For the Love of the Lake

I feel lucky to have spent much of my childhood on the lake with my grandparents in New Hampshire, and I have never stopped craving time on the lake (preferably with a boat and a tube), but I'll take whatever I can get. I was not expecting much lake time here in Austin, but was pleasantly surprised by the city's beautiful Lake Travis and have been lucky to spend a couple Saturdays on the boat already this summer with Firas and his pals. Riding in the boat is thrilling and relaxing all at the same time. It is just one of my favorite things in the entire world! Actually... riding in a boat, swimming in a lake, and tubing behind a boat are three of my all-time favorite things... I am just a lover of all things lake. I'm certain that my time in New Hampshire has influenced this love of mine as many of my favorite childhood memories are rooted in Meredith, NH on Lake Waukewan. From the time I was an itty bitty up until I was 15 years old, we spent many winters sledding and ice-skating on the lake and countless summers swimming, canoeing, tubing, and attempting to water-ski. I remember jumping off the dock and racing to the raft. I remember being daring enough to dive off the raft because there was no one at the pool judging my not-so-graceful first attempts. I remember skinny-dipping for the first time with my sisters, cousins, and maybe even our Mom's...? I remember waking up early in the morning to pick fresh blueberries for Nana to use in her pancakes. I remember seeing the movie "Arachnophobia" at a friend's house and then noticing the ginormous spiders on the rocks leading up to the lake. I'll never forget my Papa pulling us on the tube behind the boat and putting up with us screaming "FASTER!!!' quickly followed by "SLOW DOWN!!!!" I'll also never forget Nicole losing her bikini bottoms in the lake. Oh, the horror of a pre-teen losing her bottoms with her grandfather driving the boat. I recall family reunions where we would pile a ridiculous amount of people on one side of the raft in order to tip it and bodies would go flying into the water, while trying to dodge the other flailing arms and legs. I remember being in the water and Nana waving to us from the deck. I still walk into other homes or buildings and am hit by the exact smell of the basement of my grandparents' lake-house that they designed and built with their own hands and and with the help of family and friends. I love being brought back to those days in New Hampshire. I wouldn't trade anything for those years, and am thankful to my grandparents for giving us the opportunity to experience the lake, to grow up there, and to learn how to truly value time with our families. Love you Nana, miss and love you Papa.