Lake Ouachita Fall 2017

{Note: I started writing this a month ago…. like the day after we got back….oops.  Can I blame Annabelle Grace? Nah-probably not?}

We did it!  We successfully took our FIRST family trip with the three of us!!!  On a whim, Will decided he wanted to go somewhere to see the leaves changing colors.  He didn’t care where really, but something doable with a barely 2-month old!  Side note- apparently the first weekend in November is when EVERYONE in Arkansas must be headed to see the leaves changing colors!  Will tried multiple places and every single place was booked or just crazy expensive.

Soooooo, thankfully Will’s Uncle Benson was nice enough to let us stay in his trailer in Mountain Harbor on Lake Ouachita!  (Thanks Uncle Benson!)  We really had the best time.  It was nice to get away for two nights and have absolutely zero plans or commitments, besides Annabelle Grace!  Mountain Harbor is about three and a half hours from Helena, without a baby, so this was going to be a test trip for us on what we absolutely need to pack when headed to North Carolina for Thanksgiving, and a test to see how well Annabelle Grace did on a longer car ride.

She did great, by the way!  The trip was a little longer since we did stop to eat, feed her, burp her, and change her diaper- but that was all to be expected!  We did have to strategically pack the car so that we could fit our stroller since we would be somewhere we would mostly be walking around at! (That part was a little tough!)

The first stop of the trip was to Burl’s Smokehouse- one of Will’s favorite places to stop before getting to Mountain Harbor.  (He has been to Mountain Harbor/Lake Ouachita several times.  His Dad’s side of the family has been staying here for years.  a few of them own trailers, and we’ve even been here before ourselves for a small family reunion.)  Will likes to stop at Burl’s so can he can get his supply of beef jerky.

We made it early enough in the afternoon to take our first walk before dinner!  Will’s cousin, Adele, and her husband, Lee, and son William were also at Mountain Harbor for the weekend, so we had dinner with them at the Lodge.

After dinner, and all weekend really, Annabelle went to bed like a champ, and napped perfectly as well!

We also laid around a lot waiting on her to finish her naps….which was kind of nice.  At home we would have been tempted to clean, or just do anything to “be productive.”  It was nice to HAVE to sit around.  Plus the picture is pretty cute!

The next day we had the breakfast buffet at the lodge, took several more walks and then decided to go find lunch.  We happened to find a place called Dairyette.  Seriously one of the BEST cheeseburgers ever!  (I also dressed two of us alike..) =)

The last morning we got up and met Lee, Adele, and William for an early lunch at Shang-Ri-La.  It happened to be the last day they were open for the season- so that worked out well!

All in all we had a great, relaxing weekend!  We did see some colorful leaves, and it was nice, as always, meeting up with Lee and Adele!  (The first time I ever got to go to Lake Ouachita when we were only dating- we actually stayed with Lee and Adele!)

Also- packing for North Carolina in a few weeks should be interesting… it will be a lot longer trip than a 2-night trip…. and a lot longer distance-wise!  I’ll report back soon!