Powell Paradise with the Patches

It's no secret that I will be true and loyal to Lake Powell for the rest of my life. Cody and I just got back from spending a week there with my family...it doesn't get any better than that. We found a spectacular beach, spent loads of time in the water because it was way too hot, hiked some great trails and all returned with some tan lines (and a new hatred/respect for puzzles). We watched James Bond and Star Trek and had a particularly impressive run at Rock Band...man, if only we had that on film. Oh! And we mastered some synchronized swimming! An epic and memorable trip, friends. Epic and Memorable.

Here we are getting ready for our routine...if only we had put it to music! I think next year I'll get everyone matching swim caps.

Dear goodness. We went to Dangling Rope Marina and found these ginormous spiders. Ew, I still feel my ear twitch when I look at these pictures! They were huge and SO fast. Not a fan. Did I mention they were everywhere? So the boys had a wee bit of fun and knocked a few into the water for the waiting carp (which, I should mention, were also ginormous).

Ahh, puzzles. We do about 3 or 4 puzzles on the top of the boat each trip. Here were two that consumed most of our time. That Beatles album cover was a beast...and I only worked on the last leg of it! Pretty sure I don't want to listen to Revolver for quite some time.

Rock Band. 'Final Countdown' and Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love a Bad Name' were huge hits. It was SO much fun! My parents even sang their hearts out - encore!!

The hiking...I think my favorite pic is the candid shot of Jess and I having a leisurely chat on top of a mountain. Candid.

Rainbow Bridge

How cute are they?

One night we discovered 7 or 8 frogs on the beach and proceeded to chase them around and we caught this wee baby one. He was so cute! We were all so curious and followed them around...then would scream as they hopped. Look at this little guy ready to pounce? Andrea was about to launch him in my face. Good times.

On Sunday we designed our own stencils and spray-painted the designs on some shirts. Andrea's brought some drawer-liner stuff and neon yellow spray paint and we got right down to business. Didn't they turn out great?? Jess' owl, Rich's Pan Am, Andrea's Pirate Ship and my Mom's creepy spider (we all loved that one).

My camera battery was about dead so I missed some finished shots. My Dad made a rocket and his shirt looked so cool...

Naturally, my shirt had a bird cage on the front...

...and a canary on the back, right shoulder.

And then we come to Marty. Geez. He drew his stencil by hand (using a ruler and graph paper so it was even and accurate), isn't it amazing? Took him 5 hours, but he definitely wins the prize.

Our last night we took a sunset boat ride. The water was like glass, such a pretty night.

But wait, what's this?

A hideout? "Quickly! To the secret tunnel!"

We drove our boat into this rad little cave...so awesome.

It kind of felt like a Disneyland ride in there...

After emerging from the hole in the rock, we drove up the channel a little more, parked and walked around, finding these awesome rock creations.

I wanted to take home hundreds of these cool rocks to tile my bathroom vanity or something. Alas, Cody quickly reminded me that sandstone might not hold up to water too well. Hmpf.

Before we got back to the houseboat we stopped in the middle of the channel and had FHE. It was cool. It was the perfect cap on the perfect trip. A little Spiritual moment in a place that's so special to my family? I'm in.

None of us were ready for the trip to end. I love my family. I love these trips. Family is a solid, special thing. I already miss having a snow cone and a dance party on top of the boat each night, laughing hysterically with my siblings, taking a nap after eating too much french toast drenched in my Mom's apple syrup...we could spend a month there and that still might not be enough time. Maybe next year?

Lucky Number 7

July 19th, 2003 I became a Mrs.

In the past 7 years we have purchased two homes, had two beautiful boys, vacationed in Hawaii, moved, spent Christmas at the Fire Station, started a kitchen remodel, run a marathon, made the best caramel on this planet and worn some of the greatest Halloween costumes ever.

I love this man. Happy Anniversary to my Mr.!

Crazy Fourth!

I ask you, does anyone put on a better 4th of July celebration than Provo? I LOVE how festive this Holiday is. It's always jam-packed with celebratory goodness and my family dives right in every year.

