The Cabin

I wrote this a couple weeks ago and finally got it up here.

As many of you know my family owns a cabin in the White Mountains of Arizona. It has been in my family since it was built in 1982 by my grandparents. I have been coming to it regularly since it was built. There is even a picture of me as a 2 year old in the foundation while it was being built. My grandfather, father and uncle did a lot of the work on it. And so I am very glad that my family now owns it and can enjoy it.

I can remember coming up as a kid and spending time with my grandparents. I remember going out into the woods just to the side of the cabin and exploring a little. I remember all the times going to the recreation center to go swimming or playing billiards. My grandfather was a member of the country club and we would go to eat there whenever we came up and there was always the big 4th of July activity that we would all attend. So many fun times. 

Then when I got to college I started using the cabin in the winter to go skiing with friends. I did that a few times, and it was a lot of fun and the beginning of me skiing at Sunrise Ski Resort regularly. My grandparents were always so kind to let me use it in this way since they never came up in the winter. It was always SUPER cold since there was no heat on, and so I would have to turn it on and MANY hours later the heat strips would finally get things warm enough. Eventually there was a gas heater installed and that made it faster, but it still took time to warm up.

Once my grandparents died the cabin was purchased by my parents and they allowed my family to take care and use it. That was when we started coming up regularly. Any 3 day weekend, a week over Christmas break, and time during the summer became our time up at the cabin. “B” and I explored hiking in the area and found a number of fun places to explore. Once we had kids we kept coming up. Both our girls have grown up coming here many times a year. They also have enjoyed exploring the woods and building forts. They enjoy playing in the snow in the winter and the rec center in the summer. Watching the baby birds in our bird house on the porch, and the squirrels that are everywhere it seems like. It all adds to the greatness and the calmness of the cabin. We have enjoyed getting sundaes on Sunday’s and pancake breakfasts at the rec center in the summer. The pool has also still been a enjoyable place to spend some time at as well for the girls when we are up here. We also get to do a lot of hiking as a family. Both nearby and as far away as the Greer area. We have found many nice hikes over the years. I also have enjoyed riding my bike for exercise in the area. 

I have continued to ski at Sunrise every year. Some years I have even gotten a season pass. Some years have been better than others, but overall the skiing there has been a lot of fun. And just this last year as a family we found a nice place to do some sledding. We even got one of those big innertubes that looks like a penguin and it was a blast to take up and down the hill (not at Sunrise, but close to the cabin).

But as you all know my family is moving to Idaho. We aren’t getting rid of the cabin. That will stay with us. We just won’t get to come as often anymore. I am writing this right now from the cabin and am looking out the window and thinking about how much I love it up here. I know this may be one of the last times I get to come here for a while. It is hard, but at the same time I believe we have made the best decision for our family to move right now. 

As I am packing things up at the cabin I think about what that means for the years of joy we have had here. I have to tell myself it isn’t the end. It is just a change. My whole family is hurt about this to some degree. There is nothing easy about this. BUT I am excited for what the future holds in Idaho. We will return. We will come back and visit the cabin whenever we can. It just won’t be as often as we have been coming up. This place holds a very special place in all our hearts, and I am going to make sure it stays with us in heart, mind, and presence.