Pines Ranch 2016

Another successful trip to the cabin at Pines Ranch with the Fetzers. How blessed I am to be a part of this amazing family and to get to go every year to this special, beautiful place. I learned a little more about the history of the ranch this year from conversations with Sam's mom and through doing a bit of research on my own. Apart from it being breathtakingly beautiful, It really is a sacred, special place. The ranch was dedicated by the LDS prophet, Joseph F. Smith as a place of healing and safety. By reading further into it's history, I learned that many people had gone to Pines Ranch in order to heal from sickness or injury. In the dedication, he also promised that if those who stayed at the ranch would keep the commandments, they would be kept safe. Prophets such as John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff spent time there-fishing among other things. It's a place of refuge from the outside world, a place of peace, a place of healing.I always knew that being at the Pines Ranch felt special, but I was amazed to learn just how special of a place it really was. I am truly blessed to be able to escape there every year with Sam and his family.

An even bigger blessing is to be able to take Emma there with us. I am so grateful that she will have these memories as she grows and we continue to take her to this beautiful place each year. I love hearing Sam's mother, Mary's stories about visiting the cabin during her childhood and I am so happy to know that Emma will have some similar memories and experiences of  the cabin trips in her own childhood. What a neat thing to be able to take her to a place with so much history-a place where her great great grandparents spent so many of their days, a place that her great grandmother began visiting as a young teenage girl, a place that her grandma spent so many of her summers, and a place that her own dad visited many times in his youth-it's a part of her heritage. 

First morning at the cabin, peeking out the window in anticipation

I love the big window in the cabin's main living area-one of my favorite things.

Fishing with daddy

 
 

 

Emma was in heaven on day one! We walked to the natural spring for a big drink of the best water you've ever tasted, did a little fishing, and spotted a moose! What a way to start off the trip. Our little family arrived before the rest of the gang so we had the cabin to ourselves which was fun--but we were really excited for everyone to arrive the next day. Spending time with family is one of the best parts of being at the cabin.

Emma loved this little red chair on the front porch! It was just her size and perfect for sitting out to enjoy the mountain air. Not a bad view either! She would sit with her snacks and look out at the flowers and trees-perfectly content. 

Thanks aunt Jessie for these super cute cowgirl
boots! Perfect for the cabin! 

 

Emma took grandma's dog
for a walk! 

 

 

 

This was the perfect place for Emma to play in the water! It was nice and shallow so she could just splash around and throw rocks and sticks-her favorite! She had so much fun and it was nice to be able to take off our shoes and enjoy the water with her.

Baths in the cabin sink are the best. We did this last year
too--She wont fit in there much longer! 

On Friday, we left our little sanctuary for a while to visit the Hogle Zoo! I was SO excited to take Emma. In fact, I was so excited that I ordered an outfit with little gold giraffes and complete with a cheetah print headband in anticipation. It didn't disappoint! I hadn't been to the zoo in a few years and I was really impressed with some of the changes they'd made. Not to mention, it was just a blast to see Emma's reactions. There is nothing quite as fun as experiencing things like the zoo through your own kid's eyes! I look forward to experiences like this with Emma every day. What made this trip to the zoo even more special was that Emma's great grandma Ann got to join us! She was so sweet with Emma and insisted on buying her some cute stuffed animals in the gift shop to remember the trip by.

 

Watching the seals with daddy. 

Four generations! 

 

Thanks Grandma Ann! 

Our last couple of days were spent enjoying the serenity of the cabin, enjoying time with family, eating good food, and making memories. We go every year and it never comes soon enough and never lasts long enough but, we sure enjoy it to the fullest while we're there.

Mary and Buddy--best friends

Lucky to be an aunt to these two handsome boys. 

Hanging out on the swings

Our traditional daddy daughter bridge picture

Comparison from this year vs. last year! My how she's grown. 

Mama and Emma. 

Watching the boys work on the dam

On our last night at the cabin, we got to go to a big family gathering for Sam's mom's side of the family. Sam's aunt has another cabin that is just down the road from the cabin we stay in and she had invited the whole family over for dinner. It was so fun for me to get to meet some of Sam's extended family that I had never met before and to see some familiar faces too! Sam really enjoyed connecting with cousins and aunts and uncles that he hadn't seen in many years. 

       

Soon enough the week was gone and it was time to leave the cabin and head back to every day life. It was a wonderful trip and I am so excited to visit again next year! Every year just seems more exciting as Emma gets older and can experience more of it than the last. I am already dreaming of the next time that we get to visit. 

One last walk on the roller coaster trail before we left
was just the thing Emma needed for a nice nap. Every picture
I take of her on the roller coaster trail she is asleep in! 

Until next year!