My Homies {Utah & Idaho}

Whenever we end up going out West we always have a list of friends and family to see. I have always had an enormous feeling of gratitude for my friends. Over the last 15 years I have moved quite a few times and everywhere I go I seem to find kindred spirits to buoy me up, push me to grow and who don't mind goofing around with me.

We had to meet up with my friend Larry, I mean Antony, his name is Antony. We became friends shortly after I moved to Santa Barbara and for whatever reason I couldn't remember his name. I went up to him once and said, "Isn't your name Larry or something horrible like that?" and I proceeded to call him Larry from then on. He protested of course but in the end he got me back by dubbing me Louise. So, Larry and Louise we were. That first year in SB we were thick as thieves. He was one of the founding members of our prank crew (Black & Gold) and although he may not know it, he is one of the people that really encouraged me to get back into school in SB. He graduated from UCSB, moved away to Utah and I was a little lost without him. It's hard to loose a best friend. Larry found a great gal whose real name is Brittany and they got hitched last year. It makes me so happy to see him married and doing so great in Provo. He is motivated and determined, he is definitely going places in life.

Larry & Louise

Our next stop was at my high school Siamese twin Jeanette's house. We used to joke that we were connected at the brain. I practically lived at her house during our high school years. We'd spend long hours napping on the dining table benches in her mom's kitchen, eating spoonfuls of peanut butter rolled in chocolate chips and watching movies. We also worked when we were at the Ralph's house. We mucked out the sheep pen, dug dyer's woad and put in fences. We bought Jones Juices every day after school (Bada Bing flavor- the best!), we were in Key Club together and we wore the same thing to church without planning it almost every week. We even bought a shirt together and shared it for years. Are you getting the picture that we were inseparable?

Jeanette is married now (I caught the bouquet at her wedding and what do you know, I got married the next year) and has the two most adorable little boys. Oh my goodness I am so jealous of her! Max was just waking up from a nap and didn't want much to do with us but her newest little baby Bennett was happy as a clam. He got along very well with my brother Seth and giggled the whole time.

Jeanette is such a great mom. She's so smart and creative and relaxed. She's not afraid to be herself and a mom all at once- does that makes sense? She makes me believe that I could be a great mom someday too. She had just baked cookies (we've talked for years about opening a bakery together someday) and it felt like the old times. Except with more babies. Just look at this little guy! I die!

Can the mountains be counted as friends? I think so. They looked so lovely and the clouds were extra puffy and white as we drove through Cache Valley. There are few things more beautiful than this view in the summer. 

I loved seeing my Grandma Jean on this trip as well. She is pretty much always the highlight of any trip out West. As we were sitting around the bonfire in the back yard roasting hot dogs Gram entertained us with some poetry. I'd never heard The Night I Cremated Sam McGee  but my grandma knew it by heart (it's much longer than the expert below). 

There are strange things done in the midnight sun

      By the men who moil for gold;

The Arctic trails have their secret tales

      That would make your blood run cold;

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,

      But the queerest they ever did see

Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge

      I cremated Sam McGee.

Gram is a card shark as well. When we play Continental Rummy she means business. It's probably one of my favorite things to do when I visit Arimo- sit on the front deck playing cards with Gram and the fam. On occasion it turns into a full-contact sport but mostly we just shoot snarky insults back and forth across the table. Our family has a... unique(?) way of showing how much we love each other.

We took some time to visit my Grandpa's grave while we were in Idaho. He's buried next to my Uncle Evan who died when he was just 9 years old. The McCammon Cemetary is small and the view can't be beat. I love going with my family to chat about our favorite memories with Gramps and telling him a little of what is going on in our lives. He died 9 years ago and I miss him a lot. 

Have I mentioned how amazing and beautiful my cousin Irene is? When I was a little girl I remember her coming to my house to play Barbies. She left behind a tiny Barbie shoe when her family moved from Oklahoma to American Samoa and for most of my childhood I knew I had a super awesome cousin out there somewhere but all I really knew of her was that little shoe. 

When my auntie and uncle came back to the states for a visit in 1997 with their 5 kids the rest of us cousins were in heaven. Who were these strange family members from another land? Ha, I remember asking if they had things like potato chips and Jolly Ranchers in Samoa. They assured us that Samoa is not, as we thought, on another planet. We spent the summer of '97 picking out stars, drinking Slurpees and getting up to mischief in Arimo. 

A few years later, these Lolofie cousins moved back to the US and Irene and I became great friends. We used to bomb around town in my old Camaro, teaching our younger cousins how to drive. We'd blare music and zoom down the country lanes with 13-year-old Erika in the driver's seat. (If you are one of my auntie's then I am just joking, we never really did that...)

For old time's sake we drove up to The Gap. No, it's not the store where you buy jeans. It's literally a gap in the mountains just across the valley from Gram's house. It's a narrow road that winds along a tiny creek with sheer rock cliffs on either side. 

It's like, pretty cool

Since my little sister got married at warp speed I didn't get to meet her husband before our 4th of July trip. We were in Europe when they got married so I was looking forward to making sure this guy was up to snuff. As you can tell Annalie looks pretty darn happy and that makes me happy. Her boy Keveren is pretty rad too, I fully approve of him. We had a great time just hanging out with these guys up at the gap. Annalie found some berries (I am assuming they weren't poison) and we found some shade where we could stick our feet in the water. It was a hot one out there!

Kev-bot, the new brother-in-law

I have to mention my amazing travel companion and husband too. He just fits so nicely into my extended family. He can take a joke and doles them right back without hesitation. He's been called a "little sh*t" by my grandma, he jumped right into the water fight and he likes being in Arimo almost as much as I do.

And now for a few random pictures of the sunset on our last night in Idaho. It was bright and colorful, I forgot what real sunsets are like. In Boston there are too many trees in the way of the horizon and there aren't any mountains for the sun to sink behind.

God is good!