When Aubree's best friend, Bethelle, moved to Arizona two years ago, Aubree was devastated. She was comforted by two things: first, Bethelle's family planned extended visits to Washington every summer, and second, Bethelle and Aubree swore they'd be roommates at BYU when they went to college.
We have years left before we'll know if they'll hold to their roommate pledge, but in the meantime, we look forward to yearly summer visits. This year, our schedules almost didn't mesh. Thankfully, we found a few days of overlap, and the our friends were able to stay with us and do some exploring. Bryce was at cub scout day camp on those days, so he sadly missed all our adventures.
Despite the fact that the they'd lived here for years and years, they'd never before visited our favorite local spot on the river. That was a situation demanding immediate rectification.
We had the park to ourselves, and it didn't take the kids long to reestablish old friendships.
Graham and Pierce are both exceptionally friendly, so they got along swimmingly.
Thane, Curie, and Rigby challenged each other to dunk in the cold, cold water.
Nellie took a while to warm up to new faces. She spent most of her time watching from my lap, but by the end she joined in the fray.
The next morning we decided to try a hike. I remembered a hike I did with the young women four years ago up Tiger Mountain, and thought might be a good option. With nothing more than my memory as a guide, we headed out to the trail.
Nellie started out on my back, but soon decided she'd much rather walk. Curie, who was not loving the hike, turned out to be a very patient toddler companion.
It was not an easy hike; we were walking up a mountain! We took frequent breaks and were grateful we'd packed a lot of snacks.
By this point we were nearly there, but the last 200 yards were straight uphill. We questioned whether we'd all make it! We spurred the kids on with the promise of a bagel tree at the top of the hill. This fantastical tree would supply everyone with their delicious lunches.
In the end, we all made it to the top of the hill! What a view!
The bagel tree delivered sandwiches for everyone.
The way down was a breeze in terms of effort, but by that point, Nellie was over it. At 4.25 miles, this was the longest and hardest hike on which I'd ever taken my kids. Elke stopped by the store on the way home and got ice cream and HUGE waffle cones to celebrate the accomplishment.
When they had to leave, we tried not to say good-bye, but just, "See you next year!" Good friends are treasures.
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