Missing the Cabin

I'm writing this post because yesterday we had a mournful moment. We decided to take the boat up to Lake Pend Orielle - our lake, to reminisce. We drove by the cabin and the tears started flowing. It was a sad moment for all of us, but we wanted to see it so we could remember.

This has been one of the hardest summers for our family because we haven't had the cabin in our lives. The lake cabin was where we made summer memories. It's where we went when we needed a vacation. It was where we went to spend time with family. It was where we went to have fun and relax. The cabin was who we were and what we did. We were so blessed to have it.

Last spring my parents sold their cabin located on Lake Pend Orielle in Idaho. It was only 1 hour and 20 minutes away which made it close enough to drive too, and yet far enought away where you felt like you were getting away. Due to the recession, and losing the company, it was time for my parents to get some money from their investment. They had it on the market for the last couple of years so it was a blessing that they were finally able to sell it, and we got to enjoy it for two more summers. The cabin had been a part of our family for 8 years since 2003. It became such a part of our lives that we don't know how to have a summer without it. Preston was a baby when they bought it, so he doesn't know a summer without it. And either does Haylie. Kellie was 7 and Ashlie was 5, so both of them can't really remember a summer before cabin.

About a month ago is when it hit me the hardest - the end of July. It had finally started to get hot - we had finished all of the summer have-tos like Girl's camp, Mike's high adventure, Kellie going to EFY, tennis camp for Ashlie, volleyball camp for Kellie, and swimming lessons for Preston and Haylie. And we were actually home on a Saturday and I was going nuts. We weren't suppose to be home being completely bored. Over the last 8 years we had never been bored in the summer. We were lake people and that's where we were suppose to be. In fact, Preston said, "This is the worst day ever." I asked him why, and he said told me because we didn't have the cabin anymore. I totally agreed.

Let me just review how our summers typically went. From Monday through Wednesday the kids would get up and do their chores, reading, and their piano. Come Thursday we were on our way to the cabin for some fun. And boy did we have it. We got to go on boat rides, play in the water, go tubing, warm up in the hot tub, jump off the dock, eat great food, relax, and my favorite part enjoy the sunset while eating a delicious dinner sitting on the deck. That is one memory that I will never forget and will always be the first to come to my mind when reminiscing about the cabin. But most importantly we got to spend time with grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins, in a secluded private location that was just ours (this aspect is becoming more apparent to me now that we have to go to public beaches and campgrounds.) Anyway, the joy and happiness that we felt being together and the experience is hard to put into words, but it was "heavenly".

Sometimes I wonder why it had to end. When we talk about the cabin, someone will say, "we just didn't appreciate it enough", but's that's not true - not for me. I appreciated every minute of it. I never once took it for granted. Every time we were there I felt so fortunate and blessed to be there and be able to enjoy it. I would often pinch myself because it seemed so unreal that we had a cabin. I just didn't know it would come to an end. But as we mourn the loss of the cabin we also feel grateful that it sold when it did for many reasons. So much has changed in our family over the last year. For one, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer so he has been going through different treatments which have taken a toll on his energy level. My mom, of course has been busy taking care of him and the rest of us. She is amazing. I still don't know how she took care of it it all - us, her home, and the cabin. And also, we don't have the time to help care for it either. Mike helped out a lot with the upkeep of the cabin and with his new job he just doesn't have the time anymore. And Kristine has been facing more chemo and Greg has been recovering from ankle surgery. Dustin and Kimberly have been busy with family stuff as well. Brian and Alison haven't been able to come over as much now that their kids are getting older. So all of our lives have changed to where the cabin might not have fit into our schedules anyway. But we still miss it and mourn it.

So back to the worse summer ever, well maybe in comparison to the last 8 it hasn't been as fun, but we have had some fun adventures and we've tried to make some great memories. Instead of spending our time at one lake we have gotten to discover new lakes in the area - Loon, Diamond, Lake Roosevelt, Priest Lake, and Long Lake. And on a positive note we've had more time to be more efficient with chores, piano, reading, etc. Just kidding, I know these things aren't fun. But I do know that we will survive - we have. And we just have to try to make the best of it. We have to learn how to play other fun things, and enjoy the fact that we're together.

My mom had a sign that she hung in the cabin entry and it read: "If you're lucky enough to live at the lake, you're lucky enough." Now the sign should read: "If you're lucky enought to HAVE lived at the lake, then you're lucky enough." We were extremely lucky!!!