Traveling around Lake Okoboji

This weekend, Ryan, Henry, and I traveled up to the lake for the last time for the season. Unlike other visits, this one was exceptionally special. It was to celebrate MaryAnn's 80th birthday. So, for her birthday, her children rented a pontoon boat on Okoboji so that we could all spend time on the lake together. There were 14 of us in total and we had never all been able to boat around the lake at once. Plus, MaryAnn finds it more difficult to get into the boat they currently own so this was much easier for her to get out on the lake again.

The day started early. We needed to get breakfast before hand to take on the boat. Henry and I slept in a bit because we were tired.
When we got to the boat rental place, it wasn't open! We thought we had the boat reserved from 8:30 to 1:00 but the rental place didn't open until 10:00 so we waited and waited. Finally when we got the boat, they made a mistake and upgraded our boat to the largest pontoon the owned. It had plenty of room for all of us to be comfortable.
Before the ride, Henry got a diaper change and ate and then we were off!
When we came up to the lake earlier this year, we purchased a life jacket for Henry. It is still a bit big and it's an understatement to say he HATED it. He did however love the boat ride.
Captain Jim (Ryan's dad) made sure we got all the way around the lake safely. The boat was so large, we all voted he be the only person to operate it.
The ride was very relaxing. Some of us got in some sun, others of us took a nap (Ian and Henry).

Ryan and Aaron hung out at the front of the boat for part of the trip, waving to the other boats and people on the Docks.We got a picture of MaryAnn with her children in front of Arnold's Park. It was a beautiful day, a bit windy but going by Arnold's park was a great way to end the boat rids.Everyone else was wearing shades, so Henry had to put his on too!We had dinner at a new bar, Bracco's to end the festivities and had a family picture taken back at the cottage. Each year we try to take a family picture, it's crazy to see how much the kids grow each year, even the adults change. It was a great day and I hope we get to rent the pontoon again for another family cruise.