Author Archives: Natalie King

Power outage

Health center losing power for no reason

Internet not working, had to figure out how to print

Cute Fed Ex guy delivered packages to the welcome center

Poor service at Big Sandy Lodge restaurant 

Rainy first day

Sweaty last day

Docks into the lake

Willy at camp to fix the boat

Karl at camp to fix something

Wood fired pizza from the best pizza place ever

I arrived on Saturday night which was also arrival day for the staff doing lifeguard training. The weather was gorgeous and the predication for the following day was cold and rainy, so after dinner we decided to go get in the lake and “try out… or maybe actually take…” the swim test. 

The water was calm and warm and everyone rocked! Everyone took their swim test and since we were already wet, we decided to put the docks in too. Putting in docks isn’t the worst job ever, but I thought maybe I’d get out of it this year… no such luck. It only took us 30 minutes though and the beach was up and running!

Sunday morning, I laid in bed listening to the rain, cursing camp. After weeks of hot, dry weather, of course it was 65 degrees and rainy! Also, I’ve spent 13 years lecturing, yelling at, begging, reminding staff to BRING A RAINCOAT and did I pack a raincoat for this trip!? Nope. I actually said out loud to myself, “are you new here?!”

It rained the whole day on Sunday, but we were stuck inside for CPR/first aid, so it was actually a really good day for rain. 

The staff did great and we completed that part of training. I was helping with dinner prep that night- I had just dumped the ravioli into the boiling water when POP, the power went out. I checked the breaker, called the power company to report and the promptly RAN to my van to head to the lodge for a drink and dinner. After 14 years of power outages, it felt good to peace out as soon as the power went out. NOTMYPROBLEMANYMORE!!!!

I had a lovely dinner, read a book and headed back to camp for bedtime. 

Monday was 61 degrees, so I altered the class to just be in the classroom and pool, not in the lake. That night, the program director (who is living in the health center this summer) and I attempted to turn on the heat. It didn’t work, and when she flipped the breaker (we were just trying whatever we could think of), it broke and we lost power. I cannot stress enough how “on brand” for camp that was. I pulled the sheets and blankets off my bed and headed to the DC for the night.

Lifeguard training week is usually a bit stressful because after spending the day in training, I would try to spend a little time with the boys, but always had more work to do after dinner. Training week comes next and that’s such a marathon. So by comparison, this year was like a vacation! After training, I spent a lot of time in the skychairs- I read 2 books while I was at camp. I might have spent more time relaxing in these 5 days than I did in the 13 previous summers.

Wednesday was gorgeous and sunny and one of those perfect days that make you walk around feeling like camp is paradise. We wrapped up lifeguard training and then the rest of the staff arrived to camp. Arrival day is filled with nerves and awkwardness and I LOVE everything about it. 

When I looked around at the staff this summer, 6 of the staff are former campers. The 2 lead staff for the summer have been campers since they were little and as I watched them all week, I was so impressed. They have been given more responsibility and have more on their shoulders this summer than I’ve ever given to summer staff. I knew they were going to be good leaders (I hired both of them!), but they have risen to the challenge with such strength and grace that I feel emotional as I type that. It’s been an absolute honor to watch them grow up and now take charge. I’m sad I won’t be there to see them in action all summer. 

I saw Willy (who has always come to the rescue with anything we needed help with and who was close with my dad). We hugged goodbye. I chatted with Karl (who is the main guy who comes out to fix things and has been my hero MANY times when I needed something fixed THISMINUTE!). And then I got an email from a grant that I applied for in February (and thought I didn’t get), letting me know $30,000 had been deposited into the bank account. 

Thursday I spent the day teaching CPR/first aid with the non-lifeguard staff members. It was a beautiful day outside and I was sweaty by the time we finished. 

I was getting ready to pack up and leave when I got pulled into a quick project moving the platforms at the paddle board area. I love the random parts of every day at camp and will miss that part of it. Going from CPR to problem solving at the beach is what camp is all about. 

