A weekend of Watson's, Remembering, and Creating Memories
We had scheduled this weekend months in advance, and crossed our fingers that the weather would hold up for us, and boy did it ever!
I know that I have written about the cabin before, as it is a place we spent much of our childhood exploring, with our family, with our cousins, aunts, and uncles, and Nanny and Papa. It is special, and I have so many memories there. It is so much of who I am, and so much of who my husband and I have become together. It is where Brady proposed to me, because without the use of words, he understands its importance, in both my past, and my future. Even though Brady and I only started using the cabin together a few years ago, he was the first boyfriend that I ever took there, and he instantly adored it, as I knew that he would - and even though it is a relatively new part of our relationship, I feel like it is a place that says who much about who we are as a couple, and who we plan to be as a family. If that makes sense.
I grew up being very, very close to my Dad's family - family was the most important thing, always. Maybe that is why our Watson Women's Weekend started off by visiting the place where my Papa was laid to rest, ironically on the anniversary of his passing, 18 years ago. Lizzie had been hearing about our Papa on the drive to the cabin, about how she would be Papa's girl, with her love for the outdoors, for fishing, for getting dirty, and even though she is a sweet, sweet girl- for being one of the boys. She helped her Auntie and I search for the perfect flowers, as has been my tradition to take flowers to my Papa's grave since I got my driver's license. In fact, last summer when Brady, Carrie and I went, we couldn't find a store that was open to sell flowers, and understanding the importance, Brady pulled over in Cumberland, and picked some from the park for us to lay. Off track - Lizzie asked if it would be ok if she visited where Papa rest with us, and of course it was. We laid our flowers, individually took our moments to do what we had to do, the way that we had to do it. To me, it was the perfect way for Carrie, Christine, Mom, Lizzie, and I to start the weekend.
Following our visit to the place that he was laid to rest, we began the exciting trek up to the cabin, the place where he lives now, in all of us. I know that it is probably silly, but I always get butterflies on the drive up to the cabin, like it is my first time up there, and I just can't wait to see what it will be like. We stopped at the place that we always stop, to take a picture of our little piece of gorgeousness- that is not actually ours, and that probably 100 other people call THEIR little piece of gorgeousness. Around every corner, Lizzie pointed and asked, "is that it?", "is it around this corner?" "is it that one?" I promised her that I would tell her, but that didn't seem to stop the questions, and I understood it, and LOVED it, because it was me, even today.
We arrived a couple of hours before Auntie Sherri, Sarah, and Blake would join us, and I am glad for that time alone with my family, with Lizzie, to explore by ourselves. She went into the cabin with Auntie Christine and said, "it IS a cabin." Not with a sense of disappointment in the "rusticness" of it, or in the shape of it, but she just understood. After an hour or two, of sitting on the dock for probably too long without sunscreen, she said, "this is the best short vacation EVER!"
It was one of my favourite parts of the weekend, Lizzie and Blake exploring, playing, splashing in the water, looking for critters, fishing, fearlessly visiting the outhouse, etc, etc. I am so glad that she got to, and hopefully gets to more in the future, have a piece of the childhood that we all had together. Cousins are special, and I am glad that Blake was there and that they got to experience it together.
There was a moment when a bald eagle flew over us on the dock, and then circled around over the cabin, and came back to us before flying away. I hadn't realized until Mom pointed it out, that it was Papa's anniversary that day - it was sure perfect for him to visit us at his place, on this day.
It was a weekend filled with SO much laughter, stories from the past, filling out our new Cabin Memories book, and for making new memories. I can already not wait to come back, with our family at the end of the summer, and with Carrie and I's new additions next summer. We are so very blessed to have a place with so many memories written all over, a place that belongs just to us and to no one else, for our memories, and our memories only.
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