The Hazard Chronicles

This is one of those weeks with so much crammed into it that writing becomes difficult. To compound the issue, it's not just a quick "here's what happened" sort of post- it's one where I actually have thoughts about things that I want to get down. So with that...let's get down to business.

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I had a birthday! I know it comes around every year, and for me it's always been pretty...whatever. Like, last week the kids and I were reading over one of my old trip journals and I came across this gem:

So, yeah. It is usually acknowledged, and sometimes there is a small little celebration, but my memory of birthdays is that it mostly tends to get lost in the mix of activities. That's just been normal, and I've always seen it as kind of a good thing because it means that we've had a lot of really good summer vacations. But because of that, it made this year kind of special. Because while I was at work, Rachel detailed my car (something I've been putting off for too long), and then her and the kids organized a big surprise party for me at home with lots of presents and everything. Later in the week, we had a family reunion and people sang that stupid old happy birthday song so loud that you probably could have taken every rendition of years past, put them together, and still fallen short if competing for volume. It was a bit overwhelming. We even had two cakes. It was pretty neat.

I'm 43 years old, by the way. And I'm supposed to say something like "I don't feel that old," but the truth is that, when I think about it, I do. I feel like I am old enough to have experienced, on a deep level, things like joy, or disappointment, or pride, or self-doubt, or fulfillment, or longing, or love, or loss. I feel like my experiences matter, and that they add context and meaning to my every-day activities. I am at an age where I have more memories with Rachel than I do without, and I have watched my children grow up into responsible young adults. Physically, I have taken care of my body and I feel proud of that, but it also carries with it the echoes of broken bones, dislocated limbs, and scarred tissues. Each of these events was a lesson, and as a result I have learned when to let loose and when to hold back. I've learned to trust both my physical reflexes and my mental judgement, honed over a lifetime of living, and know better now than ever when to use each of these tools. It has been 43 wonderful, rich, experience-filled years and I want to acknowledge each and every one of them. Because those years are me, and right now, at this particular time, I like me quite a bit.

Among other things, I got this electric skateboard that might be my new favorite thing. It goes off-road, travels at like 30mph, has a super fun surfy feel to it, and has a range of around 25 miles before needing a recharge. I've already put almost 40 miles on it, and I think that is just the beginning. It's especially nice to have when traveling because I tend to wake up earlier than most, and it is a neat way to cover ground and explore new areas. Also, it's so easy to pack in the car that it really doesn't take any extra thought to just throw it in, just in case. So fun!

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I mentioned the family reunion in the last section. We did this down in Burley, Idaho and almost everyone in the family was there. There was a lot of hanging out and a few scheduled activities. My sister, Allison, did a great job hosting and we were glad to have a chance to catch up. It's strange sometimes to get together and watch the kids play and realize that it wasn't so long ago the we were the kids. I remember staging wrestling matches upstairs in my grandma's house, or building forts next to the river, or getting my first tastes of adolescent independence on a beach as I hung out with my cousins. Watching the next generation puts me in a reflective mood as I think over this shared history, and I wonder what things my kids will remember and what stories they will tell. It was good to be together again.

Cousin time. Southern Idaho is pretty flat with a lot of agriculture, which comes with a lot of natural beauty. In all the best ways, I felt like I was living in a country song for a little while.

I'm re-using the picture from when we went here five years ago since I don't have any good ones from this time around- We spent nearly the entire day at Steadman's Ranch where they have waterslides, volleyball, and a park.

All of our kids said this was their favorite activity, and this photo of Rachel is too good not to share. Man, she is intense! So, a company came out and set up a laser tag course in Allison's yard, and we played seemingly endless rounds. It got chaotic at times, but was a lot of fun.

A good afternoon was spent on a nearby trail. We all took it at our own pace, and met at the end for lunch. I think that for a lot of people, the best part was cramming into the back of the truck for the ride back up. Or the wild cows. That was a highlight for sure.

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After the reunion we still had a couple of days left in the weekend for some family things. Sunday was a particularly good day, and will probably go down as one of the highlights of the year for us.

We started out at Allison's house, having an easy morning and playing with cousins. We left late-morning and drove straight to City of Rocks. Immediately, this place became a favorite for everyone, and I'm fairly certain that we'll make future trips here in the nearish future. We've all been before, but it's been a few years and I think the kids were too young to appreciate what Nature had on offer. This time though, they couldn't stop exploring all the weird rock features and trails. For those who haven't heard of it, it looks kind of like it sounds- like a city...made out of rocks...with a master architect as the designer. We did some hikes and a lot of exploration, but no climbing on this trip. It was really good.