I chatted with Courtney and then it was time to go. I was sweaty, sandy, and my feet were wet. 100% camp. I thought maybe I’d be emotional, but I felt very content. Camp is in good hands. And I feel ready to be doing something else. I have amazing memories and it’s been the ultimate adventure. And these last few days at camp were the perfect end and I feel grateful for such an opportunity for closure. 

Also that wasn’t the real end. Because the program director is out of town this week, I agreed to do all the first week paperwork and cabin assignments. And I’m going to go to check in to help Stef with the first Sunday. This has been the ultimate Minnesota long goodbye! 

On my way out of town I stopped in at the woodfire pizza place (a new edition last summer) and had the best pizza of my life. I should have gotten 2. For many years, I’ve been a McGregor critic, but in the past few summers, the town has made improvements and there are many things I’m going to miss! 

While I was at camp, Nate, my mom and school all kept me in the loop with lots of pictures. The boys were busy with sports class, swim lessons and Xander’s golf lesson. They went out to dinner for Father’s Day and played with the neighbors. It was the longest I’ve been away from the boys ever and I missed them terribly! 

On Friday, I was happy to spend the day at home. I took 2 puppies and 2 small children to the pet food store. I knew it would be a spectacle and it was. We played all day and then went to neighborhood happy hour. And then Nate and I went out to a very nice dinner. Life is wonderful. 

It’s the summer and we haven’t headed off to camp yet. In the last 5 years, Memorial Day weekend has been move up time for the boys and I. Before the boys, I used to move to camp mid May. And here we are mid-June and no talk of camp, so what’s up?! 

Last summer was both fabulous and also difficult. It was unique as we were only there for a month, and there weren’t any campers- just Meghan, Sean, Mary, the boys and I, as well as small groups of volunteers. Camp is magical (even without the campers) and we spent the month swimming every day (sometimes twice a day), going into town for wood fired pizza (the best pizza of all time), and having camp to ourselves. The boys loved it, but they were also homesick and missed Nate terribly. The trailer, which has been home for years and one of my favorite places, was way too small for all of us. 

Nate and I had been dating for just 5 months when I packed up and headed for camp, telling him I’d see him in the fall. I’d been at camp a few years already and I wasn’t about to give that up for a guy I was dating. He hung in with me, making the 3 hour drive to visit, and it’s been part of our relationship ever since. But several times over the years, we’ve acknowledged that at some point, camp wouldn’t be the right fit for our life. 

 

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Saturday Xander and I went to my mom’s house to water her plants while she was in Texas, and then we had family movie night. 

We tried to get outside as much as we could this week, but it was just for small amounts of time since it was so hot. 
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On Monday, the boys started “sports sampler” class at the YMCA. They will do 2 weeks of tee ball, 2 weeks of soccer, 2 weeks of flag football and 2 weeks of basketball. Their first class was a success with both boys getting a good hit off the tee. 
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On Wednesday evening, there was a short rain storm that ended in our power going out! I felt like I was at camp. Even once the rain stopped, the power stayed off. Nate and I put the boys to bed around 8 and then took a bottle of wine out to our front sidewalk and hung out with about 15 neighbors until it was dark, at which point, we went to bed (power still off!). The power came back on around 11:15. 

This Friday, we were back outside for happy hour- this time with root beer floats. I didn’t take any pictures, but we had a huge crowd outside and it was so fun. The boys (with their buddy) were determined to climb a tree and worked hard to problem solve for quite a long time. They didn’t make it up the tree, but they problem solved, communicated, and were very creative, so I think it was a good use of time. 

Saturday was pre-K graduation for Xander. I love his school and it was very cute, but I wasn’t sure why we were doing it now, as he will continue to attend all summer. We tried to explain graduation but it didn’t really make sense to him. 

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There was a parade of cars- everyone decorated their cars and we drove around the block 3 times, honking and yelling while the grads cheered from their decorated chairs. 
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After graduation, we headed to Sarah and Grayson’s house to hang out and play. 5 little boys and a cute 1 year old girl- it was a great afternoon/evening with our friends. 

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We’ve got another busy week ahead, but hopefully it will be slightly cooler weather! 

