Winter Carnival

My sister, Sharla, and her family stayed with us over the weekend, and it was such a fun time! Before I go into details and post pictures and gush over how much I love our small, frigid town . . . I gotta say that the best part of the weekend was being with my sister. Even though we packed a lot in, we somehow managed to have a peaceful, relaxing time together. I love being with all of my sisters because we can transition from talking about silly, funny, frivolous things to serious, difficult, stressful things, and then back again. Watching Sharla interact with her husband and kids, her even-temperedness and kind nature really stood out--she is a great example to me of patience. Our boys loved having one-on-one cousin time, and I hope we won't wait until next year's Winter Carnival to do it again.

Justin made me laugh almost immediately. This is the first time they've seen our house, and when I showed them the bathroom, he saw my rubber duck collection and said, "You're sick." Sharla giggled uncontrollably, and I responded with my usual, "Don't be jealous." (I know you are, Justin!)

We got to the "fishing derby" at about nine AM on Saturday, and it was packed (there were a lot of out-of-staters there, too . . . but I can't really blame those who have always dreamed of catching a big fish and can't find any in their own deprived states). Here's what happens, as I understand it: the fish hatchery here in town lets 1,000 fish go into the the four ponds below their facility. The smallest of these fish are all two-pounders, and the largest are around fifteen pounds. If you catch the largest fish (last year's winner was a 14-pounder), you get the $300 prize, plus a free mounting from a local taxidermy place. But everyone can expect to catch some 4- and 5-pound trout. Here's our catch:

*Sidenote: this is a picture of my grandma, Mollie Coon, with a sturgeon that my grandpa caught on the Snake River in the fifties, near Hammett, Idaho. It probably took a bit more luck than catching fish at the hatchery, but fishing is definitely in the genes.*

After bringing the fish home, we quickly drove to the historic Ender's Hotel, and got a free lunch in the Geyserview restaurant. Each of the kids got to pick out a free gift, too! We ran out the door and around back to see the Soda Springs geyser erupt right on schedule (it goes off every hour, on the hour). No matter how many times my kids have seen it, they invariably squeal with delight when water starts shooting in the air.

When we returned home, Allen and Justin had the happy task of cleaning the fish (and Justin gave Allen some great tips on trout, which are harder to clean than some). We fried up the meat from Jamen's fish, and there was enough to feed all of us! Here's how I cooked it:

Sweet little 6-month-old Dylan smiled the entire time: I've never seen a happier baby. The kids had just as much fun playing with each other (if not more) than they did catching monster trout or gazing at the geyser. It really was a wonderful day, and reaffirmed the fact that we love visitors. So come and see us!