Branson Surprise

Last weekend Jesse and I went to Missouri to surprise my mom for her birthday. I'd been emailing with my dad to get everything set up and boy did we surprise her! I texted her a picture of their view of the lake, which totally caught her off guard. Then we showed up at their door :)

The weekend was nice and relaxing since we didn't really have anything planned. Morning coffee on the deck was great, especially when we had a tortie neighbor friend show up :)

The second day we were there we went out for an awesome breakfast, then went out on Table Rock Lake. We floated in the water and saw a few sites. We ended the day with a small car show.

 

The second day we thought we would hit up another car show in Springfield. There were only about 8 cars there, so we had to find something else to fill our time until supper! We decided hit up some yard sales, which is something my parents have started to enjoy in their retirement :) We found a cheap set of golf clubs perfect for the air boat and I found a couple nice baskets that will work great at craft shows.

In all our driving around, we came across this fun bicycle "fence" and awesome mailbox :)

Then we headed to Bass Pro to see the new exhibits and do a little shopping. My favorite was this guy with heart-shaped antlers :)

We ended our stay with a bang! We all rode the Ferris Wheel that is new to the Branson area. The cool part was, it's the same Ferris Wheel that Jesse and I rode in Chicago last September! They got a new one in Chicago and moved the old one to Branson! It was fun riding at night and seeing all the lights!

Then my mom and I rode the Ozark Mountain Sky Coaster. This is something we'd done several times when we used to vacation there when I was a kid. We decided it had been 18 years since we had ridden it last! They take you up 100' in the air, you pull the rip cord and fly. And I screamed...The.Entire.Time! It was a thrill, but I think I'm good for another 18 years...lol!

It was a great weekend away and I'm so glad we pulled off the surprise!

Branson Vacation

Last Friday I headed down to Branson to see my parents. Jesse was originally supposed to go with me, but things just got too busy. And rather than miss the trip altogether, I decided to make the trip on my own. I'd never driven that far by myself (about 6 to 6.5 hours), but now I can say I did it :) And I know if I ever need to do it again, it will be a breeze.

 

One of my favorite things about visiting my parents is the view! They have the most gorgeous view from their back deck! I took multiple shots of the view at different times of day. No matter the time, the view is always amazing!

On Saturday, we braved the heat (about 96 degrees F) to go to a car show in Arkansas. My family loves vintage cars and I remember going to car shows with my parents my whole life. It's always fun to find a new location and see new cars.

After the hot day of walking around, we enjoyed an afternoon boating and floating out on the lake. I only took my cell phone with me, so no photos from the water!

The above photos are an iconic Branson attraction called Ride the Ducks. I remember riding on these several times during my childhood vacations to Branson. These are amphibious vehicles that take you on a tour of Branson and then out on the lake! It's always fun watching them splash into the water!

While the drive wasn't all that fun, it was sure a relaxing trip once I got there. Coffee on the deck every morning and floating in the lake in the afternoons...I could get used to that :)

Branson Vacation

As I mentioned in last Friday's post, last weekend we headed to Branson to celebrate my mom's birthday. (Which is actually today...Happy Birthday Mom!)

We headed down on Thursday to enjoy the beautiful scenery, go to a show and get in some great family time.

One of the best things about visiting my parents is the beautiful view from their back deck! I could sit out there for hours!

They have at least 7 humming birds that visit them each year. I finally got one to sit still long enough I got a (semi-decent) photo of it. They also have a couple wood peckers that visit the feeders, but they were too quick for me and my camera.

I think they come just for the pretty pink flowers my mom has on the deck :) (or maybe that's just me...lol!)

The big event for the weekend was celebrating on the Branson Belle. My parents live right across the lake from the Belle and it's kind of become a hobby of my mom's (and a joke to the rest of us) to watch the Belle. She knows what time it goes out each day and if it happens to take a different route, if it's not on schedule, etc. So we decided it was definitely time she actually rode on the Belle!

  

The show was spectacular! There was a comedian/illusionist, a full band, a 5-member singing group and a woman who played the violin, piano, sang and did an aerial act! The food was pretty great too (see yesterday's post for the desserts we got!).

