When you wake up in the morning to the sun shining through your blinds, what is the first thing you think of? Do you really think about what you’d like to eat for breakfast? Or do you think of something bigger, such as what am I going to do today? Let me tell you… I woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning with my kids popping their heads into my room to see if I was awake. Haha! As a mother would do, I of course thought of what I would like to do with my family on this fine day. Usually, I’m so exhausted from a long week at work that we tend to stay cooped up in the house, so whenever I have even the least bit of energy, then I owe it to my kids to take them out for some good ole Vitamin D.
With that being said, we went ahead and ate some breakfast at home, and then made our way to the OKC Zoo. Now I’m sure you all know that when the sun is shining brightly, there is no telling how your plans will end up. And with that…our plans definitely changed! As we pulled up to the OKC Zoo, it looked as if we just drove into Disney World. The car lots were full and the amount of pedestrians crossing the street made it an easy decision to turn the car around. So what were we going to do then? We decided to grab some lunch, and then we’d think it over there.
Eureka! We’ve figured it out! The girls have been wanting to ride their bikes for a while now, so we decided to take them to Lake Hefner. We’ve passed this lake more times than we could count, but never took the opportunity to explore it, even after we kept saying that we would. We drove back home and picked up the bikes for our littles, and then it was ‘Go Time!’ It wasn’t long before we arrived to Lake Hefner, and I just want to say that it was more beautiful than I expected. Not only was this lake such a family-friendly place, but the breeze that came through, with the mist in the air from the waves crashing onto the rocks felt amazing. Not to mention the families flying their kites, riding their bikes and parasailers riding the waves assisted by the wind. It definitely was a great first impression.
The trails were great, and I loved how there were several roads for bikers and walkers, which put my mind at ease when my girls were learning to ride their bikes. We passed a bunch of families and couples with pets, and it made my heart warm to see so many smiles from passer-byers. Smiles admiring the girls’ efforts while riding, giggles from witnessing Lily’s crazy driving (as she battled the wind on her balance bike), and smiles directed at my little fluff ball who’s just as cute as a button. It was a great family outing for sure! What made it pretty awesome too was that everyone seemed happy there! No one was yelling at their children, nobody was crying, and I didn’t have to battle the crowds causing my anxiety to skyrocket from the stress of pushing through people. It was just a fun day with my family and the beauty of nature surrounding us.
But I do recommend that if you are in the Oklahoma City area, and you are looking for something to do outdoors on a sunny day…definitely pay Lake Hefner a visit…even if it’s just for a little run. I’m sure even this little guy would concur!
