Powell-View 2010

Our group of friends has a yearly tradition of going to Lake Powell at the end of the season. We have been looking forward to this year's trip since we got home last year! Joey and a couple of his friends even bought a houseboat so we wouldn't have to rent one anymore, and so we could actually rent ours out to other groups. First problem-the houseboat repairs weren't going to be done on time so we would be tent camping. Our trip was scheduled for a full week: Sunday through Saturday, and I was SO excited for the break from reality. Out on Lake Powell there are no distractions from just being yourself, no TV's, no cell phone service, etc. I really love the peace and quiet although I worry about my kids while I can't talk to them for that long.
Anyway, Saturday night we were packing and getting ready to go. Joey and Justin ran to the store for a couple of things we forgot earlier that day and blew a brake cylinder on their way home. The parts store was closed already but they, along with our resident mechanic Nate got the wheel off and everything ready to fix it in the morning. Early the next morning they went for the part and three hours, another trip (this time by me) to the parts store for brake fluid, and a whole lot of crap on my driveway later they found out they had been given the wrong part and would have to start all over again. Forget it, we'll take Justin's truck. We should have taken the warning that this trip was not meant to be!
We loaded everything up into Justin's truck and hit the road. We picked up the rest of our group in Salt Lake, grabbed free lunch at Nate's restaurant The Philly, and headed out. About 6 hours later we saw water!!! We were finally there! On the way we named a new national monument though: Wii's Tree's. Our friend Nate saw a group of trees in the distance which he thought meant we were close to Hanksville, we all looked around and could not figure out where the heck he could see the trees. Justin asked if he meant those rocks up ahead, he did. It was so funny, it really thought they were trees.
At the marina we loaded enough camping gear, food, and wake boarding supplies to last 7 people for 7 days into one boat (see picture in the collage). It was absolutely insane. The boat was so full we basically had to sit on each others laps to get to camp. By the time we had gone the 7 miles to the canyon we like to stay in it was pitch black dark. We were using our flashlights to look for places to set up camp. Our perfect spot from last year was taken so we had to move on. We finally found a spot that would work but it meant hauling all of our things up a steep. long, sand hill. It was exhausting just to get the necessities for one night up that hill. As we were unloading a few of us heard a noise that sounded like a small waterfall. We all looked at each other stunned when we figured out the boat had a hole and was taking on water-fast. We had no other choice but to have the four guys turn it around and pick the back up onto the rocks for the night. We didn't finish unloading our things, just what we needed for the night, and figured we would deal with it in the morning.
The next morning our hopes were renewed when Joey offered to rent a boat for the week. We were all in pretty good spirits as four of them took off for the marina to ditch the sinking boat and rent us a new one. Dirk and I stayed back at camp and settled in for a relaxing few hours. I read my book, took a nap, and just enjoyed the sun. As it got hotter and hotter the biting flies got worse and worse. Even insect repellent wouldn't keep them away. I was covered with welts and really, really mad! Oh well, we thought, we will just look for a better campsite when they came back with a rental since we could now look in the day light.
The four came back from the marina in a 20 foot piece of junk boat and broke the news: we would be heading home that day. The rental would cost us $3500 for the rest of the week! What a rip-off, even a houseboat would have been less! We also found out that on their way to the marina the boat was taking in too much water for the bilge pump to keep up with so they had to ditch the rest of our stuff on a random rock AND use the Fatsack pump just to stay afloat. The guys at the repair shop said they didn't even know how they had made it back without sinking the boat.
Three of the guys took a load back and picked up the abandoned supplies from the rock while the other three of us stayed back to finish packing up camp. It was hot, the flies were still biting, and that hill was ridiculous to get down. The sand would go over your feet and burn them as you were trying to haul stuff down. I was even more mad! We were roasting so when we were basically finished packing up and hauling things down to load we decided to go for a swim. We laughed as we said "At least we can say we swam in Powell this year!" As we were enjoying the water we noticed a giant black cloud making its way toward us and we knew we were in trouble. We got out and got the last of our things down the hill, then we huddled under the top from one of our canopies to wait for the storm. It started out with lightning. It was right above us, there was no