And now for the long version

Just in case you wanted more details about our week at the lake, here they are.

This photo could sum up the theme of the week:

Here's Laur, back in top form just five weeks after having her fourth baby.

I might just say, a confession of sorts, that for me this was the most enjoyable trip to Lake Powell with my in-laws. I love Chris's family, but when it comes to water sports they've always intimidated me (see photo above for case in point)! The last time we were on a vacation like this I was constantly hoping that no one would encourage me to try to do anything crazy, which to me meant being in the water and getting yanked up behind a boat. The few times I did try wakeboarding or skiing were very embarrassing - and time consuming. I really have no athletic or coordination skills.

Over the past two summers Chris has given me a lot of good opportunities to try and try and try again, with a lot of patience on his part. Now, finally, I actually get what's so fun about it! I love wakeboarding and feeling like I'm not completely out of control. Still can't do any 180s or jump the wake or anything, but it's a major change and one I'm glad about. I'm also glad Jordan got an early start with this kind of stuff.

View from the top of the houseboat. Here are the kids hanging out on the water trampoline.

Hooper loved it there.

Jordan's first catch.



The kids hiked up the hill and found some words spelled out with rocks. "FRIENDS"


Sunrise.

We spent the first night sleeping on the roof of the houseboat, but then moved down to a tent, which wasn't too bad. (Yeah, I'm not really a camping aficionado. I'm more of a list aficionado. It was making all the packing and camping lists that spurred me on to enthusiastically write that post. Everything else I said was true though.) Anyway, we had a nice pad under us, so it was completely comfortable. And the evenings and mornings were just cool enough that it didn't feel all stuffy and claustrophobic like tents sometimes - usually - do. I loved the morning light filtering in on Brielle and Jemma as they did some coloring.

This is Trudy, my mother-in-law, on the slalom. She was inspired by the fiddling in Johnny Cash's "The Devil went down to Georgia." We played it for her from the boat and off she went.

I wish I had a better picture of this, but here's Travis on the Air Chair. He's injured both of his knees, so now he does back flips and on this! It's a very interesting thing to see - we were cracking up.

Brielle and Jemma with their braided hair and matching life jackets.

Payton, Marcus, Leanne and Jordan on a wave runner.


Jordan, Bryson and Trey digging away. (Jordan was starting to get scorched, even despite the frequent applications of sunscreen).


The after-effects of the braids.

This photo doesn't look like much, but this is how it looked in real-life anyway. The kids made a murky aquarium out of one of the empty coolers. They named all the carp (names like Aberson and Bronco) and then later Travis sent them flying down the slide back into their natural environment. This whole afternoon activity provided excellent entertainment for all of us.

Jordan fishing with Matthew and Payton.

Here's Jemma fishing in between Caden and Bryson.

She caught a catfish that very quickly got filleted and grilled and eaten.

Chris on THE MOLECULE...before he got whipped around on it.

Making mud pies.

Brielle and Jemma getting ready for one of their many synchronized jumps.

Chris on an early morning ski.

And here are the 15 cousins that were there. Jordan's the oldest. (This is 15 out of the 18 cousins on that side of the family.)

Ahhhh...Lake Powell

We spent the whole of last week in the red sand and blue waters of Lake Powell.

The best things:

the stars at night

the sunrise

being warm in the sun, cool in the shade, taking a dip in the lake when it got too hot

feeling free

watching kids play happily for hours, days on end

reading books

music on the boat

The worst things:

spiders

flies

red ants

sunburn, dry lips

allergies

All in all...

The Staycation

Rather than try to squeeze in our San Diego trip before school starts we ended up taking a staycation today. I keep seeing articles and hearing mention of this term - the staycation. It's what people opt for when a more conventional vacation isn't feasible or doesn't work out.

Last night Chris said he'd arranged for the day off and suggested we go to the lake. It ended up being a great idea.

The lake was beautiful.

We relaxed and enjoyed the sun and the water, got some great wakeboarding and skiing in, and had some peace and quiet. You could almost say it was a perfect way to spend the day...

except for a few work-related phone calls:

...and an encounter with some very green water (poor Jordan):

Here's the lone white duck that lives in the harbor.

So if you're looking for a quick way to get away, I highly recommend the staycation!

Fun, or maybe just Crazy

Jordan and I took a spontaneous 24 hour jaunt to New York on Saturday. Here's what we saw and did:

Subway from JFK to WTC. At 7am on a Saturday morning the streets of the financial district are mostly empty and quiet. It was a good time to be there. Jordan was only in kindergarten on 9/11, so his memories of that day are a little more muted and distant than mine. He was still intrigued with the height of the buildings surrounding the World Trade Center site. It's hard now to even imagine just how tall those towers were. There is still a feeling in that area, a reverence for it.

Breakfast was at a typical New York Deli, and it was just what we needed to regain some energy.

Battery Park, and all of Lower Manhattan, was blanketed in a fine misty fog which prevented us from catching even a glimpse of Lady Liberty. We walked to the water's edge, and took photos of The Sphere, saw a few squirrels scampering around.

Next stop, Grand Central Station. Still too early in the day to be crazy busy. It's an impressive space, especially as you ascend into it from the subway.

Must pay homage to JetBlue. (Advert in Grand Central)

Rockefeller Plaza. It was beautiful on a Saturday morning before all the crowds showed up. Everything looked lush and summery and green. We took the trip to the "Top of the Rock" for a view of the city as the morning fog burned off.

(Empire State Building in the background)

We couldn't resist a stop in the NBC Experience store to get a look - and a laugh - at the products for sale there. For you fans of The Office, you'll appreciate these items: "Support the Rabid" wristbands, the famous Dunder Mifflin Robe (remember the swag bags, and Toby didn't get a robe), Serenity by Jan candles (they smelled awful!) and a t-shirt depicting the value of a Shrute buck.

Times Square was next on the agenda. It was just starting to heat up.

A walk up 5th Avenue. You might even say we went shopping on 5th Avenue, even though the only purchase we made was a $5 pair of sunglasses from a street vendor. (Limo in front of Tiffany & Co. below.)

The NBA store was a wonder of wonders. Especially for Jordan. There were a lot of life-size bobble head players and more amusing products for sale, such as...

The Apple Store. I saw it on a list of the top 10 architectural glories in NYC, and it certainly was. It was also a good place to stop in and check the status of our return flight (and email).

(It's the glass building in the center of the photo. Click to enlarge.)

FAO Schwarz for a brief stop, to enjoy the air conditioning and some toy demonstrations.

Central Park. By this time of day it was truly sweltering. I think the temps were in the 90's, but it was the humidity that was really doing us in.

We meandered on through the park, but only about half way up so we could visit the Museum of Natural History. Of course, we were drawn there by the extra intrigue after seeing "Night at the Museum." We went inside but were overwhelmed by the line to get tickets so we wandered on back out.

A stop at Columbus Circle and another trip to Times Square, for the purpose of a caricature, which Jordan really wanted.

Dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner, and we did not get a photo since I think we were fading by this time of day and forgot all about it. It's a fun place to eat because it's right on Broadway and the servers are all aspiring Broadway stars who sing and dance as they do their job.

And finally, the E train back to the airport for the long flight home.

What do you think? Fun? or Crazy?

(I'm already planning my next NYC agenda. It won't be quite so touristy. It will include a visit to The Met.)