Favorite Photo Friday: Lake Powell

August 1995

Lake Powell was a fairly regular vacation destination for Bryan's family when he was growing up. A time share on a house boat made for a pretty comfortable home base while spending all day out on the lake. I joined the family Powell trip three times and all three were pretty momentous occasions...at least for me.

The first time was when I was just 16 years old. Bryan and each of his siblings were allowed to invite one friend on the trip that summer. Bryan invited me. Miraculously, my parents said I could go! And we had such an amazing time! I'd never been to Lake Powell....never done a trip of this kind. And to be with Bryan 24/7? Yeah, I was pretty much in heaven. But my parents regretted it a few months down the road. :) Not because of anything inappropriate. Would you believe that Bryan only kissed me once that whole week? We were SO good! But my dad was bishop at the time. And all the youth in our ward knew of this trip. Which led to them using me as an example/excuse when trying to convince their parents to let them do things. "Well, the bishop let his daughter go to Lake Powell with a boy! Why won't you let me do (fill in the blank)?"

My second trip to Powell with Bryan's family was two days after we had returned from our honeymoon. Umm....yeah. Can you say NEWLYWEDS?? On a houseboat with not only Bryan's immediate family but a whole slew of his aunts, uncles and cousins. They tried to give us as much privacy as they could.....
It was on this trip that I realized rattlesnakes frequent the area. I hate rattlesnakes. I hate snakes holding any name, description or size. One evening I was walking on the beach just behind my father-in-law, Lynn, and Bryan's Uncle Brent when Lynn stopped abruptly. "Brent!" he said, "Don't move! There is a rattlesnake right by your foot!" I didn't even wait to see the darn thing...I turned and started high-tailing it back to the boat. Lynn called for me to bring him a shovel. I waffled. He could tell. "Sarah!!! GET! THE! SHOVEL!!!" I was scared out of my mind but I grabbed the shovel and then, without getting too close, pretty much threw it to him. I heard the whack of the shovel cutting off the snake's head as I was running back onto the boat. And after that I never went exploring into the sagebrush past the beach, I never even stepped foot off the boat after the evening started cooling down. Yep. You can call me a first-class chicken.
It was also on this trip that I almost became a widow after only a week and a half of marriage. It was the end of the week's trip and we were bringing the houseboat up to the dock to either clean out the septic tank or gas up the boat for the next residents. Whichever, we were trying to pull up to the side of a long dock and it was proving difficult. All hands, either from on the dock or from along side the deck, were trying to help. Bryan, reaching far over the deck near the back, lost his balance and fell overboard...right in-between the boat and the dock. With some sort of herculean strength and speed, his Aunt Janice reached down and pulled Bryan out of the water just as the back end of the boat smashed HARD against the dock right where he had been. Even half a second later and Bryan would've been caught between the two. Bless Aunt Janice!!!

This Favorite Photo Friday picture is my third and last trip to Lake Powell on "The Floating Carp" as we fondly nicknamed the house boat. The trip was great amounts of fun. Lots of swimming, jetskiing, lemonade, sleeping under the stars, reading, card playing, relaxing. But what I remember most about the trip was the life changing events we came home to that next week. The day after we returned home we moved into our new house (our FIRST house) in Magna that we had been anxiously and excitedly watching construction on all spring and summer. A few days later, I found out I was pregnant with Rebekah. After a year and a half of trying, this was HUGE! And the day after that momentous news, Bryan got a new job....one that allowed me to quit my job so I could just focus on my pregnancy and finish up school at the U of U. So I laugh when I look at this picture. We look (well, besides dirty and really young...) relaxed and ignorant to the huge, life changing events coming our way just a few days later.

Uninterrupted reading time

This is how I spent my time while Brandon was at science camp yesterday. The Salt Lake City Library is awesome on so many levels.... Not only does it house 5 floors of BOOKS (!!!) but the building itself is architecturally, culturally, and atmospherically just plain old neat. I found myself a comfortable spot that allowed for a few hours uninterrupted reading. The fun view and the ability to people watch was a great bonus....

(Some guy on the elevator told me he liked my dress. Said that I looked like a cheerful summery sun. Ummm.....thanks?)

My workout for the day...

This....

...arrived via Fed Ex semi truck at our house about a week ago.
And what is this, you ask?
It is one year worth of food storage for four people....bought to beef up (pun not intended, but funny all the same..haha) the odds and end canned and boxed goods we are already storing in the basement.

Last night we hauled it all to the storage room. Countless trips up and down the stairs. And though I could only take one box at a time compared to Bryan's loads of two or sometimes even three, I'm totally counting it as my workout for the day. Stairs AND weightlifting! (Hey...lentils, wheat and chocolate drink mix are HEAVY!!)

It's the simple things

This girl is tenacious when it comes to getting what she wants. No stool? No problem. A slight step from the open cabinet and that's all it takes to scramble up like a monkey in her quest for a drink of water.

