What Floats My Boat

It started when I was cleaning out my closet.

There’s an Elle Lain dress I love and have only worn once but I couldn’t find the heart to get rid of it.  I have always imagined myself going on a boat and having a lovely picnic in this dress.  (Vivid imagine, I know).  I took an informal poll via Instagram.  Feelings from my followers were strong: keep the dress!  Make the boat picnic happen!  Believe in the possibilities!  I talked all about it on Instastories.  Next thing I knew, Margot from Lakeway Marina messaged me: “We would love to host you and your friends on a boat picnic! Wear your dress, bring your people and your picnic and we’ll provide the boat for the afternoon.”  In that moment, my belief in putting things out into the universe was proven true and Margot moved to the top of my superhero list.  Fun!

The dress that launched a thousand ships.  Okay, it was just one ship.  Okay, it was actually a pontoon.  But it was a really fun afternoon on the water and it never would have happened without this dress.

After talking with my group of mom friends about scheduling and dates—and rescheduling twice—we settled on the Saturday before Mother’s Day.  Perfect.  With 17 kids between us there were plenty of meets, games, practices and performances to work around.  Not easy.  But magically this particular Saturday worked out.  It was a date.  By the time our day arrived the temperatures were in the low 90s and the Boat Picnic Dress was too fancy and too hot.  We changed game plans and decided to wear all white figuring it would make for cute photos.  After all, it’s all about that ‘Gram.

Margot arranged for us to have a pontoon and while they were more than happy to let me drive, I admittedly wanted to enjoy some adult beverages so my dear friend’s hubby graciously agreed to be our captain for the day.  Parking at the marina was a cinch.  We carried our coolers down stairs, popped into the office and filled out some fast paperwork.  The staff was welcoming, friendly and organized.  After a quick check of the boat and a rundown of what to do, we hopped on board and were on our way out onto the lovely blue waters of Lake Travis.

We weren’t away from the dock for 30 seconds before champagne corks were popping, music was blaring and laughter was escalating.  We were moms on the loose, in the water, with no chance of a child needing a chicken nugget or help with a school project.  This was freedom.

Popping bottles on dat boat with Captain Andy behind the wheel.  He smiles a lot, we just happened to catch him concentrating really hard.  I recommend having a friend drive so you can drink all the bubbles. Safety first.

I set up our picnic: yummy turkey wraps, guac, hummus and veggie crudités.  The star of the show was one of my favorite luxuries in life: an amazing cheese board from Rosemary at Spread & Co., which was stunningly beautiful and delicious as always.  And we had plenty of champagne, sparkling rosé and white wine to go around.  We talked and laughed and drank and ate and told stories about the kids we were lovingly avoiding for the day. This was decompressing at it’s best! An amazing breeze coming off the water kept the heat at bay.  We made friends with a duck who swam alongside us for a long time. (Between you and me I think he was into the Post Malone on my play list. Or he wanted champagne. Perhaps both).  We pulled into Gnarly Gar for a break in the ladies room and a pink champagne toast.

I will never stop speaking of my love for a cheese board from Spread & Co.  Always beautiful, always delicious, always perfect.  

The afternoon turned to evening and as the sun went down we settled into the boat and headed back.   So pretty.  So calm.  So perfect.  One of the best Mother’s Day celebrations any of us has had to date. So much so we’ve decided it’s a new annual tradition.   See you on the lake!

Contact Lakeway Marina for hours, prices, and to make arrangements for your own boat picnic. Even if you don’t “know” boats they make it easy and fun!

Lakeway Marina is located at 103 A Lakeway Drive, Lakeway, TX 78734, (512) 261-7511

Gnarly Gar is on Lake Travis at 18200 Lakepoint Cove, Point Venture, TX 78645, (512) 267-1845