We also spent the afternoon on the lake, but I was too busy relaxing (yes, I actually do that once in a while) to take any pictures. The weekend was so great and I hope my mom has a wonderful birthday today :)

Girls Weekend

 

I just got back from a great weekend at my parents' house on a girls weekend! We arrived about 3:30 Thursday afternoon and just spent the day at my parents' house. It was so great sitting on the deck just relaxing with a glass of wine. I could look at this view all day!

 

Friday we went shopping all day in Eureka Springs, AK. There are so many fun shops along the downtown strip. There was also a car show going on with a Model T convention. It was so fun to drive down the streets and see all the cars parked around town. Then Friday night we drove down the main strip of Branson, MO and down to the Branson Landing where there were a bunch more little shops. And we caught a water/light show and a Studebaker show as well. This truck/limo was just the coolest!

Saturday we spent the day out on Table Rock Lake. We drove around and saw so many cool places and then just floated in the water. What a great way to spend the day!

We're already planning our trip for next year!

Weekend Getaway - Part II

As promised on Tuesday, here are some photos of all the fun things we did while visiting my parents last weekend. We were only there for 2.5 days, but we packed in a lot of great times!

We got there Friday afternoon and didn't waste anytime. We headed into Branson to go wine tasting. We stopped at two different wineries for some sampling and purchasing. We had supper at a cute little diner that looked like it was out of the '50s...an old jukebox, food in red baskets, stools at the counter and ice cream treats. I wish I would have gotten some pictures, but I was too busy enjoying my meal :)

Saturday we went zip lining. I'm not a big fan of heights and I'm kind of a scaredy cat anymore, but this was so much fun! I was scared to death at first, but by the last jump I was able to let go of the rope and enjoy the ride :) I wish they would have let me bring my camera to get us all jumping and zipping on the lines, but this blurry group shot will have to do...lol.

After zip lining, we went back to my parents' and out on the lake. We just tied our tubes onto the boat and floated the afternoon away (see yesterday's post). I got one of my favorite photos during this trip...my dad and I smiling :) The one of Jesse and I is pretty good too :)

On Sunday we road tripped down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. My parents live real close to the AR border, so it was just an hour long drive. The main street is filled with little shops selling art, trinkets, souvenirs, clothing, etc. I bought myself a ring, a pair of sunglasses ($4.99!) and a t-shirt.

We also saw this cute Humpty Dumpty at one of the upper level stores.

And ran into an accordion player on the street who offered to play us a tune.

It was great to get away for the weekend for a fun and relaxing time. I'm hoping to get back down at least once more this summer to enjoy more time on the lake :)

Friday Features - Missouri Bound

This weekend Jesse and I are headed to Missouri to see my parent's new house! I'm so excited to get away for a few days! Even though I've been informed that I'm getting put to work moving boxes, I know we'll still get time to relax :) And I'll get to spend time with my parents...what could be better than that!

So today's features are inspired by Missouri and Table Rock Lake...

Missouri Love

by  poppyandpinecone 

Branson, MO - 1952. Beautiful glass pendant hand-crafted from a vintage 1952 map

by  TheHappyMappyShoppe 

Miniscape - Table Rock Lake

by  AmandaLowArt 

Table Rock Lake Missouri lake house fishing cabin decor lure boxes

 by  4YourLake

Blog Carnival-Vacation Traditions

This week's blog carnival theme is brought to us by AthenaWorkman and she gave us these two vacation themes to write about:

1) It's summertime, a time to get away from it all. Do you have a dream vacation? Share details of your perfect getaway.

2) Expanding on the vacation theme, are there any special (or not-so-special) traditions that you and your family do while away on trips?

Growing up, my family went on summer vacation to Branson every year. It was our tradition. We would go to Silver Dollar City and White Water and ride the go-karts every year! We would also go boating for a day so my brother and I could ride the tube and then we'd grill out right on the boat. I have many fond memories of Branson as a kid :)

My parents always kept their time share down there so we would always have a place to go back to. Jesse and I have been down twice with my parents and had just as much fun as when I was growing up! We did a lot of the same activities and got to enjoy them in a new light :) Here is a scrapbook I made my mom for one of our trips.

We will always get to enjoy Branson and southern Missouri as a family tradition as my parents will be moving there when they retire! They have some property ready for them when they finally decide it is time to move. Jesse and I are going down over Labor Day with my parents to see their new location. Being just an hour from Branson, we will be able to enjoy our traditions for years to come :)