Our Family Cabin

The most powerful memories of my childhood are the ones from my time spent at our family cabin. Our cabin was built by my great-grandpa, Joseph Henry Preece in the 1920s and is perched on the banks of the Smith and Morehouse River. It has had a few changes made to it since it was built - but not many. Growing up, there was no place more adventurous, magical, wild or comforting than our cabin.

As a child, there wasn't anything I didn't like about our cabin. I loved the way the old rickety screen door slammed shut everytime someone walked through it. I loved the river that rushes just a few yards from the back door. I loved the way the light shined through the aspen and pine trees. I loved the old yellow bread box that sat on a shelf in the kitchen. I loved the old pot-bellied stove, though never used anymore, still a fixture in the tiny kitchen. I loved the open upstairs where we all slept. I loved going to bed in the soft mushy beds and talking to my siblings and cousins while we listened to the "grown-ups" talk downstairs. I loved the way the top stair creaked when someone stepped on it. I loved waking up cold early in the morning and snuggling in the warm blankets - such a treat on a hot summer night. I loved wading in the river, walking down to get a drink from the spring, feeding the horses and playing in the tree house.

As I got older, some of the magic of the cabin wore off. I saw friends who had huge new cabins with TVs, video games, stainless steel appliances, and every imaginable modern convenience. They were clean, they were sleek - they were everything my cabin wasn't. I started seeing my cabin with different eyes and for the first time I didn't love what I saw.

For Pioneer Day last week, my family went up to the "old cabin" (as my kids call it) and for the first time in a long time, I saw the cabin through the eyes of my childhood. The cabin is still old and a little shabby, but for my kids, there is no place more magical or adventurous. I loved seeing my kids explore the area that I had explored when I was their age. I loved tucking them into the bed where I used to sleep with my grandma, knowing that they were falling asleep to the sound of the river outside their window. As I watched my mom walk with my kids to the spring - I saw in my mind, myself at that age walking with my grandma to the spring and also pictured my mom walking with her grandpa to the spring. I felt connected to the generations that have gone before me and I realized that this is what my great-grandpa must have intended and pictured when he built the cabin: a place where we could gather as a family and make memories.

While we were there, I realized that I still love the way the screen door slams. I still love the sound of the river that can be heard from any room in the cabin. I still love the way the light shines through the aspen. I love the buttercups that line the path leading to the cabin and bloom near the river. I love the way the air smells and the big table where we all gather for dinner. It is still a magical place.

At nearly ninety years old, my cabin isn't the sleek, fancy place that so many of my friends have - but for me, it is infinitely better. It is perfect. It is a place where my kids can get wet and dirty and muddy and I don't care, because that's what I did at their age and that's what the cabin is for. It's a place where they can be kids - and explore and imagine and discover. It's a place where I can take my kids and they can feel connected to the generations who have gone before - even if they don't realize it yet. What a wonderful place. Thank you Great-Grandpa for making it possible.

Peter getting his diaper changed on the same couch I did when I was a baby.

(Is that cool of just plain gross?)

Three Days on a Lake

We spent three days last week up at Hebgen Lake in Montana with my aunt and uncle and three of my cousins and their families. We took Abby, Isaac and Henry - but very wisely, left Peter with Aunt Laura. It was an amazing three days and will definitely go down as one of the highlights of the summer.

A study in contrasts: Abby's face is sheer terror, Lily's face is pure delight.

We spent one day in Yellowstone - which was a first for our kids. I hadn't been there since I was ten and although Andrew's parents claim he went when he was three, he has no recollection of it, so it was a first for him too. Yellowstone was great. Shortly after we entered the park, a huge bison came wandering right up next to our car. It was huge and wild and we were entranced. We went and saw Old Faithful, and true to its name, it was still faithful. My kids hated the sulfur smell of the hot pots and mud pots, but I found them fascinating. Yellowstone is beautiful and wild and unscripted. We loved it.

Up close and personal with a bison in Yellowstone.

Andrew showing his form

We also had a great time at the lake. Hebgen Lake is GORGEOUS! We stayed at a great cabin that, from every room, had incredible views of the lake. My cousins had their boats there and we spent two days out on the lake waterskiing, wake-boarding, water skating and pulling the kids on the tube. It was a blast. So fun - so relaxing - absolutely perfect.

Our amazing experience at Hebgen has lead to a number of conversations about someday buying a boat and becoming a "boat family." There are so many great things about a boat. We had so much fun all being stuck on boat together. We loved sitting on the boat and cheering each other on as someone wake-boarded, skied or just mustered enough bravery to get on the tube for the first time. It was fantastic. Andrew's biggest concerns with a boat are the amount of time, money and work involved in owning a boat - and he's afraid that owning have a boat dictates every family vacation from that point on.

Steve taught Isaac the finer points of driving a boat.

Anyway, the debate rages on. Someday we may be a boat family - but for now we'll just bask in the memories of the fun we had at Hebgen last week. (Okay, seriously, I think we "need" a boat.)

