How do you celebrate your independence?? Some get up at five in the morning to scope out a sweet spot for the salt lake parade, others may bake and cook and grill for hours to create the perfect feast, while others may bask under a star studded night awaiting for the explosion of fireworks. While we love all of those past times, there is one tradition that rings through that we had to do this year. Bear Lake!!

Normally when you tell people that you are going up to Bear Lake they immediately ask you, "Where's your cabin??, Are you boating or do you have wave runners??, Which beach are you camping at??" I guess youcould say that I grew up with a simple childhood, because the boats that we had were the kind that you blow up and paddle by yourself, wave runners are something that you do on your own two feet, and unfortunately a day at the lake was all that we got. But the memories are priceless. So for this fourth of July we talked my mom into taking her geriatric dog who thinks he is still two up the the lake with us and Timber. The last summers that I have been there the water has always been extremely low, so there was plenty of beach to go around, enough to let two rambunctious pooches run a muck. Unfortunately I forgot how wonderful of a winter run off we had, and the beach shrunk drastically.....add the fact that it is the fourth of July weekend...and well to be honest we all looked like a colony of ants trying to fit onto one M&M. So we got cozy and got to know our neighbors. There was one little hispanic boy who absolutely loved Bo, wanting to throw him the ball and playing with my mom....I'm sure he would have adopted both of them and I would have been left mother-less. As bear lake usually is, it was less than warm and closer to the crisp and shocking in temperature....thigh deep was plenty for me.

Timber however was brave enough to dunk the belly button.....the YAAAOOOOWWW factor that is pretty much your temperature gage for all things aquatic. For some reason though, she could not figure out how to pick up the darn frisbee, she would have her entire head submersed in water and never come up with it....the old man Bo had to show her how it was done.

After all these years of coming up to Bear Lake with Bo, never never once had he called it a day and went to lounge on the beach....that dog would chase and fetch from sun up to sun down. Old age is catching up with him pretty fast, and I am sure he'll be paying for this frolick for quiet a few days. But honestly when I get that age and eventually get up to the pearly gates, I want to make sure my body is well worn and used and that I have lived my life to the fullest......look at Bo....hes so inspiring:)

They say the third time is the charm and in this situation I wish that wasn't the case. I suppose you can only be so lucky to find your wedding ring after you had lost it twice. But finally Marc's ring has found its final resting place.....Bear Lake. Cold+Water+ Throwing objects= shrinking fingers that fling a ring with the toy. Oh well.....it's just a ring. I told Marc this in no way gets him off the hook. Whether he likes it or not he is still married to me.

Some homemade sandwhiches, chips, and licorice........top it off with a nap to sun kiss your face...and you have just had a great day. Bear Lake for some reason runs like a clock, as soon as it hits about 5pm the clouds roll in, the wind kicks up, and the water gets even colder...and that is when we pack our bags and hit the road. Theres nothing like a day of playing hard, and then sleeping hard on the way home.

If you can't tell, that is Bo's butt that Timber is so fondly snuggling with......when you're tired, your tired and anything can become snuggable. Including sneaky wives that like to take your picture when you are least expecting it. I'm sure there will be plenty of more of these to come....at least fifty years worth...and I am sure they will only keep getting better and better.