After having to miss our big Deterding family reunion at the Lake of the Ozarks last summer because of Covid, we were all VERY eager to get back this August! And we had new accommodations this year. We were so blessed to spend 10 years of vacations at David and Kristol's beautiful lake home, but our group just keeps growing! We actually went back to the same place we'd stayed in the early 2000s, but it's been completely renovated and it was so fun! It's called Lazy Dayz Resort and we booked the huge lodge that sleeps 54 people. It was perfect for our crew!
Here are a couple pics of the inside to show how much space we had. And did I mention there were 9 bathrooms??
We weren't inside much during the day, but we did find time to put together a 500-piece puzzle and give a few massages.
And there was plenty of room for everyone when dinner time rolled around.
Speaking of dinner, we usually have Cousin Nathan's famous Saturday night fish fry, but this year he changed things up a bit with a Saturday night BBQ. He brought a humongous smoker (like the kind that is pulled behind a truck) and we had everyone around us jealous with the delicious smells coming out of that thing.
Ribs, brisket, chicken, potatoes, baked beans --smoked to perfection. It was so good!
This resort had a pool--and two hot tubs-- which got lots of use from our crew. The area was really pretty overlooking the lake.
It was so fun playing with the "babies" (who aren't really babies anymore, but we haven't been able to see them in so long!). Eliana was adorable as she fearlessly jumped in the pool.
She was quite the "floater" -- she didn't really need Oliver's help, but he wanted to help anyway.
I think all of us enjoyed some quality pool time.
But we didn't spend all of our lake time at the pool. We had fun on the lake as well! Here's the view of Boondockz, the fun bar at our resort, from the water.
Ty and Kyla hadn't been tubing yet this summer, so we let all the kids take a turn or two. First were Ty and Calvin:
Grandpa Kermit was our fearless driver and Cousin Nathan was kind enough to let us take his boat out. Boating on the busy and rough Lake of the Ozarks is not for the faint of heart! Much different than the calm, practically-private waters of Bull Shoals that we are used to. But made for some fun tubing for the kids anyway!
The kids, and Kyle, that is. Kyle was very brave to go tubing with Oliver. Especially on a tube that the boys said was really more of a one-person tube than a two-person. These boys had fun!
Who's up next? These cuties! (Well, two of the three cuties, anyway)
The giggles could be heard all the way in the boat. They had a blast!
In addition to tubing, the kids took a few trips down the slide at our dock and played in the sand on our very own "beach". . .
. . . and we adults (and Baby Audrey) did plenty of floating.
There was a floating mat (that had perhaps survived a shark attack at some point) the kids used for some good wrestling and football matches.
It was a nice-sized dock to hang out and visit on also. Our family sure has a way of taking over a place!
One afternoon we came in off the water early because it started POURING. It was quite the rain, but very peaceful to watch from our back patio area.
Remember Boondockz, the fun bar I mentioned? Look how pretty it was at night! And the hot tubs were definitely more inviting after dark when it cooled down a bit.
Inside we had fun introducing the kids to Donkey Kong and Pac-Man (and still only a quarter to play!), and playing LOTS of pool (for free!).
We especially had fun on Friday night when they had a DJ encouraging karaoke. Our family were the only people on the dance floor and we had several get up and sing. Well if you consider "Vanilla Ice" singing, anyway. Good work, Ryan. Kristol brought the house down with her version of "Don't Stop Believing" -- it was SO MUCH FUN.
Also outside, we played tons of cornhole, a usual lake pastime. Calvin and Ty were the Kings this year!
We had a fabulous reunion weekend, and I'm so thankful for every minute of it! By far the best part, though, was getting to spend it with these amazing humans that share the name Deterding.
We had the last calendar we'd made for Grandma back in 2012 on the table for everyone to look at, and it was neat seeing her handwriting on all of our birthdays and anniversaries. I know she would be so proud to see how much love her family still has for each other! I'm so thankful for the legacy she left for us, and I love that we were able to have this time together!!
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