Okoboji 2019
We’re heading to our favorite place this weekend, like we usually do for Memorial Day weekend, to open up the lake house — although this year’s trip will surely look different than it did last year. This summer, due to social distancing, there will likely be more hiking, golfing and boating than eating at restaurants, shopping or going to parks, but it is sure to be a nice change of scenery after being quarantined at home for the past nine weeks.
Every year I like to round up my favorite photos and memories from our time in Boji, to keep an updated list of what we enjoyed the most and what we definitely need to do again. Each year is a little different as restaurants come and go, and as our kids get older and can stay up later (and entertain themselves more, making it feel more like a vacation for us). When Rooney is around her cousins, we rarely see her until it’s time for bed, and last year she was also feeling brave to sleep upstairs in the girls’ dorm with her cousins rather than in our bedroom with us. Last year I even had time to read an entire novel — the first book I have read in years.
Here’s what we loved last summer, when life looked a lot different than it does now…
2019 HIGHLIGHTS
Renting stand-up paddle boards at Mau Marine
Annual sunset boat ride
Favorite restaurants: O’Farrell Sisters, Zeke’s Bait Shop and Snappers Turtle Bay Cafe. Snappers was new-to-us last year, and we were amazed at how kid-friendly it was. They have free row boats, mini golf and bags while you wait for our food, as well as a vintage boat nearby you can tour. Great views, food and service!
Several Redbox rentals (I bawled during Five Feet Apart)
Walking the Arnold’s Park Promenade from the Central Emporium to the amusement park
Boating is our absolute favorite thing to do, and we were blessed with wonderful weather. We boated to lunch, to dinner, to the swim dock, to the Sugar Shack, to the Nutty Bar Stand and to the amusement park...I’m not sure why I packed clothes.
Eric making his famous fresh lemonades
Swimming! All the kids love to swim in the lake (either from the boat or the dock), and the lily pad makes it enjoyable for even the timid swimmers like Rooney. My brave boy usually wins the race to be the first one to jump in off the boat (we have to constantly remind him to wait for the boat to stop first). One day at the dock, the kids swam for three hours and it legit felt like a date for Eric and I to be able to converse without being interrupted every few minutes.
Goodies handmade candies
Spudnutz — still my favorite donuts ever
It’s always fun to do a little shopping, and Boat House Apparel is where I usually find my favorite souvenirs
Rooney went to church camp for two nights with her friend and her cousin
Walmart runs with my siblings
Walking to the nearby park
Even though we may not get to do all of these things this year, it is still the most magical place to us, and because our kids have been asking for eight months if we can go back, we are excited to finally say YES!
