very safe. So SNB towed me to the raft, which was next to a large yellow floatie that holds about eight people. I held onto the raft with one hand and chatted with people. I also worked my way over to the large float and chatted with people there. After a while I started to get a little dizzy. There were more waves at that point, thanks to the small power boats and jet ski riders and that wasn't helping. So I paddled myself back in.

I went out on the floatie four times over the course of the weekend. Each time I saw new people, I warned them that I was phobic, so please don't try and flip me. Everyone agreed I was being very brave. The last time I went out by myself, no SNB, and stayed out for a good while chatting and floating and paddling about. SNB saw me and waved from the shore. I did not see him, as I went out without my glasses and could only make out human shaped blobs in various colors. I was rather pleased when the fishies nibbled on my toes and heels. The fish are notorious for nibbling and males have it the worst, as nipples are tasty. There were several yelps and bouts of swearing when the guys were attacked.

The barge ride was worse. There was nothing at my back to keep me safe and I had no control over where the barge went. I sat very still. Watching the fireworks being shot off from opposite sides of the lake and exploding above our heads was nice. Having two drunk people stand up and start dancing was not nice. SNB and C both assured me the barge was very stable, I was not going to fall out and I would have to be pushed at least five feet straight back before I went in. I informed them their logic was no help whatsoever, but I appreciated the attempt.

More later, I have to go fetch kiddos.

4th at the Lake House, continued...

So that was my brave time. I no longer have anything to prove about going in the lake. Give me a floatie and I'll hang out and not feel lonely.

The food was excellent. We had only brought alcohol, as this is a very wet weekend (hahaha). There was a most excellent pasta salad with various veggies, pulled pork, barbecue pulled chicken, chicken speedies, a variety of cakes, cupcakes and muffins, other creamy salads, tomato and cucumber salad, hot dogs and hamburgers and so on. Food was prepared and set out in waves, so I grazed my way through Saturday and most of Sunday. By Sunday night over half the guests were gone, so pizza was brought in. It was good pizza. Today the last of us went out for lunch at a nice hole in the wall in Deposit called Koo Koose (I think). It's a bar with an excellent grill menu and a certified chef in the kitchen. I had the peasant soup, which was kale, potatoes and sausage in a minestrone-type base. It was delicious and the grilled cheese came on excellent bread.

The drinking, well. I had considered getting drunk Saturday night, but then I was reminded of the barge ride after dark, so I nixed that plan. Sunday night I decided I would share in the Jeigermeister (sp? *shrug*) shots, had one, chased it with water and that was it. I fire-tended while SNB and C went out on the barge again. By the time they got back I was tired and SNB was tired. As the guest list had dropped from roughly 50 to 10, we were allowed to sleep inside on a futon instead of in our tent. I didn't mind either way, SNB wasn't happy with how the air mattress had deflated during Saturday night, so we went with the futon. SNB's guess is that the shop vac that inflated the mattress didn't do a good job the first time. We had brought our Rainbow R2 unit, but it was left in the car when the shop vac was offered. Next time, we'll either bring the Rainbow R2 or I'll buy an air pump.

Over the course of the weekend I had a bottle of apple ale, six-seven jello shots, a half-shot of Jeiger, a few swigs of cranberry juice and vodka, and a brandy with fruit juice. All was consumed over the course of hours, with the exception of two jello shots and the Jeiger. I paced myself so well I only got the numb tongue effect after the Jeiger and that faded fairly quickly. Unlike a good amount of the guests, I stayed off the alcohol while on the lake, with the exception of the two swigs of cranberry vodka juice. I also wasn't pounding back bottle and/or can after bottle and/or can of beer, or knocking back jello shots every ten minutes. I had put aside a hard lemonade Sunday afternoon, but I got bored watching the MtG game and went inside for a nap. When I woke up, the bottle was gone, so I shrugged it off.

I guess it's just one more reminder of how this is not my crowd and likely will never be my crowd. While I would like to get wasted again, I fall asleep so quickly it almost seems pointless. I can count on one hand the times I've been as drunk as some of the other guests and I started in my mid twenties. Oh well. The important thing is having a good time. I can have a good time without the alcohol, or with a small amount over a period of time and if I get bored, I can nap or find a book to read.

The one disappointment was the lack of gaming. We had all our people there, but there were so many other gamers that MtG took front and center. That way people wouldn't feel left out. There was a certain logic to that, as many games of MtG were played over the course of the weekend. I didn't feel left out, just bored Sunday night and this morning. However, I was looking forward to killing goblins and maybe getting that stupid Bard resurrected.

All in all, I'd call it a good weekend. I had fun, I faced a phobia and found a way to work with it, and I got to meet a few interesting kids. Yes. Kids. Barely over 21, some of them and a few did not believe I was 35. *sigh*