Roots

Jason and I went to Bear Lake this weekend with his family. It was still cold but in that yucky in between too cold to go to the lake or use the four wheelers but too warm to do anything in the snow. So mostly we just hung out inside, played some guitar hero, some mario party, and some board games. It was a really fun relaxing weekend. On the way up there I started thinking about how much I used to hate going to Bear Lake. It used to be almost an every weekend activity for my family. I always wanted to stay home and hang out with friends. Now when I drive up there a sense of nestalgia overwhelmes me as I think of all of the memories that were made on the farm.

This is "the barn". It truly was a cow barn but shortly after I was born it was turned into a place for people to stay when they came to visit Grandma. It has a living room and kitchen downstairs and 2 bedrooms and a loft upstairs. It has also been a temporary home for people. I think a few of my cousins have lived there over summers and my family lived here for a summer before we moved to South Carolina (I think that's when it was). It's no cabin on the hillside, but I love all of the memories I have of it being full of aunts, uncles, and cousins. This is Grandma's house. I remember it quite differently. It was always abundant in flowers and trees. She was frequently found in her yard gardening, in her vegetable garden, or sitting under a big tree shelling peas. It was well known that if you picked up a few handfuls of sticks that had fallen from the big tree you would be rewarded with an otter pop of your choice! What a treat! This is the door that we would stand at to collect our reward.

I remember many a time riding my bike up this ramp at my Aunt Sherry's house. Her house is just across the driveway from my Grandma's. We used to play office up in their playroom. One time I remember sneaking in to her house with some of my other cousins to steal some fireball candies. I remember feeling so bad when we got caught and my mom got mad at me. I remember just lying on a bed in the barn and crying.To this day I don't really like fireballs. Maybe thats why!

Another memory- walking through this field to play house or school in that playhouse. Also walking through this field with Tiawni in the middle of the night when we were done playing night games with cousins, or roasting marshmallows, or watching movies. It always scared the crap out of me, I pictures snakes, skunks, and many other animals in the field waiting to get us. So usually I would run if we didn't have a flashlight.

And there is no shortage of old broken down things on the farm, including tractors. I don't really have a memory of this, just thought the picture was cool. I don't expect anyone to take the time to read about my memories, cuz they are probably only special to me. But being there this time with Jason and his family made me really excited for one day when I can share this special place with my kids. I hope that they will be able to make some of the same memories with their cousins and family that I was able to. It's nice to have a place like that to escape to for a weekend.