I’ve been slacking on my blog updates! I have been so busy with work and baking cookies (not to mention 2 kids and 2 dogs) that I haven’t had a moment. I also had to re-certify my lifeguard certification, so I’ve been swimming a lot to prepare for the test. I have much more to update but for now, here’s a bunch of pictures of what we’ve been up to. 

Quiet mornings sipping coffee on the couch… while 2 dogs wrestle in my lap. 

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Danny and Heather went to my mom’s house to teach her (and the boys) how to play pickleball. 
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I went to CYC for a few days and while I was gone, the boys and Nate went out to dinner. 

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We filled our pool and the boys (with their buddy from down the block) played nonstop. 

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Matching tank tops. 

A backyard campfire. 
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Kickoff to the MN State Fair with my mom and Cindy. It was very fun and I am excited for the real fair!
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Puppy snuggles. 

Walking to the park as often as we can. 

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Nate moved into his new office! This is a huge deal! He’s been an advisor for 2 years now (officially 2 years on June 17) and he has his permanent office. The boys and I helped him move last weekend. 

The weather has gotten HOT and so when we aren’t in the pool, we’ve been playing in the sprinklers. 

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On Sunday we walked with our neighbors to get ice cream. The kids stopped several times along the way to smell the flowers. 
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Memorial weekend was last weekend and that usually means moving to camp. Not this year. More on that to come…

The last few weeks have flown by and I have not been keeping up! I have so many cute pictures of puppies and kids and cookies. Ruthie and Hudson are inseparable and having 2 puppies is sort of insane sometimes (potty training times two is NO JOKE), but it is the BEST thing we could have done. They play from the moment they wake up until they crash asleep at the end of the day. They run and chase and frolic. They pounce on each other and wrestle and snuggle and they are so cute together I can’t imagine ever having just one puppy ever again. 

Xander has been super obsessed with legos recently and has been putting together sets on his own. 

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On Mother’s Day, we went to Danny and Heather’s house where Danny made possibly the best steak I’ve ever eaten with a side of lobster. It was such an incredible meal! 

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Xander’s lego obsession reached new levels when he realized he had enough money in his piggy bank to actually buy some legos. We went to Target and the boys looked at and touched every single toy and then eventually made their selections. They were very proud to make their first purchases and now they are eager to earn more money for their next shopping trip. 

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Our neighbors (the same ones who had the Cinco de Mayo party) love the puppies and so when we were chatting, we all agreed a window in the fence was a much needed adjustment for both of our yards. Nate installed it and now the puppies can poke their heads into the neighbors’ yard to say hi. Our neighbor took the cutest picture of what they can see from their side. 

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On Sundays, it’s my day to sit on the couch and drink coffee and relax in the morning. Lately, there has been less quiet relaxing and more of 2 puppies wrestling on top of me. 

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Today the boys were at my mom’s house and they were VERY excited that Danny and Heather came over for a pickle ball lesson. Uncle Danny had his hat on backwards and soon after, both boys’ had rotated their own. 
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The weather has been so warm and wonderful, so we are spending as much time outside as we can. The boys drive around, the puppies chase the boys- it’s utter chaos. Nate and I do our best to ignore the madness and enjoy our patio while sipping a drink. 

The week ahead is SO busy- here we go! 

Xander got new shoes (his old shoes accidentally stayed in Omaha). 

Both boys were busy in school. 

On Friday, Nate and I picked up Ruthie (the newest addition to our family) (see Ruthie). 

Saturday was a full day of fun for the boys. Augustus went to a birthday party for his friend Marlo and he could not have been more excited. I realized that while Gussie has been to several birthday parties, they have all been family friends or parties that Xander has been invited. Turning 3 during covid means that he missed the full birthday tour that usually happens with kids at this age. This was the first party that he was invited to for HIS buddy. 

It was an excellent 4 year old party! There was an obstacle course, a zipline, games, balloons galore, cupcakes AND cake, and party favor bags with cars in them! Gussie was in heaven and has been talking about it ever since! Better yet, his mom had mimosas for the grown ups and made Albanian food for us to sample (which was AMAZING- I love trying new foods and it was SUCH a fun and delicious surprise!). I forgot how much I’d missed chatting with other moms, comparing notes about potty training, who will eat vegetables, and all the other normal stuff. It helps to be reminded that my kiddo is completely normal, I am normal, my worries are normal- thank goodness for other moms! I think of myself as an awkward introvert but I really really enjoyed our Saturday morning party and keep thinking about how fantastic it was!! 
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While Gussie and I partied away, Xander was at basketball, hooping it up (check out that action shot!). 

