Lake Weekend

Mike and I just returned from a wonderful weekend getaway at Lake Tenkiller.  On Friday we dropped our kids off with Grandma and PaPa, and headed three hours east into the hilly, pretty part of Oklahoma (yes, there is one) for a chance to enjoy the fall weather and a chance to catch up with good friends.

Our weekend started Friday afternoon.  We picked up our dear friends Reed and Nikki and then hit the road.  We stopped in Shawnee, OK (our college town) for dinner at Van's Pig Stand, our favorite barbeque joint that we frequented while going to school.



We made it to the lake by eight o'clock that night and spent the evening playing a board game, eating brownies and ice cream, and watching a movie. It was the simple kind of night that I absolutely love. Our other good friends, Brian and Angie, drove up from Dallas and joined us at the lake house around one in the morning. I am so thankful for the friendships we have with these two couples. We've known them for about nine years now and we have spent so much time together that we feel more like family than just friends.

Saturday was probably as close to perfect as it could get for me. We woke up to the sound of wind in the trees, beautiful fall colors everywhere, and full mugs of coffee. We all sat on the back deck sipping our drinks, chatting, and watching the deer that would occasionally wander through. After breakfast we loaded up in the mule for a drive around the area, looking for a perfect place to hike and explore.

Our view of the lake.
Can you spot the two young deer in the distance?  I decided that they were twins.
Loaded up and ready to go.

We ended up finding the perfect exploring spot and spent an hour doing just that.

Heading into the woods and being mindful of snakes.  

Me and my sweet husband.  
Our posse trying out the self timer.  

After our adventure outside, we headed back to the house to grill some burgers and watch the OU football game.  When we opened the lid to the grill we were surprised to find a mama mouse nursing four little baby mice.  She had made a perfect little home there.  It was so cute.  We gently moved them before we did any grilling of course.  

With full tummies we all relaxed in the living room and watched the game. But during half time the ladies decided to grab some blankets and head outside for a nap in the great outdoors.  I cannot tell you how I wished I could have pushed a pause button to make time stop for awhile.  We each found a lounge chair, covered up, and spent the next two hours listening to the wind, watching the birds in the trees, talking, laughing, and sometimes just being quiet.  I love that we know each other well enough to be comfortable with quiet.

Eventually, we all headed out for a twilight walk.  As daylight quickly faded we watched the sun slowly slip under the horizon.






We ended our day with cups of chicken tortilla soup and smores made over a campfire. I loved how many stars we could see without city lights to block them out.  Sunday morning we lingered as long as we could before heading out around noon. It was a short, but sweet trip, and we came home feeling rested and restored.  And ready to go again next weekend!!  

A BIG thank you goes out to my aunt and uncle for letting us use their lake house. We really appreciate it!!!!