LAKE POWELL 2008

Lake Powell is like no other place on earth! And each time we go, our trips get better and better. So, after such a great week, I feel a few thank yous are in order...

-Thanks Andy for the awesome homemade water slide. I was trying to talk him out of buying the industrial strength water pump he needed as we were driving out of town last week. I'm glad he didn't listen to me.
-Thanks Burke for fixing the A.C. on the houseboat. Luckily we were only without it for a night. Did I honestly use to camp out there when I was in college? I think I become more high maintenance as I get older.
-Thank you "Mother Nature" for the wonderful weather, and calm water the entire time we were there. We usually come home with one near-death story to tell due to a storm, but not this time.
-Thank you trusty ol' jet skis for being so reliable -this trip. They just keep on going! I mean yah, they've had their problems, and their fair share of repairs, but what do you expect from 2 machines built in the 90's sometime, I'm sure! :) They've far surpassed any expectations we had of them. And any of you that really know Andy, know that as long as they're running we have no plans to replace them. We look forward to many more Powell trips with those bad boys, with their aqua/hot pink stripes and all!
-Thank you Taylor & Kenna for coming, and for being such awesome babysitters. It made my trip so enjoyable having extra help. And it's kind of fun to watch two girls fight over who gets to hold your baby next.:)
-Thank you Will and Andy for the spectacular fire works show, and for the "accidental" after-show sage brush wild fire. I think under any other circumstances they would've been sweatin' it. But with the lake right there, it just added some excitement!
-Thank you Ramsay Tire & Service Center in Kanab, for being so willing to help us fix our popped tire on the jet ski trailer (at closing time, on a Saturday). They were SO fast, SO friendly, and SO cheap. I would give my testimonial on a commercial for them, for FREE, if they ever asked. They were great.

Good Friends. Good Times. Good Memories. See ya next year! Same time, same place.

4th of July Weekend Highlights!

Freedom Festival Parade
We had a a big, nice spot right outside Andy's office on University Ave., which he worked hard to secure for us the day before. Grant, Tara, and Banks joined us. It's by far my favorite parade in the county. But I've decided I will only do 1 parade a year, at least until the kids are old enough to want to sit through the whole thing. A few floats that got loud cheers from our group was the BYU float & semi-truck, Timpview H.S. (of course), and it was fun to see Glenn Beck ride by and wave. I also enjoy seeing the different City Royalties. But my absolute favorite thing was when the 4 jets flew right over top of us. So impressive!



Mona Lake
We went with the Harris' on their new boat to a little "hidden gem" of a lake in Mona. It's quite small, and not very many people know how to get to it, so it wasn't crowded at all. The water felt as warm as Lake Powell to me, and it was much cleaner than Utah Lake, so I think whenever we talk about going boating from now on, I'm going to vote we go to Mona every time!



Dinner and Fireworks at the Jackson's
We had a great time enjoying dinner and watching the "Stadium of Fire" fireworks show from the back lawn of the Jackson's home. Grant's mom was so cute and very determined to have everyone be able to see the fireworks, so the guys had to do a little pre-show pruning of the big tree and shrubs in the backyard. Grant, Andy, and Warner took on the task like "REAL" men. :) Their house is the perfect place for a party, and the view of the fireworks was amazing! Then just like every other year, if you aren't in the car by the time the finale starts, Andy will leave you just to beat the traffic. I don't think I've seen a fireworks show from start to finish since we've been married!



Jesse turned 30!
No more teasing the older guys about their age, because he's officially one of "them" now! We had fun hanging out, eating pizza, and seeing their cute new baby -Avery Paige. And of course the kids had fun playing with each other...in the mud! (Hence the picture with everyone half naked. We had to hose them all off.)