Getting ready for bed last night I asked Lilian if she'd had a good day. She answered in the affirmative and we began discussing the various events that made up her schedule. Lunch at Applebees, watching the fountain at the Gateway, trying on clothes at the store. "But Mom," she said, "the best part was reading stories."

Really?

Early evening I spontaneously (and magnanimously, in my mind) told her that if she'd pick out her favorite books, I'd read to her for a little while. We cuddled on the couch and read "Piggie Pie," "The Princess and the Pea," and "Strawberry Shortcake," among others, for a half hour or so. We both enjoyed ourselves....but all the same, I was surprised to discover that our story time was Lilian's favorite part of her day.

It immediately reminded me of a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled "Good, Better, Best." (I could even hear his voice in my head....)

In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.” Super family activities may be good for children, but they are not always better than one-on-one time with a loving parent.

Lilian gets hauled around to all sorts of activities that her siblings and parents are involved in. Most of the time she is happy to be included, looks forward to these activites, enjoys herself. But it's interesting that what she craves the most is those simple moments. Reading stories together, sitting down to a tea party with her dolls, playing Candyland. It was a good reminder.

Excuses, excuses...

This is my view as I pedal my bike up and across the freeway overpass. I have to admit...I give an involuntary shiver every time I look over the edge while my mind plays the "what if" game. Yes, I'm morbid that way.

21.5 miles on Saturday. I'm finding myself feeling a little apathetic about biking this summer. Maybe...
because I've been running more?
because I'm missing my friend Mylissa?
because the traditional neighborhood group time to bike is six-stinking-early-o'clock in the morning and I can't seem to get myself into bed before midnight?

But LOTOJA is coming up in about 7 weeks. Time to get my apathetic derrier back in the saddle consistently.

Favorite Photo(s) Friday: Anniversary edition

18 years ago today....






We've had our ups and downs, our triumphs and trials...but overall, it has been an amazing 18 years filled with love and happiness. I'm looking forward to the next 18 years....

Memories and memory making

I drove Julianne and 3 of her friends up to Logan today for a week long "Retreat For Girls" at Utah State University. It was fun to watch their excitement grow the closer we got and then as they checked in and settled into their rooms. I have no doubt it will be a week full of serious memory making for them.

But talking about memories...
Bryan and I spent our first newlywed year at Utah State University and as I drove through the campus, the memories came flooding back. It's been almost 18 years since we arrived in Logan and as to be expected, there is a lot of change. But I was surprised at how much stayed the same. I could pick out buildings I'd had classes in, where I used to park my car (on days when I was running late), the shuttle stop where I'd wait (on days when I was on time), spots where I would meet up with classmates for study and gab sessions. Out of long remembered habit, I found myself driving into the parking lot of Aggie Village, the married student housing. I parked and stared up at the balcony of the apartment that used to be ours and I couldn't help but smile. We made such happy memories there.
Our windows were the 3rd and 4th from the left on the second floor.


Don't you just love the sliding cabinet doors, half size oven and folding chairs?


Oh, oh!! And what about those cinder block walls and super-industrial red carpet?


No air conditioning made for some stiflingly hot summer days. And though we did have heat in the winter, I still remember the day we woke to find our bedroom window frozen over from the INSIDE!

But oh! What fun we had in our very first home together...
*Spending the first couple of weeks sleeping on foam pads on our bedroom floor while we waited for our bed to be delivered.
*Cuddling on the couch while watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation every night at 10:00.
*Doing homework by candlelight.
*Hauling our kitchen table out to eat dinner on the balcony.
*Setting up our first computer.
*Doing our laundry at the Aggie Village laundromat.

It was nice to have the opportunity to reminisce today. Especially since our 18th anniversary is coming up later this week.

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

Friends Dax and Kim invited us to their home in Eden today for a BBQ and afterwards, the Utah Symphony concert at Wolf Mountain which is just a few minutes away from their house. The symphony was already playing when we arrived a few minutes late. We set out the tarp (wet grass from an earlier downpour) and then blankets on top of that. The music and the scenery were beautiful and we were excited for a fun evening of "music in the mountains." Until half a song later the rain started up again. The musicians were hyper paranoid about their instruments...and can you blame them? According the emcee, "many of these instruments cost more than your house." After 20 minutes to see if the rain would subside, a pow-wow convened up on the stage. We started packing up our blankets before the official announcement. That they were cancelling the concert seemed rather obvious.
Well, it was fun while it lasted....

Sneak peak...

I looked out the window and what did I see....
(Definitely NOT popcorn popping, I can tell you that!)

The view out my kitchen window has been changing over the past few days. If you look beyond the plant on my windowsill, beyond the chair and deck railing, beyond even the lawn you'll see something new taking shape in my backyard. Bryan's "Man Cave" is starting to become a reality. This is just a sneak peak. More details and progression pics to come sometime in the next few weeks....

Happy 4th of July!

