Branson, Missouri seems like the typical tourist destination, but to me, it is so much more. Yes, I've been to all the shops and to some of the shows, but there is a place away from all of that; a place that I love with every fiber of my being. This place is Table Rock Lake, and it is my happy place.

As we make our way to the last slip where my uncle keeps his houseboat "Joe Pilot," I look around and admire the boats along the way. One of my favorite things to do is look at the names of the boats and try to figure out how it got the name. Finally, we reach the boat, which my uncle named Joe Pilot. You may think that is a peculiar name, but my uncle is from St. Joe, Missouri, and he is a pilot. Pretty uncreative if you ask me, but I didn’t pay for the boat.

As I take my first step, or rather leap, onto the boat’s gray carpet that smells of the lake, I look around the front deck. It holds wicker furniture that I have sat on maybe once. To the left is a staircase that leads up to the top deck. First, I go to take my suitcase into my cabin.

This is a place that I can go to even when I'm not there. It gives me my escape. Everyone needs that place that they can escape to. Unfortunately, mine is eight hours away. The memories I've made there and the people that I have met will never leave me. Table Rock is my go to paradise, and I know that some day I'm going to live there.

My favorite place to sit is at the bow of the boat. I love to stretch out on the white plastic seats and read my book. When I am on the top deck, I forget about everything. All the things happening in Nebraska, things I have to do when I get back, it all goes to the back of my mind. When I am on the lake, nothing matters. All I have to do is sit and relax.

The best part about the lake is the fact that everything stays the same. So many parts of my life have changed. Divorces, my dad’s multiple girlfriends — but the lake never changes. I love to go to the lake and just revel in the solidarity of it all. Whenever another member of my family goes to the lake with me, everything changes. I feel like I lose my own little secret. When they come with me, I feel like the things I try to leave back home taint the boat. The lake is my safe haven, and it will stay that way. When things go bad I just think about the lake, it is my happy place. I hope to one day take my family there and share all the secrets I know about the place.