As if a party and basketball weren’t enough fun for the day, after lunch, the boys headed to Grandma Debbie’s house for a slumber party. They were SO excited to go spend the night and Nate and I were excited to go to Stella’s Fish Cafe for a delicious (kid free) dinner! 
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The puppies are doing well and getting used to each other. Huddy wants to play pretty much every moment of the day, but he’s adjusting to having Ruthie here and he isn’t bothering her too much. She loves snuggling with him and they are very cute together. It hasn’t been very long, but they are already best friends and I couldn’t be happier to have them together. 

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She took her first walk today (we made it about 4 houses down before she refused to keep going).

Huddy loves her, but has also been a little extra snuggly with me too. I think he’s trying to figure out what exactly is going on and if it’s going to affect him at all. I just keep snuggling with him and reassuring him that life is good. 

Today the boys were at my moms for the morning and afternoon and then they all came home and Danny and Heather came over for birthday dinner. My brother is 37 today! We celebrated with pizza, cake, and video games. The boys were thrilled because Heather and Danny are Nintendo Switch EXPERTS and the BEST people to help them get to the next level in the game. 

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It was a FABULOUS week!!

On Friday, Nate and I drove down to pick her up and in the 24 hours she’s been home, she’s adjusted quickly and I think our 2 puppies will be best friends. She is tiny- just 11 pounds, but she is feisty and holds her own against Hudson’s roughly 30 pounds. He’s 20 weeks, but I can’t believe how much bigger he is! 

We were a 2 dog family for many years and Olivia and Griffin played together, snuggled together and kept each other company. 2 dogs is a lot (especially for drooling, shedding, 60 pound bulldogs), but so nice for them to have a companion. When we decided to get a puppy, Nate actually suggested, “should we just get 2?” but the internet recommends not getting 2 from the same litter because they can bond to each other instead of you, and training can be tougher. So we got one, knowing we’d get another relatively soon after. 

So a few weeks ago, I messaged the breeder to get on a waitlist for the next litter. About 2 weeks ago, the litter was born and she sent me a photo of a baby girl. We were all set to bring her home in July. But a week later she died (she got squished by the mother!). I was horrified, but the breeder assured me that happens sometimes. However, she offered me a 12 week old puppy she had from a past litter that she had planned to keep. She knew we wanted a buddy for Hudson and was willing to give her up. She hadn’t even named her yet! 

Getting a puppy closer to his age and as soon as possible seemed like a great option, so we jumped at the chance. 

When we got home yesterday afternoon, we took our time introducing them. She is tiny compared to Hudson and gets tired pretty quickly. He is INTENSE with his desire to play, and it gets overwhelming to her, so we have to separate them after a while, but they are already playing together so nicely. 

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So now we have 2 boys and 2 puppies and our house is pure chaos. Dog hair, slobber, dog toys, kid toys… this is why we can’t have nice things, but I couldn’t be happier. 

On the way there, we stopped in Des Moines and had lunch and played at a park. The whole trip only took us 6.5 hours and they did great. 

We got to meet baby Nell for the first time! Having a cousin is very exciting and she is a cute cousin! 

It was a great week! The weather was nice and we spent several evenings outside. On Wednesday, we walked to the park after dinner. Hudson enjoyed the playground and tried to climb the slide like the boys- his shoes are also rubber bottom, so he made a little progress. 

On Saturday, we were BUSY! 

Our neighborhood is filled with fun friendly people who have welcomed us and I am so grateful to live here. It’s one thing to pick out a house- you can make a wishlist of how many bedrooms you want or where you want to be. “Filled with friendly people” is MUCH tougher to find, so I think we got really lucky. On Fridays, everyone gathers in one of the neighbor’s front yard for “happy hour”. The kids ride bikes and run around. Everyone has their dogs out. It’s so lovely. On Saturday, the neighborhood held a bags tournament. Xander had basketball at the same time, so I didn’t get to play, but Nate came in second! The only photo we got from the morning, was Augustus hanging out and watching the action. 

