Big Cedar 2012

Oh Big Cedar Lodge, where do I begin?  I have to say that this is my most favorite place to play!  Water sports, trees, hills, cabins, eating outside, long morning runs AND it's where we got engaged over 10 years ago...it's got a special place in my heart and it always will!  We just got back from our annual trip up there and had an absolute ball!   I'll let the pictures do the explaining!  Since this is my scrapbook, I didn't hold back on pictures...there are just a few!  :)  OK, there are a million, I'll be impressed if you make it to the end!  Ha!

 One VERY excited little boy leaving Amarillo Thursday morning!

First stop was Fayettville, AR to visit my bestie from Baylor, Katie!  Love this girl to pieces!  She and her sweet fam are always so welcoming and let us break up our trip at their house!

 Zach and Parker playing together

 The big boys, Jason and James

The next day we arrived at Big Cedar!  You are met with beauty from the second you drive in!

I love all the little details of this place.

Excited to be there and to play!  That night everyone went to Kanukuk for closing ceremonies for Faith and Adelynn.  We stayed behind and went out to eat with Jane and Steve and played outside!

 The next morning, first thing on the agenda...golf!  This kid was ready to play his heart out!

Here he is warming up on the putting green.

 Watching Uncle Luke tee off

 Showing me his tee!

 Teeing off!

 James shooting out of the rough!

 Beautiful course

 Hottie hubby

 This course is amazing!

Have I mentioned how much I love the Ozarks??

 "Really mom?  Would you stop interrupting my game??"

Parker is a very serious player.

 Uncle Luke with Parker

 Hitting out of the sand trap

(he really did)

 Pointers from dad

 Parker, James, Luke and Jim

 We met up with Steve and Sloan for the last hole!

 Sloan, Parker and Steve

 Out little fam

 After a quick lunch, it was time to hit the lake and do some water skiing...my favorite!

 This kiddo loves the lake too!

This is Parker on his very first trip there in 2009...my how things have changed!!

 Two peas in a pod!

 Do you see land Skipper?

 I think Blake and Parker put a thousand miles on their dump trucks while we were there!

 Katherine is a good little "mother" to these boys!

 Sitting around Sunday morning after Tripp and Molly arrived.

 Then it was time for the lake!  

 Everyone jumped off the boat and cooled off.  The various dots you see in the pic are family members drifting away!  :)

 Lunch at the marina grill.

Love him.

 It was a special Father's Day!

 Tubing right after lunch = bad idea

 Adelynn, Katherine and Faith

 That night after dinner we had a big family frisbee golf game!

 View of the lake from Big Cedar at sunset

 My awesome team!

 The next morning brought round #2 of golf!

Here he is on the putting green warming up.

 Parker always does a couple of practice swings before the big tee off, it's the cutest thing!

 Pointers from Uncle Luke

 Another pretty spot on the course!

 This is blurry but I love that I caught the ball in mid air right after Parker hit it!

 Luke, James, Jim, Parker, Sloan, Steve and Tripp

 Tripp and Molly

 James working on his tan!  ;)

 Here is "muscle beach" aka, Sloan, getting up on the knee board! 

 Jim about to show off some knee boarding skills!  He's quite good!

 3 studs...James, Sloan and Tripp!

 We had so much fun on the "young adult" boat!  Ha!

James, Liesl, Sloan, Tripp, Molly and me

 We headed back to the marina to pick up the youngest generation

Blake, Katherine, Parker, Faith and Adelynn

 Here's captain Steve on his sail boat that he brought up there!

 He named it Miss Juliet, after his first grand-daughter.

 These two loved jumping off the front of the boat together!

 Family pic

 Faith did an awesome job skiing this year!

 Sweet pic...Parker was getting so tired.

 At the front of the boat we had Blake manning the ski flag!

 Here is Nana handing out snacks...I told her she looks like she's feeding these little animals at the zoo!

 James had a ball knee boarding!

 Parker and Uncle Luke in deep discussion.

 Sweet sisters

 Jim the fearless boat driver.  One day the boat we rented had a broken speedometer which meant he had no idea how fast he was pulling us skiers!  We all lived to tell about it.  Let's just say we did NOT want to fall!

 Happy boy!

 James giving Adelynn some pointers before her first knee boarding try.

 She did great!

 So did Faith!

 Meredith with Blake and Parker

 These two were hilarious!  They were finding shapes in the clouds!

 Meredith and I decided to end the last day on the lake with some double slaloming!  

 We had a blast!

 Family pic right before we all hit the road for the long 10 hour drive home.

 Two darling little boys!

Until next year Big Cedar!!