New Summer Traditions

Three summers ago I was taking a nap at our family lake house, I had been sunning and swimming all day, with mom, dad, Jonathan (bro) and Krystal (now my sis in law) and thought I would take a little snooze while waiting for Dave (now husband) and Ash (now stepdaughter, lol...you get the point, things have changed!) to arrive.  Anyways, I was just waking up when my dad came in and sat in on the bed.  I knew something had to be seriously wrong for him to come in with a blank look on his face and not joking around or anything. He told me that he and my mother and my uncle (moms bro) had made the decision to sell the house.  Ugh, even now as I think about it, my heart hurts...

This house was my peaceful, hiding place in a crazy world.  I grew up coming here because it was my grandfathers (moms dad) house.  He bought the land before I was born and had the house built - it was without a doubt the most perfect spot for a lake house ever.  EVER!

My memories here are fond and big.  However, my mother's memories of this place are exactly the opposite.  My grandfather hurt her here...not physically but emotionally with words and actions and eventually, his decline & death.  This house was also a strain on my family financially.  I am not sure how much money this place sucked out of my mom & dad and my aunt & uncle, but apparently it was enough for them to make the decision to get rid of it.

So, on the first weekend of October in 2009, I said goodbye to the house for the last time.  Dave & I were the only ones there, and he had just proposed to me the night before.  A way to keep my mind off the sadness, it was really brilliant of him to help my last memory of the house be a sweet one.  I miss it like I miss someone who has died.  It makes me ache and tear up even as I write...I wish I could go back but the house is not mine anymore, someone else is making memories there.  I hope they are as precious as mine are!

Fast forward almost 3 years and my bother Jonathan and his wife Krystal have bought a home with a pool!  Yesterday we had our first of many family pool parties.  It brought back memories of fun & sun together at the lake.  We swam all day (well, mom & dad didn't get in the water this time, it was a "balmy" 62-65 degrees, but that never bothered us kids!) and had a cookout and just had a good time together and that is really what the lake was all about, having time together to be a family.  It doesn't really matter where we are, as long as we get to spend precious time together.  I am hoping that we make lots of new memories and that the sting of losing "The Lake" as we called it, will lessen as we spend time by the pool together this summer.  We (my bro and I) are never really at peace unless there is water to swim in, so thank you J & K for bringing that water back into our lives!!  Here's to some new summer, family-time traditions!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!  Thank you to all the troops who gave or are giving up their lives to keep us free:)