Xander and I got to watch the tournament for a few minutes, but then we headed to the Y for basketball. He’s getting so good and it was fun to watch both him and Leo practicing. 
 
After basketball, we got to catch the end of the bags tournament and hang out for a while. Then it was inside for some rest time for the boys, while Nate and I got the house ready for an afternoon party! My cousin Jason and his son Jackson were in town from Texas. Jason has 2 boys, and his oldest son will be heading off to college next year, while my oldest is starting kindergarten. He is touring colleges while I am touring elementary schools. It was very fun to catch up with him, see my aunts and uncle and cousins. The only photo I took was of Hudson, who really enjoyed the amount of attention he got throughout the party. 

After everyone else left, Danny, Heather, Nate, the boys and I had a fire and hung out for a while. The boys climbed into a giant cardboard box and yelled for Danny to tip them over about 20 times in a row. They ran around, the puppy ran around, everyone climbed into my lap at one point. Danny said, “whenever I leave your house, I have to open a meditation app.” I told him that is why my face looks tired all the time. 
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We’ve had a busy week, including 2 holidays! The weather was gorgeous on Monday, so we started our week walking to the ice cream shop.  

On Tuesday, I got to read a book to Xander’s class over zoom. I also got to show off Hudson to everyone by holding him up to the camera. 
 
On Wednesday, Hudson went to puppy class for the first time. There were 8 other dogs, including 2 other bulldogs! Of all the dogs, Huddy was, BY FAR, the craziest. He was SO excited. He couldn’t focus, never once even got close to sitting, and just wanted to play with his new friends. He is smart but he might be TOO social for class. We’ll see how next week goes. 
 

Xander did some homework- he had to ask everyone in our family our favorite color and then write them out. He wrote the words in the color we chose and did a great job! 

Thursday April 1, AKA April Fool’s Day. I’m not a huge fan of pranks. I don’t enjoy videos where parents tell kids they ate all their candy or anything that makes kids cry. But Xander has been talking about April Fool’s Day for MONTHS. Randomly, he will come up with an idea and say, “that would be a good prank, wouldn’t it?” (they are never good ideas). On Wednesday night, when I told him the next day was April Fools, he rubbed his little hands together and was SO excited. I decided that I would pull a little prank, so I made cake pops for a treat after dinner. But ONE of the pops wasn’t cake… it was a brussel sprout! 

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Xander was a good sport. He was a little outraged that he got pranked, but once he had a real cake pop, he recovered quickly. 

  
On Friday, the boys went to 2 parks- one with me and one with Nate. It was another lovely weather day. 
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Saturday was basketball for Xander. Xander’s best buddy Leo is also in basketball, but he had to miss the first 2 classes because he was on vacation. Xander was SO excited to have Leo in class this week. They got to be partners for a drill and it was a good day! 

Augustus was my assistant at the grocery store while Nate and Xander were at basketball. 
 

On Saturday night, Nate went golfing, so the boys and I had movie night dinner. We rarely eat in front of the tv, so it was an exciting night. 

Today was Easter!! The Easter bunny found our new house and left the boys (including Hudson) Easter baskets, and he hid a bunch of eggs around our house. The boys were up by 6:30am and very excited to find all of the eggs. 
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We had bunny butt pancakes for breakfast.

 

After breakfast, Nate and the boys assembled our new patio furniture (which I didn’t actually take a photo of). The most exciting part was that ALL of the furniture came in one GIANT box, which quickly turned into a fort (I cut some windows for light)

My mom, Danny and Heather came over and hung out all afternoon. I forgot to take any photos, but it was a fun day hanging out outside, playing Nintendo Switch (Danny and Heather were teaching the boys some tips and tricks) and ended with Danny and the boys doing sprints on the front sidewalk. Xander really wanted to race and fun Uncle Danny was a good sport (especially considering he was wearing Birkenstocks).

It was a very busy week for us and now it is April!!