Our Annual Drive to Silver Lake

Saturday, September 6th--Every year, usually on Labor Day, we drive up to Silver Lake. Silver Lake is at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, right next to Brighton Ski Resort. The lake is so beautiful and there's a walking trail all the way around it. The kids love all the many chipmunks and squirrels you can see and sometimes we'll catch a glimpse of a moose or beaver.

We enjoyed a yummy picnic and watched as the chipmunks cautiously approached our table to see what kind of fancy viddles we were munching on. There are strict rules on not feeding the chipmunks and squirrels but Nate threw a Sour Cream and Onion chip anyway and the chipmunk, scoping us out, munched on it happily. Even letting me get pretty close to film video and take pics. Then as we read the reasons for not feeding them, Nate was feeling a little bad about throwing that chip but hopefully, it won't effect the little guy that much, if at all.

The funniest thing about this day was, as we were walking the trail around the lake, Brady kept whining and we didn't know why. We'd ask, "What is wrong?" and he'd point at an area and we'd ask him, "is it ..............?" and he would say, "no" and so on. Finally, about halfway around the lake, we had enough of the whining and had to discover what was making him so upset. He pointed again and Nate, jokingly, said, "Is it the pinecone?" (they were strung all over the trail). Brady said, "Yes, I don't like them." Both Nate and I tried very hard to hide our laughter. We tried to explain what pinecones are but I guess they looked a little freaky to him. So for the next 1/2 hour we tried to put Brady's phobia of pinecones to rest (is there even a scientific word for a phobia of pinecones?!?!?!). Elise jumped in and saved the day by giving Brady her walking stick so he could shew them aside. Once he was able to do that he was kicking them around and touching them. Cured! But still, something we will remind him of the rest of his life! ha ha ha Maybe he should have worn his super-hero cape!

The reason we go up on Labor Day Weekend (except this year the weather was bad so we went the next weekend) is to celebrate the eventful day of September 4, 1999, the day Nate proposed to me. He took me up to Silver Lake and we walked the trail, hand-in-hand. We took pictures, had a picnic, and enjoyed each others company. As we were almost all the way around the lake we sat down on a bench to rest a little. He took the opportunity and made it his moment to propose marriage. It was so sweet, he got on his knee and held my hand in his. He made promises he's been able to keep and then I happily said, "Yes!" So to memorialize that special moment we vandalized the very bench we sat on by carving our initials, "NA + AB", into the corner of the bench with a key. For a few years after, our initials were still there. When we moved back to Utah, in 2005, and went on Labor Day, the bench had been replaced and our initials gone. We thought about carving our initials again but it didn't seem as important anymore. The memories will always be in our hearts.

Nate, I still feel the way I did 9 years ago. I would gladly say "Yes!" again in a heartbeat. I'm so glad we have our special place we can visit every year and now we can bring our children and let them enjoy such a beautiful place for all it has to offer.