I don't know about you guys but i had a fantastic thanksgiving tonight as per tradition we will be going to see the lights on temple square with a million people in tow


and here is yet another Personal history entry only 22 more to go

The Cabin

My Mother’s parents jointly owned a cabin in Provo Canyon right above Sundance. This cabin is forever anchored in my memory as a place where my family could go to get some relief from the world. Built in the 70’s the cabin was decorated accordingly. With a bright orange door, green plaid curtains and dark purple carpet in the upstairs bedrooms, this place was not exactly one of beauty. My family would go to the cabin mainly during the fall and occasionally in the summer. It always smelled so fresh up there like dead leaves and dirt, the sweet pungent smell of fallen aspen leaves. Once there we would unpack and make a dinner that was normally consumed on the deck in white lawn chairs. On one such occasion After cleaning up, the boys would build a fire and we would contentedly play spoons or read a book. In our older years these trips to the cabin became far more enjoyable and spoons morphed into “pee spoons” in which whoever lost had to drink a large glass of the ice cold tap water that tasted fresh and clean, whoever had to use the bathroom first lost. No matter what sometime during the course of the weekend all the children would gather in the upstairs bedroom and participate in a rousing game of Truth or Dare. Many fond memories have come from these hours spent in a semi cold bedroom filled with Bates children. I remember on a particularly rowdy day we held a “sibling mosh”, we all jumped on to the queen sized pink bed and bounced around until we heard a crack and we plummeted to the floor. As we assessed the situation it was decided that the only solution was to go down stairs get some firewood and prop the bed back up. When we crept back upstairs with firewood under our shirts our parents laughed and said “looks like the kids are playing truth or dare again”. My unsuspecting parents didn’t realize that we had broken the bed until a few years later when we cleaned out the cabin right before selling it. In the mornings we would have hot chocolate in tea cups and ricotta cheese pancakes. After packing and vacuuming the living room we would take a rock. Over some hills and the slightly amusing speed bumps we would continue on to the river. On a soft bed of needles we would make our way closer noting the depth and speed of the river always changing from year to year, always finding large rocks to drop into the rushing water with a loud plop! We would travel up a ways and as the years passed we experienced disappointment and then anger at the people who built massive “cabins” lining this beautiful part of not only our childhood but my mother’s as well. Before leaving the river we would always toss sticks in and run to the other side of the road to see whos “won” in the racing waters.
In the spring of 2001 both of my Grandparents passed away unexpectedly. Because of its location the cabin was worth quite a sum of money and we didn’t have the assets to purchase the other half of the cabin from the couple that owned it with my grandparents. We had to sell The Cabin. That winter we took out last trip up to the cabin, there was about a foot of snow on the ground and the smell of leaves although there was diluted. That last trip was just as enjoyable as all of the other ones perhaps even more so. As I reflect back on my memories of the cabin I can only think of happy ones. This was a place for my family immediate and extended to gather together and revel in each other’s company.