Happy first Friday of June, friends! I hope your month is off to a lovely start. We enjoyed such a summer-y sweet celebratory week and I'm looking forward to sharing the highlights of it with you today!
*This week's loves are listed in chronological order. :)
One // Our Annual Trip to Lake Okoboji
Godfather's Pizza at the lake is the best way to start off a day in the Okoboji area!
The view during our lovely post-lunch stroll to do a bit of shopping
Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum
The girls enjoyed their traditional game of checkers in the old "Okoboji Store" replica inside the museum.
Some cute windows to peek at while doing some window shopping :)
One of my favorite shops to visit in the area is Barn Swallow. This charming store has multiple levels of fun finds and whimsical pieces that set my heart a flutter.
For several years now "Little One" has had the tradition of choosing an addition to her "Beanie Boo" collection while visiting Okoboji. Here are this year's picks...
Beach Time
The water here is so clear!
My sand castle building cutie and her masterpiece
Dinner at a Family Favorite
Okoboji Store
We love dining at these tables that overlook the lake. Watching boats pass by, feeling the breeze, chatting, and chowing on yumminess always makes for an incredible evening!
We started off with cheese curds. Then we all moved on to delicious burgers and fries with the exception of our youngest who opted for her forever favorite, chicken strips. My burger was topped with white cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, store sauce, and my favorite addition - a sunny side up egg!
It was such a beautiful day together as a family! I'm forever grateful for the memories made during great getaways with my loves!
Two // Birthday Eve Date Night
My parents invited our girls over for the evening while my nephew was staying with them. Jason and I used this opportunity for a fun in-car picnic at our hometown lake with his favorite New York style pizza. Yum!
Three // My Husband's Birthday!
Jason turned another year older, wiser, and more handsome this week. We had such a wonderful day celebrating him. His simple birthday requests included fettuccine alfredo with broccoli and cheese texas toast and chocolate chip cookies to munch on during a family game night. It doesn't take much to make him happy and he makes us oh so happy each and every day! Couldn't love this Birthday Boy more!
Four // Aladdin
We saw and loved Aladdin this week! Aladdin is my all-time favorite Disney animated film. I will not give any spoilers about the live action version in case you haven't seen it yet, but will say that I cried through every song that was from the original movie. It was like my favorite animated film had truly come to life right before my eyes! My heart was so full as I watched it thinking about how much I loved the movie as a teenager and how back then I would have never imagined that one day I would sit in a theater watching a live action version with my husband and children sitting beside me. Jason mentioned after the movie that he could tell I was very happy while watching it. He was very right. I look forward to buying this when it's released and watching it again!
Five // Grilled Goodness
This photo probably doesn't fully show the deliciousness that was the grilled chicken sandwich I savored last night, but let me tell you, I am so glad that "grilling season" has arrived! My hubby's grilled chicken breast on a sandwich with all the fixings including a happy helping of great value chicken sauce made my taste buds sing! By the way, the chicken sauce I'm talking about can be found at Walmart. It's a Great Value brand Chick-Fil-A -ish sauce and it's so good! I hope your plates have been filled with simple scrumptiousness too, friends!
Thanks so much for visiting today! It means so much to me that you took time out of your day to stop by my nook of the blogosphere! Hope you'll say "Hello" below before you go!
What wonderful favorites! The family vacation looks so relaxing and filled with good food too. Happy birthday to your husband.
ReplyDeleteAll that food looks so delicious! We also loved alladin here!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous pictures, felt like I was right there with you. My brother has lived in Des Moines for the past 11 years and is moving tomorrow to Ora Valley, Arizona. I will sure coming to Iowa but guess I'll enjoy making trips to Arizona. Loved all of your favorites and know you and yours will have a great weekend. Always fun to stop by!
ReplyDeleteThe lake looks wonderful! I'd love to go! We saw Aladdin too and Gabbie already wants to see it again. I feel the same as you about it! Happy birthday to Jason!
ReplyDeleteLake time is the best time. I know you savor every second of these trips and your smiles tell the tale of summer sweetness! Happy Birthday to your one and only, his meal and evening request sounded perfect. I really want to see Aladdin. Now I want fries and a yummy chicken sandwich. Off to get the sauce this weekend, my family will love it. Have a weekend as lovely as you are!! xo
ReplyDeleteYes! I totally agree with what you said about Aladdin!! We saw it again yesterday because I just couldn't wait until September. :) So glad you loved it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great week you had! Happy birthday to your husband. I will likely wait until Aladdin comes to dvd, but I will see it! Your Lake trip looks so relaxing and fun. I see so much deliciousness in this post....and I will have to check out my Walmart for this chicken sauce you mentioned!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally craving pizza now, and how pretty is that lake. Oh how I love summer <3
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