Lake Powell Trip Over Memorial Day

Nathan and I were invited to go to Lake Powell over Memorial Day Weekend with our neighbors, the Bauers. Their youngest son, Kole, is a lot younger than their other kids, and he needed a bud. I was invited to accompany him, and to fill the role of 'family sherpa,' which means I could earn my keep by carrying stuff and performing other menial tasks as my limited nautical skills permitted.

Most of the Bauer family had gone down earlier, but Nathan, Kole, Stacy, Julee and I were slow getting started, so we didn't leave Rexburg until around 5:00 Thursday. We took turns and drove most of the night, and made it as far as Kanab before we decided to stop for a few hours' rest. Friday morning dawned rainy, and we were stranded briefly while provisioning in Paige due to flash floods across the roads from a pretty impressive storm. All of the rain had lots of desert wildflowers blooming.The Bauers have this really nice houseboat and the really nice ski boat pictured here.We finally got to the lake, though, and the weather improved. We had a fun time playing in the water, wakeboarding, and just relaxing. Here's one of the guys, C.J., surfing.I walked up the hill one morning to take some pictures, and saw more than I wanted to. This guy obviously didn't see me up there, and I couldn't resist snapping his photo on the sly as he took a whizz off the back of his boat. I also couldn't resist posting it here. Think: "You might be a redneck if..." Of course, it's hard to say which is more "redneck," him for doing it, or me for taking his picture doing it.One day we took an interesting hike to see these old Indian ruins. This circular stack of rocks probably had a wooden roof on it at one time. There was a little fireplace in one end where you could still see the soot from their fires.Here, it appears the Indians had stacked rocks to make a small dam in the wash that runs through the area. (Or, maybe they just didn't have anything better to do than stack rocks up in a straight line.)We saw this very large lizard sunning itself on top of this outcropping. When we tried to approach, it took off running. We couldn't believe how fast that sucker could go. He ran down the hill, and just kept going. I would bet he ran a good quarter mile, and was still going when we lost sight of him!We also saw this desert hare; he had very little fear of humans. Sort of an ugly creature, really.Here's Nathan jumping the wake while wakeboarding. He's a natural!Dude! I got like three feet of air that time!Here's one of Stacy's daughters, Holly, captured in mid-wipe out. She really did get like three feet of air that time!I thought this was a cool photo Nathan took. Doesn't the water look cool coming up over the board? I've played with the colors a little bit to enhance it. Ignore the constipated look on my face (if you can).A gorgeous Lake Powell sunset!Thanks to Stacy and Julee for inviting us to come along! We had a wonderful time playing at Lake Powell and getting to know their awesome family better. We made some really good memories with them and we're already hoping for another trip with them soon. They are so much fun!Even if Julee won't let me take her picture.

Ashlynn's 10th Birthday

Ash celebrated her tenth birthday on May 11. She didn't want a big party this year; her only request was that we take her and a friend to the local Thai restaurant so that they could "split a mango curry." Needless to say, she's always been the most adventurous of our children when it comes to cuisine.Interestingly, though, all of our kids will eat oriental food. Nathan won't touch a hamburger, but give him Mandarin chicken or stir-fried vegetables any day of the week...We didn't get any photos at Original Thai, but picture a "little hole in the wall" place with circa 1970s floor and wall coverings, fluorescent lights, and a single row of round tables with fold-down sides. The menu is a little limited, but they have some excellent dishes, including Ashlynn's favorite mango curry, Lori's favorite Masiman curry, a delightful lemongrass soup with mushrooms, and some kind of chicken-on-a-stick appetizer (I can't remember the name) that reminds you of the little things the penguins eat in Surf's Up. And, of course, they have the classic mangoes with sticky rice dessert that we all love; we didn't get it this time because we had cake and ice cream waiting at home, but my mouth waters just thinking about it.

Here's a couple pictures of Ash blowing out her candles. She almost smoked us out!Going along with the Asian theme of her birthday (I guess) she asked for coconut cake, which is something I really like but not something kids usually dig (more of an adult taste, wouldn't you think?) She obviously likes it, though. It is a white sheet cake infused with coconut milk and with whipped cream and shredded coconut on top. Yet another of the amazing recipes Lori has picked up over the years.

She got her ears pierced over the weekend in Salt Lake; we made her wait until she was ten but she wasn't about to wait one minute more, and certainly not until she was 55 like her Grandma Elma Lynne. Apparently she was trembling until they did it-both ears at once-but said later it was no big deal. These photos were on Lori's camera; I wasn't allowed to come along. This rite of passage is "girls only," I take it.Her friend, Alison, who also waited until she was ten, had it done a few weeks ago, so they're excited to share earrings. Ash got a bunch of new ones for her birthday.
The present she asked for was a "rip-stick." I'm not sure whose idea this little beauty was, but I am sure that whoever engineered it wanted to make sure of at least one thing: that no adults could ever ride one. Think about it, have you ever seen an adult swivel-hipping it down the street on one of these things? I'm pretty sure it is physically impossible for anyone over about 16 years of age; I don't understand how kids get the hang of it so quickly. It's like a double amputee trying to ride a unicycle with a bent wheel, or something like that. On the bright side, at least she isn't asking for a cell phone...yet.It is so hard to believe my little girl is growing up. She hasn't shed little-girlhood totally, but I am starting to see the signs and I can hardly believe it. She is such a beautiful, intelligent, spunky girl who is so full of energy and life. Everywhere we go people comment on her beautiful red hair and her gorgeous smile, which really can just melt you! Her constant giggles keep us all smiling, and we are thankful she is part of our family.