This is a guest post by Matt from The Playpen.  Matt and his wife Aline also own and operate a kids clothing and gift site called Redsparks.

We went up to the mountains a few weekends ago. We had the opportunity to rent a quaint little cabin form a friend of Aline’s on the cheap, so we jumped on it. If you have never spent time in the Angeles Forest, I recommend it. I’ve seen a lot of the U.S. landscape, and the California mountains are beautiful and unique in a way that few areas rival. It’s not beautiful by traditional standards, rather magical in a haunting, strange sort of way.

The first day was a bust. There was no air conditioning in the cabin and it was hot. Damn hot. We found ourselves irritable and angry, and Frankie was too. I can’t really explain why, but it seems to take us a full day of vacation to really settle in to what the local area has to offer. I’ll never forget the concierge on our honeymoon in Maui looking over the table at my feet the day we got there. He looked up at me, raised his eyebrows and said with a sarcastic tone, “Nice boots.” The boots were replaced with flip-flops the next day.

We chalked the first day at the cabin up as a loss and went to bed slightly frustrated.

Thankfully, the next day was different. We woke up feeling acclimated and ready to explore. There was a local fair in town and, after a fluffy, buttery pancake breakfast we decided to go adventuring.

Our daughter Frankie was beside herself. Everyone there had a dog, which meant lots of petting, licking and running around. They had funnel cakes, Hawaiian-flavored Ice (she got hers in a blue toucan cup with an extra-long straw) and pony rides. Frankie formed an immediate attachment to a dilapidated white pony named Snowball, who twitched when you stroked her mane. Oh, how she rode. The only way we could peel her off of that horse was by promising her that there were bigger and better things in store around the next corner of booths, which in reality turned out to be a bunch of rhinestone-studded belt buckles with bald eagles on them and double-barreled shotgun cigarette lighters. Not our cup of tea, but it didn’t matter.

After a fun-filled day, we had a near perfect night. There was a small grill in the yard behind our cabin. I had scoffed at it the day before when I was City Boy Matt, but now it seemed appropriate. We opened up all the windows to the cabin and started dinner. Everyone was sun-kissed, lazy and happy. Aline lounged at the picnic table out back, sipping a margarita and flipping through a magazine.  Our dog laid on her side, legs outstretched, eyes closed under the patio roof. I prepared dinner, while Frankie “gardened” in the dirt. We didn’t have a care in the world - it was the complete opposite from the day before.

We finished dinner and I brewed coffee. Dusk in California is one of my favorite times of day. The sun sets over the mountains and everything is bathed in a bluish light. It gets quiet, too. Especially when you’re away from the city. I heard the echoing tok-tok-tok of a woodpecker carried by the wind. Frankie was sitting in a white plastic chair reading her orange bear book. She was happy.

These are rare moments when you have a family and everyone is content. Willie Nelson played softly in the background, muffled, as if we were listening to the music played in the gym of a high school dance from a distance. I went over to Frankie, gently picked her up, and we danced.

Stardust was playing. One of my favorite songs. It drips with nostalgia. I couldn’t help but feel warm, happy…maybe even a bit emotional. I welled up with love for my family as my daughter laid her head on my shoulder, her hand tightening on my fingers ever so slightly. I glanced over at Aline, who had closed her magazine and was watching us.  She had a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

The sun had gone down and was replaced by a warm, gentle breeze.  It blew the thin wisps of Aline’s hair that covered her cheek ever so slightly. One of these wisps got caught in her long, dark lashes, and it struck me: after twelve years, her beauty continues to amaze me. Frankie was drifting cozily off to sleep and, as she did, I couldn’t help but wonder if we hadn’t, at that very moment, created a memory that she would cherish forever.

This was a rare experience. They don’t happen very often. For some, they never happen. My family was lucky enough to have one, though, and I will never forget it.

What experiences have you had with your wife and/or children that you will never forget?  What about experiences that they will never forget? Please share your stories in the comments.

If you’d like to learn more about Matt and Aline, I recommend visiting their site and subscribing to their feed.

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