Life at the Lake

Our summer of adventure continues onward, with our beloved Bear Lake as the most recent stop on our agenda.

The good news is we have a couple of weeks before August starts and the real fun begins. FYI: I have three cousins getting married, a visit from the in-laws, a half marathon to run, a mother and her twin sister turning the big 5-0, and a little brother returning from his mission (!!!) all during the lovely month of August.  Yep, the real fun has yet to begin.

But let's get back to the topic at hand and discuss the wonderment that was the past 5 days at the lake.

Of course, beach time was at the top of our priority list and everyone involved seemed to love the cool water and the sand between their toes (and in their mouth).

My grandma Carol is infamous for her love of pictures.

Every minute spent together is the perfect opportunity to capture a Kodak moment, and many of those priceless photos contain sleepy little babes on the sandy shores of Bear Lake.

It makes my heart happy to realize that those sweet babies on the beach are now mine, and I am getting to introduce them to a place that holds such a piece of my heart.

A day at the beach is certainly not complete with out a few unhealthy treats to enjoy.

My goodness Stella had a hay day with the goodies so easily within her reach.  It didn't help that her older cousins and mischievous aunts were always willing to help her find the not-so-hidden stash of juice boxes and treats.

Operation Sugar Detox has officially commenced at the Palmer household.



One thing I am learning this summer is that my child has no fear.

I know she did not get this from me, and I am fairly certain her father is no dare devil himself, so where this love for adventure is coming from I am still not quite sure.

Don't worry, we finally put our foot down and said no to her repeated requests for her chance at the rope swing at Bloomington Lake.

Of course we also don't have pictures to document the fact that her not-so-brave mommy and her super studly daddy actually did swing like Tarzan into the frigid waters below.

Still feeling proud of myself for that one.

Maybe she gets her sense of adventure from her Papa Scott who just so happened to carry this mama on his back one of the last times we all visited Bloomington.

Thanks to cheer camp and a freshly sprained ankle I couldn't do much walking, but when has an injury, illness, or birth of a child ever stopped our family from a good time before?  I say never.

This time in particular, my great dad hauled me to the perfect vantage point where I watched family member after family member take the plunge into the waters below.

Unfortunately during one of his own attempts at adventure, Papa Scott ended up spraining his own ankle and, as you can imagine, getting back to the cars ended being quite the spectacle with two momentarily disabled hikers in tow.

More than one of my aunts, uncles, and cousins reminded me of that story during this trip, and each time it brought a smile to my face.

Those are the memories I am clinging to.





As for the current dare devil of the hour, Miss Stella was all about trying new things during our time in Bear Lake.

She was pulled around on the knee board, convinced Paul to take her on numerous four wheeler rides, pretended to be a surfer chick, drove the go-karts with Nana J, would have driven the boat if we had allowed it, and even braved a ride behind the boat on the tube.

The truth is I feel a little guilty posting the after picture of Stella's big adventure, but the sequence of events was just too much not to share.

She loved it at first, started to feel a little uneasy as she and dad started tipping off the back, and really lost it once she was in the water.

I can't blame her for being a little upset, but thankfully Ryan was right there the entire time and once she was safely back in the boat she was ready to watch the rest of us crash and burn.

The dad and the mom bonded over some tube time as well.

My arms were sore for the next three days from holding on for dear life, but I figured if Stella was brave enough to try than I better be too.

Wow, swinging from a rope into a glacier lake and extreme tubing all in one week; I guess maybe Stella does get it from her mother...



Personally, my favorite thing about life at the lake is the people who we get to share it with.

This year's crew was a little bit different than in years past due to some new faces, as well as a few familiar ones being unable to join us this time around.

My mom and Paul rented a separate cabin right next door to my grandparents and the Short/Hansen clan did our best to keep moving forward in this new world of step-siblings and endless introductions to cousins, second cousins, and third cousins twice removed.  We kind of have a big family.

All things considered, however; I feel like we are all doing our best.

Things aren't yet perfect, but we are only 6 months and 5 face-to-face meetings into this new life of ours and that fact alone makes me think we are all doing something right.

Remember how August is going to be crazy?

Well we decided to kill two, actually make that four, birds with one stone and have a little "power shower" to celebrate three brides and one beautiful mama-to-be.

It was a grand time with big, summer hats at every turn.

After the shower was over my grandma had the biggest smile on her face.

She told me that it was moments like this that make her life complete.

Her joy was tangible and her love for her family and the wonderful things in store for each of the people she loves was undeniable.

It was a special conversation and a great reminder of what is really going to bring us happiness and fulfillment in this crazy life we all live.

Sometimes, when I think of my big, lovable family and the many activities we all get to share I get overwhelmed, and maybe almost a little bashful, about the time and energy we all put forth to see and love one another.

I am not quite sure why, but sometimes it can be hard for me to admit that I am going home yet again in two weeks and then once more two weeks after that and probably a few weeks after that, and I'll just stop right there.

But I love these people and I want to spend my days with them.

Nothing in life is worse than regrets, and I don't ever want to regret that I didn't visit enough or put forth enough effort to ensure that they knew of my love for them.

Recently, a simple conversation with a good friend reminded me just how lucky I am to have so many life events that I feel I just can't miss out on, because far too many people don't have the types of relationships I have with my grandparents, cousins, and even siblings.

I am so blessed; plain and simple.

Time spent at the Lake is a great reminder of the joys life has to offer.

There are so many things, big and small, that can drag us down, wear us out, and make life hard.

But at the beach, and crowded around the dinner table at my grandparents cabin, life is a little more simple and a lot more enjoyable.

And we like it a whole lot.