For the past 3 years we've considered running the local 4th of July 5k...this year we finally did it. Originally we had plans to do it as an entire family. But then Brandon said, "Mom, I am NOT a runner" and bowed out. Bryan was disturbed by the fact that it cost $ to run this 5k and declined in protest. And seeing as we were going to be pushing Lilian in a stroller while we ran...we decided to leave her home in bed as well if the boys were going to be available to watch her.

Close to 1,000 people were up bright and early to bring in the holiday with this community run. It was a fun atmosphere. Lots of neighbors, lots of friends. Unfortunately, we got a mile into our run and Julianne developed a wicked side-ache. Our run turned into a run/walk as she tried to deal with her pain (and her increasing irritability about the whole thing). Run a block, walk a block, run to that school crossing sign, walk to that white picket fence, etc. But we did it. And although it took Julianne a good half hour to get a smile back on her face, she eventually (in hindsight) decided that it had been kind of fun. Well, maybe fun is too strong of a word. Ummm....a good experience? A neat accomplishment?

After the run we headed across the street to the 4th of July breakfast. Rebekah's friend Bryant was working there and arranged for Rebekah to get free food and all of us to skip ahead of the long line. We were grateful. Next year I think we'll do the breakfast as an entire family. Bryan may not want to join the 5k...but breakfast is something he can get behind.

We rushed home, showered and dressed, and then headed back to the parade and the chairs we had set up earlier that morning to save our place. I was worried tremendously about heat. I don't handle heat well so we packed numerous ice cold water bottles to drink and spray/mist bottles to help keep us cool. I chose function over fashion in my wardrobe choice (which is unusual for me!) and chose, instead of patriotic attire, a flimsy, lightweight skirt and t-shirt. But my preparation was all for naught. I was delighted to discover that the whole 2 hour parade stayed under the cover of overcast skies. It didn't matter that we were on the "sunny" side of the street...the whole city was in shade! It made the parade so much more enjoyable!

These veterans made me cry. I am a sentimental sap regarding any and all things patriotic so the beginning of the parade, when they march the flag by and everyone stands in silent respect with hand over heart, always brings tears. But coming up right behind the flag this year, was the veterans. This group from the Korean War got stalled right in front of me. Lilian and I waved...and a few of these amazing men locked eyes with us, smiled and waved back. I've been reading a book entitled "The Seven Miracles That Saved America" by Chris Stewart...a book that, though not mentioning the Korean War specifically, talks a lot about these brave men and women throughout American history that fought for our freedom. So when truck after truck over veterans and soldiers rolled past us on the parade route, I lost it.


Our city has a unique and fun tradition wherein the whole parade route turns into a massive water fight towards the end of the parade....the last few entries carrying super soakers followed by huge water trucks and fire engines. Hoses are hooked to fire hydrants up and down the street. Families come prepared with buckets and super soakers of their own...with coolers and garbage cans filled with water for re-filling. Obviously, those who want to stay dry tend to leave a bit early to get out of the war zone in time. Last year I was more than happy to get drenched...it was HOT! But this year I was feeling quite comfortable and knew that we still had more events still to attend so staying dry was my plan. We couldn't leave early because Rebekah was watching the parade with some friends and we needed to wait for her to wind her way back down the street to us. So we thought we'd just step back a bit from all the crazy water while we waited....

But then Mother Nature joined in the fun and decided at that moment to dump some rain. Right about that same time the families on either side of us pulled out their water-fighting weapons and ammo...and although they were not aiming for us specifically, we definitely got caught in the crossfire! We had just got our camp chairs folded up and moved back to where Julianne was hiding out when I saw Rebekah coming down the street...wet, wet, wet as could be. I walked out of our "hiding place" to flag her down and while distracted, talking with her, the big water truck snuck up on us. How can a big truck like that truly "sneak" you ask? Well, okay....I knew it was coming. But it got there a little faster than I expected and we had only enough time to turn our backs to the spray. I ended up pretty soaked through. Lilian cried, the water taking her by surprise. I laughed. Julianne just rolled her eyes from the safety of her dry spot. Seriously though, what a fun tradition!



After some dry clothes and a nap, we headed down the street for a BBQ with some of our neighbors. In between eating and waiting for it to get dark enough for fireworks we did karaoke. Yep, we did! I haven't laughed that hard in awhile! Our closing number was "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by all the ladies. Silly, silliness, I tell you.And can I just say...with all these used-to-be-illegal-but-but-now-newly-legal fireworks we set off last night...I felt like I was witnessing as awesome of a firework display as I'd see if I'd paid money to go to an official show. There was some serious wow factor going on last night.

The 4th of July is my second favorite holiday...superseded only slightly by Thanksgiving. Both holidays filled to bursting with American history which, I think, might be one of the main reasons they are my favorites. But also because they are filled with family and friends. And Bryan and I are beyond blessed with both....wonderful, awesome and amazing. I am truly grateful for my town and neighborhood, and the friends we have made. Grateful for this blessed country and the God given miracles that have made it possible for it to be "the land of the free and the home of the brave."