Lake Thomas

Lake Thomas to me, is a place like no other.  This small lake and the beautiful scenery hold so many memories of my childhood.  Every summer my mom would pack us up and together we'd spend nearly two weeks with my aunt and cousins at the same cabin that my mom grew up going to.  It was old, no TV, no telephone, lots of creaky floors and one bathroom... unless you wanted to use the outhouse. It's where we learned to waterski, told stories and never complained about being away from friends.  Nothing glamorous or fancy and it was heaven.

My mom's dying wish was to go to Lake Thomas, back to the cabin and lake she held so dear.  I remember packing to go, she was so sick.  Her oncologist called days before leaving and warned us against going, he said, she could die there.  We went anyway.  By that point, my mom's cancer had spread throughout her body and a spot on her spine was causing her great pain and significantly decreasing her mobility.  She slept in a lazyboy chair, the only thing that gave her spine enough support.  Her chair was in the sunroom overlooking the lake.

When Georgia was eight months old, Brian and I took her to Lake Thomas.  A picture from that trip hung in every hospital room we ever stayed in.  Here we were introducing Georgia to this place, so special to me and to the grandmother she'd never know and two months later we'd learn of her cancer.
August 13, 2016 marked 20 years since my mom died.  My sister and I kicked around several ideas of where to spend this day and Lake Thomas seemed to be the perfect fit.

After leaving Montana this year, Leslie and I drove with the kids to Lake Thomas.  We spent time with my aunt and enjoyed watching the four grandchildren my mom never knew experience the wonders of Lake Thomas together for the first time.

On the anniversary of her passing, we planted a tree in honor of my mom, perched just up from the water, it has a beautiful view of the lake.  I miss her so much, she would have loved seeing her girls be moms and watching her grandchildren.

 Tubing fun!

 Aunt Suzanne and the gang

 A dear friend of my aunt and mom, Betsy joined us for an evening boat ride.

 Fish on!  All four kids caught multiple fish!

Camp Montana

After moving for several days and unpacking enough that we could pack a bag to head out of town, the kids and I hit the road for our summer adventure at Camp Montana.  As always, our trip did not disappoint.  Fortunately, Brian was able to come in and out between trips so the whole gang was there!

Despite some spotty weather we managed to pack in swimming, bowling, alpine sliding, painting pottery. hiking, river rafting, boating, and so much more!

Thanks Grammy and Grandpa for another great stay!

Leo, strategizing his next bowling move

Six year old summer sisters

Alpine sliding

My handsome dinner date.. before we left, he asked, "Do I look handsome in my hair?"

Brian and I took all four kids on a hike.. and we all survived!

swimming suits: optional

Southport

This summer has been a whirlwind of activities all of which I am grateful for.  Our summer kicked off with packing, we bought a house and after a very long close, it was finally time to move!
Sometimes life throws things at you and it's only in hindsight that you see that things are unfolding just as they should.  When we moved to Gig Harbor last summer our plan had been to buy a house.  After searching the meager inventory available we decided to rent, it was not my plan and I was not excited about the idea of needing to move again in a year.  We were lucky to find a house to rent as the rental market was even tighter than the houses for sale.  As it turned out we ended up in a lovely neighborhood called Southport with it's own park, close to the bridge and full of families that we've come to love.. adults and kids alike.
This spring I put the word out that we'd love to stay in our neighborhood, one day I was chatting with Bob, a nice man who walks the neighborhood.  I told him that I'd heard they might be selling their home, no, he said, we're not... but I think my neighbors might be.  A couple of days later a woman rolled down her window at the bus stop, Bob had talked to her and as luck would have it, they were moving!  She invited me over to take a look at the house, then Brian and I went together and the rest is history.  We feel so incredibly fortunate to have found our forever home in the neighborhood that we love so much.
The upside of moving only three blocks is that you can do a lot of loads in your own car... the downside of moving only three blocks is the same thing.  Georgia thought moving was boring but Leo was Mr. Helpful.

Home Sweet Home!