We were invited out to our friend's lake house last weekend for afternoon of play. First of all, we love this friend dearly... she's more like part of the family, and she has a gorgeous home on the lake. It's actually a lake house, that's lived in and cozy- not a big masion that gets rented out for thousands of dollars a week.

Our friend's house is located on Lake Norman, just outside of Mooresville, NC. This a a busy lake community that we love to visit for shopping, because they have lots of the stores we love (that our city doesn't have), a beautiful lake, and it's only about thirty minutes from where we live (twenty from my mom and dad's house). Michael Jordan has a house here, and so do all of your favorite race car drivers!

Lake Norman, NC

Lake Norman has everything your heart desires, fom shopping to restaurants, boutiques, golf, fishing, boating and more! We always feel very blessed to hang out with some of our favorite people at the lake for an afternoon and evening of relaxation and fun!

My mom with Balian on Dr. Jimmie and Dr. Luanne's boat on Lake Norman...

Me, gettin' my momma relaxation on...

We spent an hour or so (before a big storm blew through) on Dr. Jim and Luanne's boat- also friends of ours who have a house down the lake from our friend Missy. They just drove their boat over and picked us all up... except for Sacha, who took off on Missy's boat with her brother, sister-in-law and nephew, so they could all go tubing. I once got stuck in the tube while tubbing on Oak Island, and that was the last time I ventured to do it... never again!

Dr. Jimmie, with Balian...

Dr. Jimmie and Balian in deep conversation... Dr. Luanne, and Missy...

I was happy just let Balian toddle from one adult to the next, everyone taking a turn to grab the strap of his life jacket to help keep him steady. He brought some toys on the boat and was pretty content to play, talk, chase the dog, etc. I sat back with a beer, and worked on getting a little base tan before our beach vacation!

My mom, relaxing... wait- that's MY beer she's holding!

Dr. Jimmie, giving Balian a driving lesson...

We had a fabulous day! While we waited for the storm to pass, Balian played in the 'secret room' upstairs with Grammy (my mom), and then we all enjoyed some delicious BBQ, fresh fruit and homemade zucchini bread. We caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a long while, and then after the storm let up, Sacha rode jet ski's for a while (he'd been waiting to do it all day!), and then we all went for a sunset boat ride before we had to pack up and head home.

We had a wonderful day with our friends, and we can't wait until the next time we can all get together!

If you'd like more information about Lake Norman, or to plan a visit, please visit the Visit Lake Norman website.

How do you like to spend your Saturdays?