Bear Lake: Everyone's Favorite

This weekend we went to the lake with our friends, the Robins, and also met up with my parents. We all love that it's a pretty short drive (2 1/2 hrs) to reach water and sand and a chance to escape the heat; it was almost 20 degrees cooler up there. Now that I think about it, we also had different reasons for liking it.

Eli got to play with his two favorite people in the world, Emi (his most beloved friend) and Grandpa Al (the funnest adult ever). He even got to ride there with Emi, his first trip without us. At the lake he wasn't much for the sand (messy) and water (chilly) and didn't even like going out in the boat. Thank goodness for the company.

Brian is always excited for the raspberry shakes and lounging in a tube on the lake, espcially with friends. This time he was also crazy about the musical, Annie Get Your Gun, we saw at the little theater in town.

For me it was a special treat the first night to put the boy to bed in the cabin and sit out around the fire, roasting marshmallows and talking with friends. It felt like a date. I loved seeing my boys so happy, espcially their slumber parties that gave me my own bed.

Fishing

Next to Soo Bahk, I think it's Brian's favorite thing to do. Weather permitting, he has the goal of going fishing every weekend this summer. The first two Saturdays have been Silver Lake Flat behind Mt. Timpanogos in American Fork Canyon. Beautiful, huh?

The less crowded and more out of the way the lake is, the better for my rural Idahoan, although that makes the drive longer and more treacherous. Thanks for the Jeep, father-in-law Frank. It's coming in mighty handy.

I don't mind the journey, as long as there's food and Eli's happy. In that order. Eli doesn't mind either. He loves exploring the bank and forest for sticks and rocks and animals (chipmunks and humming birds so far), although he's still too timid to touch the fish, so he makes me do it.



When it comes to eating them, he's quite eager. The first time we brought out the serving dish with the one lonely fish caught that day, he was seriously concerned about the missing head.


So, if it's Saturday morning and the weather is nice, you know what we'll be doing. If anyone knows of any good fishing holes, please tell. Brian's dedicated enough to drive into Wyoming. And if you want to come we have an extra pole and would love company. Don't worry, we bring all the comforts of home.

It May Not Seem Like A Miracle To You

But finding just the right tankini was a momentous occasion for me. Swim suit shopping is the worst because finding the perfect one is nearly impossible. It's like wedding dress shopping: driving all over, trying all possible stores and coming across many duds, except this time I have a wiggly two-year old trying to get lost and escaping fitting rooms while I'm quite vulnerable. I feel like I'm a normal enough person until the need for well-fitting swim attire arises, then I think I must be shaped like a sideways pear. And I'm not even too worried about pastiness and extra pounds, it's just that stores don't seem to think that a woman might want some coverage and support on top (wait until I throw maternity in there, that might be an impossible combination). It's either saggy granny or hangin' out hootchie. I was really distraught when Nordy's couldn't even help me in my willingness to spend big bucks. But there is some light at the end of this tunnel.

After some research I found that one store in Utah carries Lands End bathing suits--normally just online and known for fit and quality-- a Sears at a mall right down the road (chalk another one up for city life, honey). It was amazing this morning, the fact that they had suits with underwires as well as them being made specifically to flatter certain body types (triangle, inverted triangle, etc) and a helpful employee ta boot, I felt like giving them more money than they were asking. I even ended up getting a skirt bottom, which I always considered to be for the self-conscious, instead I just look like a cute tennis player. Maybe Eli won't be as embarrassed of his mom at our mom-n-tot swimming lessons that start next week. Now I can't wait.