The last few months have been a struggle. A physical, mental, emotional struggle. When my husband was laid off due to his company that he worked for going under, I started accepting more work to make up the difference. I ran my self into the ground trying to keep up. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to say "poor me". I am truly grateful I was in a position to have control over my work load and that there were opportunities to make money. I am just stating the facts. It was hard. I felt like an absentee mom all summer. Normally I have oodles of time to play, oversee chores, help with their projects, etc. In the past, having a blog never interfered or changed our day to day lives. But upping to the workload did. My husband was amazing. He helped around the house and played with the boys. My kids will have incredible memories of this summer with their dad. Even though I know they didn't suffer any ill effects of me being so busy, I feel jipped out of a summer. I had many sleepless nights trying to meet deadlines and worrying over finances. Aside from the financial strain, my sister was going through her biggest trial in life, to date. The weight of those two things bore down on me to the point that I felt like I was going to explode.
I needed a break. I needed to slow down even if it was just temporary. The opportunity came when it was time for our annual camping trip with my husband's family. And luckily for us, it was close to home which meant it was within our budget. We have had to miss the last two years.
We went to Bear Lake!
*My littlest forgot his pale and shovel so we stopped at a store on the way. All they had were plastic gardening trowels. He was thrilled and NEVER put it down
*My three oldest eating breakfast. Pancakes with homemade huckleberry syrup, hash browns, eggs, and ham :)
* The boys skipping rocks with their boy cousins. I showed them how and the most we got was 12 skips!
*The days were in the 80's (PERFECT!) but the nights and early mornings were cold. Snuggling helped.
*They couldn't decided if the sand was more fun or the water.
*I love this picture! It has been awhile since I saw him this relaxed. He needed this trip every bit as much as I did. Maybe even more.
*Early morning scripture reading on the shore.
* It's the little things.... Like holding hands with your sweetheart while watching your children play. And your first soda in months!
*The tubes were a huge hit :)
There were 35 of us total. It was the first time in 3 years that every single member of his family was together. Look at that sunrise!!!
Looking for shells
I grew up going to Bear Lake almost every year for a long time. Garden City is famous for their raspberries. There are places everywhere selling raspberry shakes. And they all say they are "the best". It made me want to yell "Congratulations! You did it!" like Buddy the Elf :P
The lake is so blue! Most of the time it looks turquoise but sometimes it looks more true blue. It is the clearest water I have EVER seen. You can be in the middle of the lake and see as clear as can be all the way to the bottom. It was incredible. We felt more like we were at the beach than we were at a lake.
We were only gone a few days but it helped so much. A break from reality, time with loved ones, and fun in the sun. And now that my husband has a job (We just got the first paycheck yesterday!) I am hoping things can slow down for me.
And then I came home to all the laundry............ :)
So glad you got away and renewed for a few days! Praying your hubby finds a job soon!
It looks like an awesome trip. I never made it up to Bear Lake any of the times I've lived in Utah. But one day, I will go there.
I'm glad you got the break. Those short but awesome trips do a world of good towards recharging the batteries.
What a beautiful digital scrapbook! It looks like a delightful vacation. Glad you're back to two paychecks. I hope this is it for layoffs.
I know just how you feel about the laundry after a trip. It always feels like we wore three times the clothes we would have at home. But, you don't have to do it all at once. I like to tackle it a bit at a time.
I grew up going to Bear Lake, too. It's such a gorgeous place but the water is freezing. I live in Virginia now but this summer we took our kids out west to Jackson and Yellowstone. On our way back to Utah, where our families are, we drove past the lake. So many more cabins and homes on the mountain side than I remember. Vacations are refreshing and always needed. I am glad your husband found a job. Such stress... We live on the east coast due to a job. I would rather live closer to Bear Lake.:)
You are not alone. And you're incredibly strong to be able to step up and make it work work while your husband was looking for work. So glad that the tranquil blue waters of Bear Lake gave you the mental and physical break you and your family needed. Hugs!
Oh my gosh!! I live in Logan, and we love love love driving through Logan Canyon and heading over to spend some time at Bear Lake - such fond memories for me. I especially loved the photo of the shells - that just brought the memories flooding back from my childhood - I loved collecting shells like that!!
I'm glad that you were able to get away for a few days - we all need the recharge time every once in a while :)
Bear Lake looks amazing, and I'm so glad you got to enjoy some time with your family & unwind. Thank you, as always, for sharing with us!
Whenever I feel like either I'm working too much or that the hubs is, we head out camping.l There's just something about the fresh air, food cooked over the campfire and playing in the water that takes all the stress away. Glad to hear things are back to "normal" at your house!!
Ah Bear Lake. It's the prettiest lake in the world. Now I feel homesick. Reading this post and looking at the pics relaxed me. Thanks.
Everyone needs a break and so glad you took one. What fun for everyone. Loved your pictures. Fun time for sure.
Your pictures are gorgeous! It looks like your family had so much fun! I'm so glad you're husband was able to find another job!
So much fun! I love your pictures. Thanks for being real :) I'm glad bloggers share their struggles, that's what life is all about.
What a beautiful place! So glad your family got a little trip in this summer. Sounds like it was just what you all needed.
I know just how you feel about having too many sleepless nights and worrying about finances constantly. I cannot wait for the day when I can just NOT worry when I go to buy something or the bills come rolling in in the mail. What doesnt kill us makes us stronger right?
Im so glad to be back to blogging and following you again. Come check out my new blog @ thecraftypractitioner.blogspot.com
~Lindsey
What a wonderful and well deserved end-of-summer trip for your entire family!
It is so nice to get a much needed respite from troubles and stress of life. We FINALLY closed on our re-fi (funded on 8/22, same day as this post!). That took a lot of stress off hubby and I.
A real woman is one who strengthens her man during the time of crises/ pain. I am very impressed by how string you stood during the bad days! In such a scenario, the BREAK to BEAR LAKE must have refreshed you completely.. The pictures are very lovely to see here.
PS The photo of sea shells is insanely cute! So oceany and summery!
Stay happy
Lots of love and kisses
Jessica x
Thank you for this post, Stacy. I love the pictures and your comments of our wonderful family time together. Although it was hard for everyone to get time off and work out their schedules, it was truly a great time to be together. Loved it all. Love the picture at the end of your post, "The Perfect End to the Perfect Day". That says it all. Thank you.
Bear Lake looks heavenly! I haven't been for several years, and the beach/campsite where you were is prettier than any I've been to. Do you mind e-mailing me the details of the location?
I'm so glad you were able to get away and feel a little refreshed. What a difference that can make!
I'm so glad you were able to relax and enjoy a much deserved vacation. The huckleberry syrup brought back lots of memories of family reunions and Grandma's house.
Congratulations again to Shane on the new job!
I'd love to know what beach this is as well! Thank you in advance for any info you can share!
It was a group site. Here is the info I copied from the reservation email from when we went. It was a beautiful site!
Campground: Bear Lake State Park
Site: SPAV
Site Type: GROUP STANDARD
Loop: Group Overnight Use