In the early 1990's my mother and I did a mother / daughter camping trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. While in the Tetons, other travelers suggested we check out Lava Hot Springs. A natural hot springs and swim complex sounded marvelous after weeks of camping, so we headed west and pitched our tent at Smiths Trout Haven in Lava. Naturally with the abundance of things to do in Lava my mom and I fell in Lava Hot Springs and began to return annually.

My mom made many friends with the locals and would volunteer at all kinds of events while camping at the Trout Haven. One fall day in 1998 my mom called and told me that the house across the street from her friend, Lava native Anna Hooper, was likely going up for sale. She asked what I thought, and I told her to buy it. And so the story goes. When my mom took ownership, she did quite a bit of work to the home, discovering original Doug Fir wood floors below carpet, painting, simplifying, bringing in touches of the outside inside, and gardening. She planted daffodils, tulips, lilacs, poppies, and roses.

Over the years, many friends and family have enjoyed being a guest at our Lava Cottage. In the summer of 2016, my boyfriend and I visited my mom at Lava. My boyfriend had never been to Lava, despite having driven by the interstate sign many times without a second glance, unaware of the treasures that lay a mere 11 miles east of the exit. We swam and splashed all day, and that warm summer evening I told my boyfriend for the first time that I loved him after looking up at the lit up "L" on the hill. Now that boyfriend is my husband.

It has been a labor of love for us caring for our Lava Cottage. Our young twin daughters love Lava too and have helped us put paint on the walls, handing tools to daddy, and sweeping the floors between trips to the splash pad and slides. We are so blessed that over the years and generations, laughter and love have filled the walls of our Cottage.