R&R in the Ozarks

We just returned home from visiting family in Missouri and it was hands down one of the best trips we have taken in a long time. It was the first trip in over a year that we weren't traveling due to a holiday or major event. We had no plans, no schedules, no agendas. The only thing on our to-do list was to relax and enjoy time with family. That's my kind of vacation.

Last Friday we spent all day at the lake. Todd was out on the boat fishing with my dad, while the girls floated on rafts in the water. I hadn't been swimming in a lake in at least five years, when we went with our friends to Center Hill Lake outside of Nashville. It was such a great day. The weather was mild for August and it was just a bit cloudy so that we weren't burning in the sun. One of those days where you literally kiss your cares goodbye. I need more of those.

The next day we shopped, ate lunch at a fun little coffee shop in our hometown, celebrated a cousin turning five, and ate the fish caught at the lake for dinner.

We spent the rest of the weekend on Todd's family's farm where we ate lots of fresh blueberries and veggies from the garden. We went on four-wheeler rides, country drives, and had a bonfire at the creek. We ate greasy pizza at the best dive restaurant you'll find (on another lake) and I even pulled out a book to read while Crosbi played with her grandparents. Seriously. I need more weekends like that. 

It's funny how you don't really appreciate where you're from until you move away. I'm so thankful to be from one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I feel even more blessed to share it with my little girl. She has the Ozarks in her DNA and I couldn't be more proud.