In Honor of My Brother

It's been kind of strange these past few months with Josh and Elena across the country. Even though they are "on to bigger and better adventures" and we can talk with them over webcams, etc., it's been somewhat lackluster around here without their vibrant personalities. This past weekend, Patch and I went on a camping/fishing trip with my in-laws up at Mirror Lake in the Uintahs--which, lately has been something we would usually do with my brother and his wife--and their oodles of camping equipment.

As this was Patrick's family's first time camping all together, we hit a few bumps and snags when it came to communication about provisions. (With so many people, it's hard to remember who's supposed to bring what!) But, all in all, everyone did really well and had a lot of fun.

The weather was beautiful and the fishing was pretty good. (We all had fresh trout for dinner on Saturday night...yummy.) We even slept ok, considering how tightly packed we all were. :) The whole thing was peaceful for my part...I was able to get a lot of studying done among the beauties of nature.

And then, suddenly, in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, I woke to a sound that brought a smile to my lips. In the misty gray dawn of the mountains: it was raining.

For the past two years, there hasn'tbeen a single camp trip where I or my family hasn't gotten rained on. Even in southern Utah, surrounded by desert and red rock, we brought a freak storm with us. I've forgotten what it feels like to simply pack up a tent without worrying about damp or mold. Josh used to say it was his private curse--as though the heavens didn't want him to enjoy the time outdoors with his family. We all smiled and shook our heads at the time. After all, dramatic turn of phrase is just one of his many talents...

But then, as I lay snuggled next to Patrick under our big double sleeping bag, listening to the quiet snores of my nephews and watching the puddles and rivers form on the roof of our tent, I thought of my brother and his "curses" and smiled.

Miss you guys.

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