I’ve been going to a little RV and trailer park on a lake tucked away in forests of Idaho since I was a kid. My dad’s parents got a place there over 20 years ago, when it was a simple retirement community and we’ve kept that little porched trailer ever since.

I remember being around 9 years old listening to the lapping of the soft waves against the boat as I tried to go to sleep, scared of being in the dark alone, but determined to not give into fear and go back inside. I never imagined many years later returning to the same place with my husband and kids, and be able to give them the same memories I was lucky enough to have.

It was Kaden’s first time on a boat and it was not his favorite thing but eventually followed his brother by jumping in the water. There’s a sandbar in Lake Ponderay where the water is only about 4 feet deep so we could successfully hold a child and/or a beverage at all times and cool off in the water while taking in the beautiful scenery. Carter caught fish, became the official park golf cart chauffeur, and had a pretty entertaining time of jumping off rocks into the water in synchronized motions with Jake.

The sweetest cat that lives at one of the nearby restaurants

We spent the days running in sprinklers, feeding chickens, and soaking in the lazy summer moments. I remember Katie Couric saying on a podcast that the days when your kids are little and your parents are around are extremely special and I found myself really taking that in on this trip.

Kaden gave us a scare when he woke up the night before we were set to leave with a raging fever. We didn’t have a thermometer but gave him Tylenol that he almost immediately threw up, leaving Jake and I staring at each other wondering what the next move was. After waking up my parents in the middle of the night to find that they didn’t have a thermometer at their place either, we cooled his body down with cold rags and was finally able to get him to sleep and a successful dose of Tylenol.

He was running around the next morning like nothing even happened, so I don’t know if he swallowed lake water or had a 24 hour type virus, but we just took our time on the drive home and the boys did great.

As we start to pack away the pool toys and watch the days start to fade into night a bit earlier, fall is hinting at it’s inevitable arrival…which I’m all about - bring on the sweatshirts!!

While we cautiously gear up for kids to go back to school (thank God), and recognizing that trying to find normalcy in these days of COVID will be clunky, I find myself taking mental pictures - understanding now how fast time moves and that the only constant is change.

So here’s to a new season, whatever that may bring, and I’ll continue to remind myself to find comfort in the traditions and places where these fleeting memories are made.

Where’s your favorite place to go make memories?

Our Trip to Lake Ponderay + Goodbye to Summer

@susangofficial