bats in the house. {22 days}

some of my earliest memories are from august days spent at a cabin on Cour 'de Alene Lake in Idaho.

my parents were engaged at this cabin. most of us kids learned to swim at this cabin. our love (and competitive spirit) for card games was nurtured at this cabin. building sand castles and canals from the beach to the lake were a normal occurrence in my young summers. learning to dive, paddle surf boards, water ski and doing dishes all happened to some great extent at this cabin. the conversation of the last ten minutes of the 7 hour drive to the cabin always revolved around who would sleep in the "nook". figuring out traps for the yellow jackets was always a new and crazy experience. my secret love for furry dogs who howl at the boat is always alive at this cabin.

and then there was the summer with bats.

if my memory serves me well, i can only recall one summer that we had a bat issue. it may have actually only been the one night that i remember so vividly.

Gregg and Jeremiah were the "favored" children who got to sleep in the "nook" that summer. Josh was a baby and slept in the crib in mom & dad's room... which left the "middle room" for us 3 little girls. Carissa and Lindsey were fast asleep as i lay there wishing i was old enough to stay up late with mom and dad. It was a particularly warm August night and the sliding door to the deck was open a crack (screen closed). i could hear the waves lapping up onto the shore and the faint sound of mom and dad playing cards with George and Shirley(cabin owners) slipped through the open bedroom door.

I don't know the events that lead up to this moment, but i remember the moment so well... Dad had come downstairs for some reason and discovered a bat in the hallway... i'm sure he was trying to be a stealth super hero and get the bat out of the cabin before is sacred us kiddos half to death, but in his attempt to shoo it out, it flew into our bedroom... i sat up when the door flew open and in came dad holding a broom. i saw what looked like a large black bird land on the ceiling. i don't remember dad saying anything except "it's a bat." and with that he took a swing and the bat went flying out into the hallway dad followed in pursuit, by this time i heard my mom out in the hallway too, they didn't seem scared or worried, in fact i am pretty sure they might have been laughing! i sat in bed for a moment wondering what to do and if the bat would re-appear in my dark room. i could hear mom and dad doing what they had to in order to get the bat out... i am pretty sure the bat escaped the house un-harmed through an open door.

you may think this is an anti-climatic story with no point and it might be, however i have been reminded of this night twice in the recent months... my dear and amazing Rockstar has 2 sisters who live with him in Minnesota. Charissa has the unfortunate problem with bats showing up in her room and she makes valid attempts to scare them away... i am pretty sure both times Dean has had to rescue her and Giselle from the impending doom of the bat being on a bed or in their room... the stories always have me laughing up a storm and recalling my one close encounter with a bat...some 18 years ago!

22 days until my birthday and today i celebrate fantastic family memories and bats in the house.