Weekend Getaway

We had a great weekend away. We went to the Lake of the Ozarks with our friends Beth and Sean, and their two boys and Beth's parents (who own the lake house). Jackson stayed with Grandma and Poppy, since I really didn't feel up to chasing a 1 year old through a nice house and keeping him away from the water and the boat and all that. And, to be honest, I wanted to relax without Jackson around, since he consumes so much of my energy. I have a bit of guilt over the decision to leave him at home while we take a "family" vacation, but I also know that I need to fill up my own gas tank before I can take care of anyone else.

Anyway, it was a nice weekend. I loved just being able to ride in the car with Dan and Katie, and have a full conversation without any interruptions (Katie was watching a movie in the back). Or to not have a conversation too! We listened to music and just chilled on the ride there and the ride back. And I also worked on a new shirt for Katie.

Saturday morning, I got to sleep in just a little and woke to Dan and Sean cooking everyone omelets. Yum! Then Beth and I went shopping for about two hours at the outlet mall, and came home for lunch and swimming in the lake. Katie had a blast sliding into the lake and jumping off the dock. The adults sat on noodles and drank some beverages and enjoyed the sun. That night, Beth's parents used the boat to drive us out to dinner at a restaurant called Dog Days. Riding the boat reminded me of all the summers I spent at my parents' lakehouse when I was growing up. I used to love laying on the boat and getting a tan while Dad drove us everywhere. There's nothing like relaxing and getting a tan (without the heat, since the boat was always going so fast) and letting the "rrrrrrr" of the boat motor lull you to sleep. I knew even way back then that it was a memory in the making. I used to close my eyes and breathe in the air and tell myself to remember this. Even then, I knew it was special. So on the way to dinner Saturday night, I closed my eyes and breathed in and told myself, "Remember this. You are so blessed."

On the way home from dinner, I sat up at the front of the boat with Katie and the boys. We rode those waves, pretty hard. The Lake of the Ozarks is a very popular lake with lots of boats and wave runners and activity, so the water is choppy. After a while, Katie and Ryan stopped enjoying the boat ride and said they wanted to go home and get off. Poor kids! We got them home and let them watch TV while we assembled a new bunk bed for the lakehouse. Then the kids were off to bed while the adults stayed up to watch the worst movie ever: Shoot 'em Up. Ugh. It was soooo bad, I can't even describe it.

On Sunday, we had breakfast out and then shopped a little bit more and took the kids for go-kart rides. We finished with one last dip in the lake. Then Dan and Katie and I had to leave so we could get home to pick up Jackson. All in all, it was a nice weekend break from the regular world, and a nice chance for us to spend time with Katie. It also brought back lots of good memories of my own lake adventures. I'm glad that we can start making memories like that for Katie too!