Andrea and her family came up from Vegas and it's always so fun when they're here. Our first item of business? 'Toy Story 3'. How awesome was that movie, loved it. And I cried, so what? Afterwards we grabbed a quick dinner at 5 Guys Burgers and then drove up the canyon for some smores. We found a cherry spot near the river, we all had false hopes that our kids would stay dry...

We enjoyed the PGFD Fireworks - we live really close to the field so we took the boys down on 4-wheelers. Perfect for parking! Since Cody was working, we got to sit right next to the action! And I mean...rightnext to the action. We were super close and it was pretty loud, but the show was amazing!

All the excitement was a bit too much for Cole, who crashed half way through. Bless him.

On a sadder note, we have sold our beloved orange Scout. I know, I know...I didn't want to see it go, either. But Cody needs a more reliable vehicle and never fear! We shall obtain another Scout in the future. One reason I was so sad to see it go is because every year my family piles in our Scouts and drives the parade route downtown. It's cah-razy, peeps. It's an all night party! It's the place to be - it's so fun.

We retired to my parents house for ice cream sundaes, followed by my Dad chasing and hiding from my kids.

Cody drove the fancy PGFD fire truck and we got to ride with him for some of the parade route. SO fun! I'm all about doing that every year. We saw some friends along the way and the boys thought it was the coolest thing ever. I even got to sit up front with Cody and wear the headset. I'm big time. We jumped out when we reached where my family was sitting and enjoyed the rest of the parade.

Here we come!

We had our own small Fireworks show that night and you'd be surprised how impressive a $10 finale can be! It was so fun doing that with my little family...the night was so warm and clear.

I doubt we will ever go anywhere else for the 4th. It's so much fun here! Great weekend, loved every minute of it.

Happy Birthday, Code Man

Look at this guy...he's a wonder. Amazing. A total dream boat.

Thank Heaven for July 7.

California Girls!

The trip this year was SO fantastic! We had a total ball, I loved every second of it. Going to California is always a good idea and we made the most of it. Normally there are 6 of us on these trips, but our dearest Sara is having a baby in about 10 days (!) and Carla is spending the Summer with her fiance' back East (next year, girlies!!). Even though there were only 4 of us, the trip was epic.

Our first day! We started by brunching at Schooner or Later - a restaurant that's surrounded by sail boats. Why don't I have any pictures of this? No idea. But I do have a picture of us on our way...

After we ate we headed over to Fashion Island to do some shopping!

Pretzel break. Delish.

We stopped at the store on the way back and bought food to make dinner for Kate's grandparents. We had steak, Kate's famous mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus and strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was so, SO good. And man...I miss being able to cook in a kitchen.

The next morning we spent a little time poolside. I love this house, can you blame me for wanting to return next year??

We then drove to Huntington Beach for lunch at Ruby's Diner...gorgeous.

Rhonda, our fearless navigator.

That night we went to see 'Knight and Day'. Have you seen it yet? We all loved it and quoted it the rest of the trip. (Hi, June). Before the movie Rhonda and I sat and listened to this musician for a spell...

The next morning we drove out to Santa Monica.

I have never laughed so hard, this roller coaster was so much fun.

Ferris Wheel! And ugh, I'm so mad at myself for wearing those glasses.

To commemorate my trip to the pier, I feasted on kettle corn and cotton candy. Yum!

We capped off the day with dinner at Duke's on the beach.

I have the greatest friends in the world, we had a total blast! I ate way too much, stayed up too late, laughed too hard and packed too much. It was a perfect trip. I love that we have these trips every Summer, they are a staple. They are a must. How lucky am I? I can't WAIT for next year!!

Trip Packets

Before we get into the goodness that is the Girls Trip, we must cover the invites. As usual, I had so much fun putting them together! The only downer? Well, when one's house is torn up and being remodeled, one has little time to be a supa genius and make packets better than last year. They didn't contain as many trinkets or gifties, but the sweatshirts this year were fun and the soundtracks were probably the greatest to date. (And ps - sorry about some of the random placing...the layouts were sort of weird).

The pic above and below were both covers...I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I used them both!

Letter from me...

The silly packing list...loved the graphics on this one, though.

Our sweatshirts! Neon pink pinstripes? Yes, please.

CD covers and inserts.

I think this might be my favorite packet ever...until I create something better next year!