Island Park

Back in October we went up to Island Park, Idaho to stay at "The Pines." This is a time share cabin that my family has had for the last 10 years. My dad has connections every where and our family has really enjoyed this one! It is just past Rexburg, so it seems a little far to drive, but it is nice to get away. We were able to stay up there four nights and we were lucky that Brock, Lindsay, Dane, and Creighton along with my Mom and Dad could be there for a few days too. Garrett did great in the car. He mostly just slept which was very nice! We mostly just ate, slept, and played a few games with Colin too! While we were there we went up to West Yellowstone and had fun at the Grizzly Discovery Center. We saw huge bears and wolves too. Garrett seemed interested in them too which was fun. It was very cold while we were there, so Garrett got to wear his new Dino beanie! He looks pretty adorable with those spikes on his head!

I also was lucky enough to spend a morning with my Dad fishing. I got a fishing pole for Mother's Day a few years ago and hadn't had an opportunity to use it yet. Well, this was worth the wait. As a young girl growing up, whenever we went camping, my Dad and the brothers always brought their poles along. I would follow them where they went and if I was lucky I would get to hold the pole and reel one in. Very rarely I would be able to cast it seeing that I was not very good and I would get it stuck in the bushes or moss that was in the river. Well, this time all the attention was on ME! I had my very OWN pole and it was just me and my Dad! He was there to help me and I didn't have to worry about competing for attention with my brothers. I don't remember a time that I got to be with my dad by myself for fishing or anything else.

I must admit I was a little scared as we were walking along the steep bank to get to our perfect spot, but I knew that my dad would help me. I wasn't too excited about putting on the worms by myself or dipping it in the stinky "trout gravy," but I knew that my dad wouldn't mind. What would I do if I got a snag?... my dad was there, to pull it out! He even was kind enough to pull out the hooks of the fish so that I didn't have to get my hands all fishy! I was getting a little discouraged when we weren't getting anything after about 15 minutes, but I was patient and it payed off! I caught the biggest fish all by myself (I cast it out too!) My dad was impressed with my skills on casting by the end of our trip and he wished that he had a nice new pole like me! It is weird to me how much fun fishing really is. It really is a rush when you have a bite on your hook and you know that you have caught one and can't wait to see it once you have fought to get it to shore. I guess that is why one of my nicknames is, "Trishy Fishy!" We had a great time and between the two of us we got 10 fish! We released them all but the big one who swallowed the hook and didn't make it! Thanks to my dad who was patient and was willing to take me with him! I will always remember that time we spent together on the banks of the Ashton River, "JUST ME AND MY DAD!"