Fish Lake

My family has a tradition. (Gasp). Yes, for years--generations, really--Fish Lake has always been a favorite Isaac family haunt, but for the third year in a row now we have managed to coordinate a Fish Lake family reunion during fall conference weekend. There is a lot of conference watching, some fishing (a lot if you're Grandpa), game playing, limboing, leaf collecting, crafting and (can't forget) rock chucking. Aaron has been asking, "Um, we can go to Fish Lake for tomorrow?" ever since.

Here are my boys. What handsome fellows. Aaron had to bring his "grandpa stick" with us. He refused to bring his puffy coat, but was glad we had it once he felt the chilly mountain air. He loved going on walks to the lakeside to scare away the fish at the shoreline with his fierce rock chucking skills. He didn't want to go out on the boat, or even get inside, but with grandpa's help he still managed to catch his first guppy from the marina shore.

Nana made each grandchild these sweet "Grandpa's fishin' buddy" shirts, along with a bag of weekend supplies: a flashlight, treats, markers, a football, etc. What an awesome Nana. Did I mention that the shirt was drawn with glue paint? I wish I were more like my mom.

I don't know how many times grandpa drove his boat in and out of the marina that weekend. Some fishermen were lucky, others were not. Jonny was. I was not. When Jonny went out on the boat without us Aaron insisted on staying at the Lakeside Marina to await his return. And, one of the best parts about my unsuccessful fishing venture was seeing Aaron's excited expression as we pulled back into the dock.

Jonny remembered to bring his deer spotlights this year. Ever since high school he has loved going on late night rides to spotlight deer. I used to think he just wanted an excuse to hold my hand in the car (and perhaps it served two purposes), but he really does enjoy searching for deer along the roadside...especially if the car can tune into the BYU game.Aside from grandpa, I'd say Dallin deserves the most dedicated fisherman award this year. He even woke up before dawn to go board and wire trolling with my dad. He was determined to catch something other than a trout, and he was thrilled with a crayfish that somehow snagged the end of his line. The kids also thought it was pretty cool to see a fish with claws. Poor Alli was rather discouraged with her lack of luck with on the end of her line. Not even a crayfish. But, she does win the best aunt award.My dad loves it up there. He is great at leaving his worries behind him when he's out on the lake. I think he spent more time in the water than on land that weekend. Of the group, I'm sure he heard the least amount of conference, but I know he's spent the most time reading and rereading the messages given that weekend. I need to be more like my dad.

Awe Fish Lake. So sad to leave you behind. How can I explain to Aaron that we only get to go there sometimes, and can't pack up and leave for Fish Lake right now? Sometimes I wonder why we can't. All in good time. And next year we will have another little one to introduce to the Fish Lake tradition. Three weeks until baby J...