Lake Powell

We had our annual Lake Powell trip this month and, as always, had a blast. Thanks, Jess and Joan, and thanks mom for taking Eli and our zoo. Jason and Janae came with us as well. Halle swam about 12 hours of every day and we also went tubing...a lot...hence all of the pictures.

We found a lovely beach (minus the teenage jammers during all hours of the night) that had fun places to go hiking.

I don't look thrilled, but I really was. Everyone made fun of me for the length of time it takes me to get in the water. It's COLD and I have to get each inch of my body used to it before I can continue.

Could she be ANY cuter?!?

First tubing of the vacation she chose Jason and Janae. I wasn't surprised.

So brave!

So glad I caught this shot of Jason kissing Janae's shoulder.

Swimming is exhausting.

Finally she agreed to join us.

UH OH!

Phew! That was a close one. Look at Halle's look of disgust at Grandpa Jess's driving.

Just the two of us.

I remember asking Jess not to make us fall off. I don't think he listened.

Again with the adorableness!

Halle's "first fish" as in I used her pole to go fishing, she semi reeled it in, and would not touch or get near it.

Gone fishin'

Jared's catfish

Love this picture. Strangely, though Lake Powell is over-run by carp, this is the first one we've ever caught. It was much prettier than most.

Jason impressed us with a full circle flip on the small tube. These are the best pictures I've got of that action.

This is mid-circle. It may look like he's doomed, but he made it all the way around still hanging on. Nobody else attempted that. Joan tubed with Halle. This was the first time I'd ever seen Joan tube.

UH OH! again

Phew! Another close call.

Not so lucky this time.

We had to convince Halle how cool it was that we got to crash like everyone else. She was really scared at first because she couldn't see us and was panicking, but once she saw us and I made my way to her she thought it was kind of cool.

The following pictures I laughed hysterically through. We thought it would be fun for Jess to "tow us back to shore." Which to me meant going slowly for a relaxing tubing experience. Obviously this did NOT mean the same thing to Jess. For the most part I'm the one making the ridiculous faces. Yeah, me, the one that looks like a vampire shimmering. Geez I'm pasty.

See how much you can see us? A sign as to how fast we were going and how much we couldn't see. The water was just blasting us in the face.

Love LOVE the faces here.

We made it back to shore unharmed and without falling off. Incredible. Obviously Jason was not affected by this. Either that or he was aware of how ridiculous we were going to look in the pictures and pulled himself together.
Jason caught a catfish that night. I wouldn't have had the arm strength to reel it in after our tubing experience.

Jared and Halle worked our whole last morning on this sand castle.