time between the flash of the lightning and the sound of the thunder. I was terrified, I had never been that close to it before and we had almost nowhere to hide. We huddled to the side of a cliff to keep ourselves as small as possible. Next came the wind and the rain. The wind was blowing rocks into our backs and sand into our eyes, even though we were mostly covered. Joey appeared alone in the rental boat in the midst of complete madness. The metal holding up the bimini top was bent to the breaking point and it was just flapping in the wind. I cannot even describe the rain to give it justice. All I can say was that it was raining so hard that it was running down our faces and into our eyes. We could only see for a few seconds when we wiped our hands across our faces. There was flooding coming down the hill, causing us to fall every time we tried bringing something off the rocks into the boat. I finally gave up and started sliding down on my butt as I was hauling things. It was by far the hardest rain I have ever been in. We loaded what we could and left the rest there, someday someone will find themselves a nice table and a few other things!
With the small boat packed down we got in and put on our life jackets. This was something I had never done before, normally we only wear them when we are on the wake board or tube, but we were so afraid that we were going to capsize in the waves that we wore them from the beginning of this terrible ride. Lake Powell can be a scary place during a storm but we felt that we only had a choice to get ourselves out of it or risk staying in the lightning, soaking wet and exposed. We chose trying to get out of it. The waves were about four feet tall which may not seem like a lot but if we took a wave wrong or for some reason lost power, that boat was so small that we would have capsized, no doubt about it. The lightning was still right above our heads and it was still raining like I've never seen, and it was freezing, we huddled under wet sleeping bags to get warm. I was so afraid that I cried and cried and begged God to let me live because I had two kids at home. Telling the story doesn't do our terror justice but even now as I'm typing this I am fighting back tears thinking of what could have happened. Our kids could have lost both parents in a single second. One beautiful thing we saw on the way back was the flash flooding coming over the cliffs. The water was moving so fast that it was picking up a lot of sand and dumping it into the lake. It looked like red chocolate milk waterfalls.
Finally we got out of the storm right as we reached the marina. I can only imagine what we looked like, shivering and haggard. I couldn't stop shaking and Joey finally broke down after his adrenaline wore off. It really gave us a chance to reflect on life, and about what and WHO were important to us. We loaded up the truck and headed out of town less than 24 hours after we arrived. The upper left hand picture of the four guys, and the two pictures of the boat are some of the only 5 pictures we have of the whole trip to Powell.
On the ride home we decided to borrow a boat and head to Pineview for a few days to try to at least salvage some wake boarding sessions. We stayed at Nate's house that night and headed to Pineview in the morning (Tuesday). While it wasn't Lake Powell and we cut our trip short by another full day, we had fun. We camped on grass instead of rocks, set up lasso golf, and played a lot of Bocce. The first night, the three girls (Emilee had joined us by now) made our very own fire without any help! We had a couple of great days with good weather but of course it couldn't be all good after the luck we had for the week. Wednesday night and Thursday morning it rained and rained and rained. We had all packed for 100 degrees so we froze when it was only about 60 and we were wet. Oh well, we had breakfast at Chris' and put canopies up over the fire and the lasso golf, and kept up on the fun.
We had to wait until about 7 that night to get water good enough for wake boarding. By that time the other two girls had gone home so I was the last one standing which meant I got first dibs on the wake board, fine with me since it was cold already and would only get worse. It was a mistake. I tried to jump off the wake and caught the toe edge of the board which quickly slammed my face onto the water. It felt like hitting concrete, literally. I couldn't turn my board over so I was face down, with just enough strength to hold face out of the water. Joey had to jump in to turn me over and get my board off. My nose was bleeding, my face was swollen, and I had a horrific headache. I rode it out while Joey had a turn but was feeling so terrible I had to have them drop me off at shore, so Joey and I went back to camp. Joey made a fire and started on dinner while I relaxed, a first!
The next morning I had massive bruises on my cheek and jaw, I looked great for a few days! We packed up camp, had a last lasso golf match, and headed home. I was so excited to see the kids again and to sleep in my own, comfortable bed.
This trip was an expensive nightmare, but we will never forget it. All we kept saying was we can't wait until Powell 2011!!!