From there, we drove a short distance to the Snake River where we ate a picnic lunch while looking at Shoshone Falls. They call it "The Niagara of the West," and it is actually pretty cool when flows are high. As expected, that was not the case in August, but it was still really pretty, and the gorge itself is spectacular with or without the falls to add to it. It was a nice layover on an already pretty-easy drive.

After lunch, we made the rest of the trip to Boise in short time and checked into our hotel. THE hotel. I wrote about this a while back, but Addy had left a beloved stuffed animal there during a ski trip last year, and it finally got to the point where we were sure it was gone forever. Addy was diligent though. She kept making phone calls, wanting to know if it was thrown away or donated. If it was donated, where did it go? If it was thrown away, who was the person who worked that night? Maybe they took it home instead? Can she somehow track it down? She was super persistent, to the point of being a little unreasonable, and a part of me wanted her to just stop because with every dead end there was just more pain and tears. But this time it finally paid off, and she was finally reunited with Puff the Owl. What a saga!

I think she is holding back happy tears in this picture.

Dinner that night was at Barbacoa, a place we'd discovered by accident a few years ago when Rach and I snuck out of the hotel for a quick date night after kids were sleeping. Ever since then, we’d been waiting for the right moment to bring the kids, and now that they were older, they could truly appreciate why it’s more than just a meal. Really, it's an experience built on multiple courses, a dramatic setting, and beautiful presentations. We had everyone shower and change before we went, and after years of taking them to theaters and restaurants, I've come to enjoy the compliments we get on their mature behavior—which, frankly, isn't something people tend to expect from a family of seven at a place like this. It was the perfect end to a really good day.

They brought me a lantern dessert for my birthday. It's a little flourless chocolate cake, with candles, inside of a sculpted cotton-candy shell. That's pretty neat!

We ordered plenty of appetizers and desserts for the table, making it impossible to pick just one. Jackson handled the problem by double-fisting it with a dish in each hand. 

Also, I need to make an interjection here about our family- I really like where we are at right now. We have normal family quarrels and stuff, but we do a lot together and it always feels like a pretty tight group of friends. There is love in those quarrels. And in the drives, and the adventures, and all of the little moments in between. As kids grow up, they will go on to live their own lives. There are other people- partners, children, friends, who will eventually take the place of this- our- little group. They will have a new family, and we, who at this time are so tight, will become the friends and acquaintances on the side. This is good and normal, and is just especially on my mind since we are just coming off of a family reunion and I have seen similar shifts happen with my own parents and siblings. What I hope is that we are never strangers though. That we can always pick up where we left off...which means that we are doing things enough that there is a "left off" to "pick up" from. I hope that we continue to have adventures and experiences together, and just add new people into the group along the way. I feel like we are setting a strong foundation for that. But things happen though, and people change, and circumstances sometimes force even the best-laid plans down unintended pathways. So a part of me, as we were all sitting around the table at dinner the other night, just wanted to freeze time right then and bottle it up so I could hold it and cherish it in the years to follow. The future will be whatever it is- and from all accounts, that is looking pretty bright. But for now, I'm just really grateful for this moment, right here, right now.

*****

The next day I woke up and did a twelve mile ride around Boise on my new skateboard. Boise is a really neat town and I could easily see myself spending more time down here over the years- especially if kids end up in the area. Which leads to the next activity: School tour. After breakfast, Ev, Addy, Jack, and I went to Boise State for a two hour tour of the campus. Addy and a friend have already talked about moving down together after graduation, and Evelyn is right in the middle of deciding her next steps as she enters her senior year of high school. Ev, right now at least, is leaning toward U of I but I think that this tour might have given her things to think about. There seems to be very little interest in other schools besides these two from our older kids, at least for undergraduate studies, and I could easily support decisions for either of these places.

During the tour, Rach went to a nearby park with Lindsey and Maren. After we were all done, we got a picnic lunch and went down to the whitewater park. This place is really cool! There are several ponds for just hanging out, swimming, and doing beach things. There is also a large and pretty cool park nearby for smaller kids. The real feature though, is on the river where there is a series of man-made obstacles/rapids for people to play in. I could spend all day at a place like this- and apparently that is what people do. We especially liked watching surfers on one of the waves. This park, in my mind, elevates Boise even higher on the scale of "cool cities" than it already was. Seriously.

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An uneventful drive got us home at a reasonable hour on Monday evening, and we had plenty of time to tidy up the house and car before bed. The older kids all went to the high school this morning (Tuesday) to register for classes that start in two weeks. Lindsey's birthday party is finally coming together after almost two months of trying to coordinate plans. Rach and I are back at work. Life is back to normal- at least as normal as we ever are. Also, as a bonus, Rachel's garden seemed to thrive in our absence!

Have a good week!

That is a $200 strawberry with, hopefully,  many more to come.