A Celebration of Family and Country

About eighteen years ago, my grandparents decided they wanted to start a tradition of having family reunions with their children and grandchildren every two years. Our first family reunion was held at the Homestead in Midway, Utah. They haven't always occured every two years, but since then, we have had several amazing reunions. We've had them in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Tacoma, Washington, Monterey, California, at the Jordanelle Reservoir in Utah, and in Rogers, Arkansas.

Last week we had the most recent installment of our family reunions in Taos, New Mexico where my dad's only sister and her husband live. It was fantastic. This was our first reunion without either of my grandparents - and while they were missed, we all felt the legacy of love that they left behind. I love my dad's family. I have so many wonderful aunts and uncles and dozens of darling cousins that I don't get to see nearly often enough. In all, there were nearly a hundred relatives there and we spent three days exploring Taos, talking, laughing, catching-up, playing and eating.

The 4th of July was spent at my aunt and uncle's ranch about 45 minutes outside of Taos. It was the perfect all-American day. There was a barbeque competition, a softball game, tons of food and so many activities for the kids.

Henry and his new friend

My aunt and uncle started off the day by giving all kids (about 30 of them) cowboy hats, badges, and bandanas and my uncle Paul swore all the kids in as deputies so they could help keep order on the ranch. Then my aunt Deb took all the kids and had them help her gather eggs from the hen house. There was a horse shoe hunt and then the kids got to feed the horses, hold the chickens and play with the cows. They were in HEAVEN!!! At the end of a long day, we all hurried back to Taos to watch the fireworks. It was a pretty perfect 4th of July.

Uncle Paul swears in all the kids as honorary deputies.

The 5th of July, though not a national holiday, was a pretty great day too. We went to visit the Taos Pueblo and learn more about the culture of the people from that area. That afternoon, I went white-water rafting down the Rio Grande with 50 other family members while sweet Andrew took care of the kids. (Bless him for that.) The water fights going down that river were intense - but we all had so much fun. Seriously, this is the funniest group of people I know.

Andrew and the kids at the Taos, Pueblo.

That evening, our whole family had dinner at a great restaurant in Taos, Michael's Kitchen. My aunt had people stand and talk about what they will remember most from this reunion and as my uncles and cousins talked about how grateful they are to be part of this family, and what a special time this reunion had been, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. (My dad's family laughs and cries so easily. I love that about them.)

Anyway, it was a amazing and memorable reunion. I am so grateful to be part of my family. I am grateful for my grandparents who left us a legacy of love and of righteous traditions. I loved watching my kids get to know my cousins' kids and I hope this will instill in them a better understanding of what it means to be part of this great family. As Isaac said on our last night there: "This was the best trip of my life --- except for when I came from heaven." I think everyone there felt the same way.

Revisiting Summers Past

Tonight as Andrew was slicing watermelon for dinner, Abby reminded us of the following experience from three summers ago when we were living in Minnesota. Andrew had written about it in an email and I am posting his email for your reading enjoyment. This was when Abby had just turned four and Andrew had just started his second year of residency. It's a hilarious story. Please enjoy:

Now for the highlight of our week: I noticed a flier at the grocery store for a watermelon seed contest which was being held the next day with a prize of free watermelon for the top 5 and a $50 gift card for the winner. I don't want to give away the obvious outcome of this story but I need to tell some funny details. Elizabeth had seen the flier earlier and for some reason thought I might have some talent in this area even though she has never seen me spit watermelon seeds (we met after the heaven sent genetic discovery of the seedless watermelon.)

So after our camping trip I took Abby over to the store at 12:00 sharp, somewhat pretending that I happened to be there to shop and had just noticed the flier announcing the competition.

Think about if you would be dumb enough to show up for this type of a contest. Paul, there is no way you would even walk towards it, let alone intentionally show up for it. Some others may be willing to enter.

Anyway, I go up to Customer Service and ask about the contest. Since it had just rained, they didn't know if they would still have it. I am currently the only person there for the contest. Feel free to be embarrassed for me. I said out loud, "Abby are you going to win this?" so now they at least think I brought her for the competition. They call the manager and scramble to set things up. They actually recruited a kid and his mom and an older gentleman who kept talking about riding his motorcycle to Sturgis, SD next week for the famous gathering.

So, they wheel out a big tray of sliced watermelon and we stand against the building outside, (the rain had stopped). I try to talk Abby into spitting a seed. She has no concept of what she is supposed to do and swallows all the black seeds. She is too shy to try spitting. One fell off her lip and went two inches so I congratulated her. The ten-year-old kid spit pretty far because his seeds got great bounces, but his mom wasn't much of a spitter. The Sturgis guy had no talent.

After watching for a bit I let a seed fly that landed out in the parking lot. I tried a few more - there was no limit to the number of times we could try. None of my repeat attempts went as far as the kid's bounces. Fortunately, thanks to the first seed I spit, I walked away fifty dollars richer, and I think I still have my pride intact.

I am 31 years old and I just beat a 10 year old kid in a seed spitting competition that wouldn't have even taken place had I not inquired at Customer Service. Oh well, it pays better than my other job.