Maisy's Second Birthday Portraits

I'm trying to play catch up on my blogging so my posts are going to be nowhere near in order, sorry! These are the portraits my amazing sister/resident photographer Aimee did for Maisy's 2nd birthday. I think they belong in a magazine but maybe I'm a little biased :) You now the drill, click on the collage to see the pictures bigger!

Bear Lake Day Trip

Yesterday Joey and I decided to take the kids for a ride up to Bear Lake. It's such a pretty drive and the kids slept for a lot of the way so we had a pretty nice ride. Once we got up there we drove out onto the beach and had fun wading around in the cold water. The kids and Joey got all the way in but I stayed shallow enough that the water didn't hit my stomach, it was too cold! The sand was nice and we even made a makeshift sandcastle. The kids thought it was great when Joey dug a moat around it and the water surrounded our castle. We put a big "O" on the front and then we destroyed it. Everyone was pretty cold by then, because of the breeze and the water so we decided to head down the road for a shake. We all split a blueberry shake, which of course the kids loved, Maisy even tried to eat her cup she liked it so much!
On our way back we saw a car stuck in the sand trying desperately to get out. Joey took the next turn and went to their rescue without even thinking twice about it. When he discovered he didn't have his tow ropes he drove down the beach until we saw another truck with a winch. Then he got out and walked around asking everyone he saw if they owned the truck. Finally he found the guy who didn't even speak English and convinced him to follow us down to the car who was stuck. When we got back to them a truck was parked behind them honking at them and telling them to get out of the way, we couldn't believe someone could be so ignorant!!! Anyway Joey and the truck owner got the little car right out of the sand and we all went on our way. It reminded me of how lucky I am to have married someone like my dad who would go out of their way every time to help someone in need. It didn't matter that we were on our way home, that we were all exhausted, or that he had to go up and down the beach to find someone to help. Joey said he just thought of what his dad would think if he hadn't helped and that Joe would have "kicked his butt". I think it's more than that, I think he was raised to help other people just like my dad was, and I know he would always lend a hand. Besides, what goes around comes around, and someday when we need help I know God will make sure that happens.

Pioneer Day

We had a blast this Pioneer Day! I was really hoping to go camping at my aunt and uncles property which didn't work out but it turned out great! On the 23rd Aimee, the kids, and I ventured out to see if we could find a spot for the parade. We weren't hopeful since people had been setting up for at least 2 days already but we thought we'd try. Driving along Washington we found the ONLY spot on the east side that wasn't roped off and flipped around to get it, we couldn't believe the luck!
The next morning we left at 6:30 to get to our spot and set up. It was a nightmare to get to it since they had Washington closed from 31st-17th and we were set up at 25th, but we managed to snake our way up there anyway. My parents, sister, brother, Grandma, Grandpa, and Jordan's friend Carson were there with us, and it was our first time in 4 years so it was great. When I was a little girl we used to go EVERY year, so I've really missed it. As usual the parade was long, but it was great! The only snag was a family that decided to stand right in front of us so I had to get them to sit down and they took over a huge chunk of our area, but oh well I guess.
After the parade we headed straight to the lake for some fun in the sun. We wake boarded, knee boarded, tubed, and swam. We were on the water about 9 hours, which was a really long time but we had a blast anyway. Duffy wasn't too sure what to think at first and had a hard time swimming in the water but then he warmed right up to it and didn't want to get out! My mom, Aimee, the kids, and I took a ride on the tube which just happened to be Maisy's first time crashing into the water, the waves were just too big for me to hold on with one hand so off we went! She was a little shocked but was just fine after a second! We had so much fun, it was the perfect summer day!

Seattle, Only for the Weekend

Joey's company has been changing out locks for LDS churches all over the place and I was excited but really jealous when he told me that he'd be going to Seattle to do some churches in the area (actually in the Bellevue area). I couldn't even believe it when he somehow worked it out for me to go up with him the weekend before they started, which also happened to be the weekend of our anniversary! I know, this post is about 2 months late. They had a LOT of product that needed to go up as well as a lot of heavy tools so he had decided to drive his truck up there. We dropped Duffy off at school (Aimee would pick him up later) and Maisy with Grandma and headed out. I HATE the drive to Seattle, just like I hate all long drives, only this one happens to be longer. I get carsick and usually have to take a Dramamine which puts me right to sleep. I was pretty proud of myself that I stayed awake the entire ride! While eating at a Denny's in Baker City, Oregon we decided to drive to Portland for the night instead of going up through Yakima. The last minute decision made us both remember our pre-kid, carefree days when we used to make spontaneous travel decisions all the time. It was a beautiful, fun drive into Portland at night and we were even able to say hi to Joey's cousin Kristi who lives there. We stayed in a corner room with floor to ceiling windows and we had a fantastic view of the city and the river.
The next morning we left early and made the 2 hour drive into Seatac. We were staying at the Cedarbrook Lodge in a suite (I got a killer deal online!) and I will never stay anywhere else if I go back. It was an amazing room with a great view of a nature reserve. They have the best customer service and free ice cream, malt balls, etc., what could be better?
Our first day there I kept telling Joey that I needed to meet my friend Crystal downtown for lunch at 1. I said I couldn't remember the name of the restaurant but I had Mapquest directions to get us there. We went all over downtown following the directions and I think he truly thought we were lost for a while there. He was saying, this place must be right on the lake. When we pulled up to Kenmore Air instead of a restaurant I told him "Happy Anniversary!" We weren't really having lunch, I had actually pulled off a surprise for his anniversary present and was taking him on a seaplane tour, which he's always wanted to do. I could tell he was so happy and shocked and excited, it was probably the best present I had ever given him. After the couple who was on the same flight was loaded up the pilot said he could use a copilot and I thought Joey was going to die! He kept asking if it was ok for sure that he didn't sit with me, but why would I be upset that he got to ride in the front seat? I thought it was great! The tour was so amazing, taking off from the water and seeing all the sights of Seattle. We flew right between the tall buildings of downtown and the Space Needle, flew over the sound, saw Bill Gates' house, and a bunch more. It was really the best and smoothest flight I'd ever been on.
For the rest of our weekend we revisited all of our favorite places in the area: we ate at the Fisherman and watched a snowboarding exhibition from our table, which was crazy to see right on the piers of Puget Sound! We hiked to Snoqualmie Falls, where Joey had the biggest breakfast I had ever seen! We visited Pikes Place and bought a beautiful bouquet for $10. We went to the horse races for the first time at Emerald Downs, and hit plenty of Starbucks.
We had our anniversary dinner a day early since I was leaving at 9 that morning, so we got dressed up and went to Maggianos in Bellevue. We sat in a corner by ourselves and had a really nice, romantic Italian dinner.
The whole trip was the perfect way to celebrate our 8th anniversary. We got time to really enjoy just being with each other and doing the things we really love to do.

