Do you ever have times where you really wish you were professional at a particular skill? I do. In fact I probably have those times more than the average person. Since I chose to study Liberal Arts & Sciences, I have some skill in many areas, but am not professional at any of them. Most of the time, I love it that way. I think it's fantastic as a mother. The skills I most often wish I had are photography and poetry. Sometimes I have feelings inside of me that I know I could express if I just knew how to write poetry. Then there are the things that I see that create those feelings. I wish I could capture them for everyone else to see. But then again, maybe it's nice to have some things that you can only hold in your memory. I am grateful for memory. That is a creation that no human being can come close to. I am grateful God gave us memory. There are some wonderful things in my memory. There are also some awful things there. Maybe that's why it's so hard sometimes to focus on the good, because the memory holds all of it.

Anyway, this past weekend I was wishing for the skill of photography. Then as I thought about writing this post, I was wishing for the skill of poetry. However, I am very mediocre at the first, and am too afraid to even attempt the second. So in my own meager way, I will try to share what I experienced. I will also be grateful that there are some special things in life that you just have to be there for!

We went to Bear Lake again. For a few of you, that's all I need to say. There is something magic about that place for me. The magic is made of so many things.

the calm before the storm

the white-sand bottom

the rippling glass

the less-crowded, more private northeast beach

windy white-capped days

rolling thunderstorms

lightning shows

holiday fireworks, 4 solid days before and after both July4th and 24th

skiing on the gold

drippy sand-castles

sand bar hot tubs

bottles and bottles of sunscreen and bug repellent

mosquitos and horse-flies

church in st. charles and paris

small town celebrations

raspberry shakes

wishing Bundy's was still around

settling for Bear Cave or LaBeau's

picking raspberries

driving all the way to the north shore for the best glass

bruises from the spray

sore muscles that are never used for anything besides waterskiing

sleeping outside

waking in a dew-dampened sleeping bag

waking from the BRIGHT sun that just peeped over the hill

s'mores

peach cobbler

loaded home-grilled burgers

watermelon and honeydew

time with cousins

launching the boat via tractor

water conditions determine the day's schedule

300-piece giant disney puzzles

fixing the boat, again

rowing back to shore with waterskis