Memorial Day Weekend Part II

After Kati and I hiked around Ha Ha Tonka State Park, we settled in at our hotel and got ready for a lakeside dinner. We went to the Bagnell Dam area for dinner and enjoyed the beautiful view. Crazy enough, it was quite chilly our first night there, and we needed fleece jackets as we dined! Not typical temps for this time of year.

 

We called it an early night since we were exhausted from all the hiking around at the state park.

Saturday we woke up early and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at our hotel before setting off for a full day of fun.

 

First, we went back to the Bagnell Dam area to stop at some touristy shops. Touristy shops included a stop for candy.

 

After the first round of shopping, we went to my favorite stop of the whole trip, Shawnee Bluff Winery. 

We went inside for free wine tasting, and of course I had to buy one glass (I mean it was a beautiful day and I needed a reason to sit outside and enjoy the view, right?). 

The winery also had some lodging, which is why they had this cute pool, complete with a wine bottle fountain. The deck area with seating offered a spectacular view of the water and honestly I could have hung out at this place all day.

 Kati enjoying the view:

 We did eventually have to leave because we had shopping on the agenda, so after a quick glass of wine we were off again. We spent about 4 hours shopping at the big outlet mall in the area and thankfully didn't do too much damage to our pocketbooks. I ended up buying 3 tops and one pair of shorts and all were good prices. 

Last, but not least was another lakeside dinner and a beautiful fireworks display. We went out to a lodge that was a bit of a drive, but we had heard they put on a good fireworks show. We enjoyed a drink and relaxed by the water.

Funny moment from the night: Our waitress was young and at one point she asked us where we were from. Conversation turned to school-where did you go/where are you going and Kati and I revealed our ages. The girl looked surprised and said, "Really? You look young!" So it was a funny combo of look young/but you are old. Haha, made us chuckle. 

Of course we had to try a crazy drink (this one was named after a piranha):

This was our third annual Memorial Day weekend trip and this might have been my favorite yet. It was a relaxing weekend that I needed and actually a nice break from rushing around a new city, like we usually do (Nashville and Kansas City in the past). 

As we get older and busier these trips may not happen anymore (at least a full weekend) but I'm thankful for these memories!