California Day 7

Finally! I am back to blogging our last day of vacation! I've been in big trouble with my Grandma for not keeping up on the blog, I'm sorry! You know how we are, living every day(if possible) as an adventure and our summer has been super busy and SUPER fun!!! I'll try to blog on those fun times too, eventually! The collage has a ton of pictures from our day so you'll have to click on it for sure to see all of them!

Back to the vacation: Our last day, not counting the travel day home, was in Sea World. We had an absolutely fantastic time! The kids love animals so they were basically in heaven. We got there right as the gates opened and it was such a nice break to be away from the crazy crowds of Disneyland and just walk around Sea World without having to fight off a million people and wait in horrific lines (other than the line to get lunch which was terrible!). Maisy slept through some of it, including Shamu, but that didn't stop her from having a great time either. We saw the dolphins before heading into the Shamu show. Duffy couldn't believe how big Shamu was and thought the huge waves coming over the walls was great! We sat far enough back to not get wet though. Duff touched starfish, bat rays, and anything else they would let him get his hands into. We saw millions of fish and went through the shark tube, the thing Duffy had been looking forward to for months! We got to see an animal show that included dogs, birds, ducks, a pig, and even trained cats, which I didn't think was possible. Obviously the kids loved it!!! Sea World also has an Arctic area where they have beluga whales, huge walruses, penguins, and polar bears. It was so much fun! Aimee got the best picture of the kids in the pretend polar bear den where both of them look like they're running from a real bear, I love it!
The next day we had breakfast and drove around San Diego for just a little bit before dropping off the cars and heading to the airport. The kids slept for most of the flights which was a good thing since we had to change planes in Las Vegas and had a pretty rough flight into Salt Lake, we even missed our landing and had to circle around, it was pretty scary. Overall the vacation was an amazing experience, I'm so grateful that we were all able to do it together. We try to expose our kids to all the great things that life has to offer, big or small and I hope we get to travel to many, many more places over their lifetimes as well as wonder at what we have in our own backyard. Life is truly wonderful for the (Semi) Irish!

California Day 6

Day 6 was our first day in San Diego. We drove down the Pacific Coast Highway from Anaheim to San Diego and were kind of hoping to stop at some amazing beach on our way down, but unfortunately it wasn't going to happen. We actually did stop at an overlook which was really pretty called Dana Point. There were cliffs and beach but it was about a mile walk straight downhill to get to the sand (which meant a mile straight uphill coming back) so we just looked and hit the road. We stayed at the Bahia Resort in San Diego which is right on Mission Bay, it was great! The rooms were kind of old but the grounds were so pretty. They even had two harbor seals that live there. It was also only about a five minute walk to the ocean, which we did almost as soon as we got our things into our room! Joey and Jordan bought boogie boards on the walk down and we borrowed some sand toys from the hotel. The beach was actually pretty crowded but still fun. Duffy was super protective of Maisy and didn't want to let go of her hand so that she wouldn't go into the water. Jordan had to be rescued by a lifeguard because he went out past the break and couldn't get back in but other than that no major events. The kids loved playing in the sand and the guys wore themselves out swimming and boogie boarding. There was a guy next to us sculpting a giant mermaid in the sand, it was really cool. He had to hurry and finish and a bunch of the people at the beach built a little dam because the tide was coming in and was threatening to wash it away, he finished and got a picture just in the nick of time.