Oaks on the River-Monticello, MN

This weekend we stayed close to home with just a hop skip and a jump to our destination just about 35 minutes north of us . This was perfect as the kiddos were in their baseball tournaments this weekend and needed to get to their games--skipping away for a few hours on Saturday was no problem since we were so close!

This trip was organized by a couple at our church (hey hey North star Community!) and they did a great job! They picked this site as it was a community site for Xcel employees and their guests--he's an employee and you guessed it, we were some of the guests! And wow, what a site! I can see why they call it Oaks on the river. Trees upon trees---our favorite! We stayed in a special little---er, BIG--cul-de-sac loop and the sites in the loop were spacious enough for 2-3 campers. It was heavenly to be that secluded within the trees and yet just a short jaunt down the road to our friends' site!

They set up some fun entertainment for us including movies on the side of their RV, a pool noodle obstacle course for the kids, a potluck dinner, "Heads Up" around the campfire and we even got to spend some time at the campground's heated pool!

With it being just a short trip away and even cheating by coming back for a few hours for baseball--it was such a stellar weekend and it not only gave us another adventure for the books, but also gave us time to build some community with new friends. And let me tell you, the game "heads up" does wonders for getting Laura out of her typically introverted shell! :)

We thank them for their hospitality and energy in setting this up and letting us experience such a beautiful campground!

So, go get chummy with someone at Xcel and have them hook you up! (no pun intended.)

Here's a little recap of our weekend!

(Side note: We totally wanted the Beatles version of this jam but You Tube said, "no way, dude!" Any tips or tricks to help us navigate adding music to our vids without getting blocked would be much appreciated!--we are obviously wingin' it over here!)