Back on the Water-A Familiar View

Yesterday was a hot summer day around here. I know, "hot" is relative, of course, but hot for this island is about 80 degrees. Hot enough for a lake day. Our friends have been working on their boat with the goal of getting it out on the lake this summer. Sunday was the day. We made a plan to meet at one of our friend's lake property...

And then the panic started. I was realizing it had been B.C. (before cancer) that we were at the lake. I started to rehash all sorts of "stuff". I wept. I don't understand how it comes in waves like that, the grief. I knew in my head that we would probably have fun, but you know those "firsts" are scary when they come. The first holiday without him, the first birthday without him, the first anniversary without him, the first everything. This Sunday was the first time being on the water -- without him. My insides were seizing up.

The kids recognized it too. In fact they commented on the drive over that they hardly remember the lake since they were so small when we lived there. Two summers prior to moving from the lake we had borrowed a boat and had such a blast. Well, yesterday was no exception. It did turn out wonderfully. Cole even said, "Mom I had the greatest time today! All I can remember from when we were little at the lake was Keaton wanting me to go in deeper than I really wanted to." I did not get in the water myself (this Northwest water is not nearly warm enough for me...) but the guys did. And they had fantastic time with friends.

And my fears of an emotional meltdown all dissipated as an interesting scenario unfolded. We started out, just a few of us in the boat taking a little cruise, headed to where we used to live on the other side of the lake. I lot of stuff was going on in my head. I was glad to be on the water. And I thought it would be cathartic, just rip off the band-aid, see the old house and move on with my life. Now this boat is an old boat and has been in storage for 15 years. But it has received some major TLC and maintenance in the last few weeks and our friends had already taken a spin around the lake before we arrived. But when I was in the boat, and we were almost to within sight of our old house and the engine sputtered and gave out. We called our friend for a tow. And then kind of drifted in the middle of the lake. We tried the engine again and it turned over, so we began heading back to the dock where we'd come from. Due to this unfortunate series of events, I never even had to see where we used to live. Sparing me more heartache. I count it a small blessing.

Okay, so maybe I'm over-dramatizing it a little. But I really did feel like it was a miracle that I didn't have to feel that rush of memories. When I was talking to my brother about the stress and anxiety all of this produced in me, he reminded me this is just life. I was feeling overwhelmed emotionally (our cat is pregnant, our flooring is halfway done, Keaton's starting driver's ed, school starts in a month, CPA review is going to take 400 more hours, blah, blah, blah) and he just calmly talked me off the ledge. Life is hard sometimes. But it just is what it is. We just have to keep walking it out. 

Turned out to be a great day at the lake! Because we had called our friend for help, he and his wife came down to their property and spent the afternoon with us. One of their sons came over (who also works with me) and his roommate (who used to live around the corner from us) and zipped around on a jet-ski. Four of their other children also hung out with us. Another guy from work drifted by in his boat with his family. And we were able to borrow our friend's boat and pull the boys all around the lake on a fancy inner-tube. We had a picnic and relaxed and chatted and I was glad to make it through another first.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

Lazy Sunday

Yesterday the Lord gave us several hours of sunshine before cloud cover drifted in. Keaton set out all the camp chairs and we had lunch outside. Then he did cannonballs into the lake. He is such a Northwest kid...no way Mom is sticking even a TOE in the lake in April. :)

Another Night by the Fire

Tonight there's a party down by the lake on the property near ours. This group has a full multi-media presentation going on, amps, electric guitars, mics, complete with power generator in the back of a pickup truck. So not to be outdone, Daddy set up a fire in our backyard AND a TV with Toy Story 2 (no generator, though, just an extension cord from the house.) Boys and Daddy shared popcorn while Mommy was at the grocery store. It must be Fall, as it's getting darker faster every day.

Surfing the Lake

The wind surfboard we bought last summer lost a (critical) part in the water last year. So the mast/sail does not attach any longer. However, this past Sunday, it proved to be a fun toy afterall.
Keaton and Cole and Daddy floated around the swimming area having a great time. Even Cole, who is timid about getting away from the shore, really enjoyed himself too.

Paddle Boat excursion today

Daddy and boys took a spin in the paddle boat today. No, they were not wearing life jackets. Someone call the Coast Guard! This was a very impromptu ride. Dad had a guy over who was scuba diving in the lake - - looking for the lost/missing piece to our windsurfing board - - lost last summer. No luck with the dive. But they did have fun in the paddle boat!

A picture is worth.....

.....1000 words. I will let you fill in your own thoughts about Eric walking on water.

Seriously, our neighbor's dock is completely submerged this week. The lake level is very high. Our dock is mostly under water, but part of it floats, so we can't do magic tricks on our dock. ;)

Fun Times in a Boat

As a friend said to us the other day...people out on the lake in boats envy people with docks. People with docks on the lake envy the people with boats. Well, it pays to network. Dad's client from the Barber Shop, Mr. Mike the Marine, wants to have a place to moor his boat. And we have a dock! So Mr. Mike the Marine says we can use the boat anytime! Way cool, Mr. Mike!

Mom and Cole (actually we're freezing) taking a ride on the boat.

Keaton grinning from ear to ear. Summer on the lake will be a whole lot different this year. :)