A Magical Place

Although Grant has already blogged about it, I wanted to add my side of the story...

My family and I left early Thursday morning and drove down to Spokane, Washington where I met up with Grant and his cousin Ryan. From there we headed out to Idaho and to their family's cabin on the lake. It was a beautiful drive filled with jokes, laughter, and Grant's rendition of “O Canada”! When we finally made it out to the lake, I was warmly welcomed by Brittany, Aunt Nanci, and Uncle Brad. I felt like I already knew Brittany because of being with Grant for the past year. It was a cold day, but we raced down to the dock to get a good look at the lake. Grant related childhood memories as I took in the surrounding beauty. He described it as a magical place and it was almost as if I was being taken back into his childhood and seeing the world from his point of view – it was very cool.

It was so tempting.....just a little push...Having fun spitting watermelon seeds and cherry pits!

Brittany & Me

After lunch, we returned to the dock – this time with bathing suits under many layers of warm clothing. The sun peaked out for a few seconds and Grant, not wanting to miss the opportunity, quickly jumped in, yelling and screaming. It wasn't very convincing for Brittany and I. We decided to wait until after the boat ride, so we wouldn't be cold. We headed out on the lake to watch Ryan wake board. I really wanted to wake board too, but I knew that the water was just too cold for me! But I still enjoyed the ride. When we got back to the dock...it was time. We all stripped down to our bathing suits and prayed the sun would break through the clouds, but finally we all decided to just take the plunge with out the sun. The water was so cold – I don't know if I've ever been in water that cold before! It was almost paralyzing and it took me a moment to think straight again, but I finally made it back to the dock with chattering teeth and enormous “chill bumps”!

The Beautiful Brittany GravesRyan ripping up the lake!Hang Loose!Oh Soooooo Cold!!!

We raced up to the cabin where we were met with a roaring fire and warm mugs of hot chocolate. We stayed huddled around the fire for over an hour, talking, playing guitar, and trying to beat each other at “Where's Waldo.” Then we headed out to play kickball – it was a lot of fun, but I felt bad for Grant who was doubled over half the time due to his broken ribs. Later we played Taboo, tried to chop wood, and helped Aunt Nanci with an amazing meal of veggie burgers and roasted corn – yum yum!! We took one last ride in the boat to watch the sunset. It was beautiful – very different from Saipan, but still very beautiful.

That's probably not the best way to chop wood.......

Then it was time to head back to reality. On the ride home, we reminisced about the good times and pondered the future. Without fail, Grant had words of encouragement for me as I wondered about what the next year would bring. I was thankful that we missed the exit, thus giving us just a few more minutes to hang out before he left. Grant came to my brother's wedding on Sunday and I was glad he was there to hear my “debut song” and just to see him one more time, but I was so glad I got to go out to the lake – it's a magical place – and I got to make a few more memories with Grant before we had to move on and go our own directions into the future.

Grant, you've been an amazing friend this past year and I will treasure these few extra memories! Thanks!