The Storm

Hello from lovely Bear Lake, and we're all still alive!  But let's not get ahead of ourselves, the excitement will come.  I decided to start with s'more roasting night, mostly because it was a good picture of a group of people.  We're all having a great time.

On Monday morning we all headed out for a hike.  It was about 1.5 miles for the full loop, and I don't think I heard anyone complain.  Sometimes I'm surprised by my kids.  They can walk a mile and a half in the woods, but it's hard to go more than 400 feet through a zoo, grocery store, or anywhere else we are more frequently.

Along the way we found a whole ton of cairns.  Naturally, we added our own stack.

In the afternoon, we went to the Adventure Land Park again.  It had changed a bit in the last two years.  The mini-golf was gone (not a big loss) and now there was a trampoline.  I was inspired by the fun the kids were having, and once my sisters saw an adult in the line, everyone pulled out their popcorn.  I don't think I embarrassed myself.  In fact, I did a back flip for the first time ever!

After the trampoline, I headed to the ropes course.  I mostly stuck with Winry to make sure she could get around and not get stuck anywhere.  I'll be honest, I'm actually not sure where Brooke was.  I think she was here with us for a while, but headed off to do exciting things with her cousins.

But at the end of our stay, Brooke and I went on the giant swing.  It was a ton of fun.  The first time we didn't go too high, but once Brooke tried it out she was feeling a lot more confident on our second go.

Tuesday was lake day.  Grayson was really excited to get right onto a stand up paddle board and hit the waves.  From the beach we were at, the water actually never got deeper than about 2 feet for at least 100 feet into the lake, so there was a big area perfect to play in.

Eventually we took turns on the boat.  Actually, I think Brooke and Winry went with the crew that picked it up in the morning, and had a fantastic time on the tube.

I don't know that anyone loved the tube as much as Grayson though.  He even wanted to go fast enough, and bounce enough, that it was quite the adventure for me and Madeleine.

Since Grayson had more endurance than I did, he headed back out with Cameron and Amelia, and they took some really big waves!  Again, nothing but smiles from that little guy.

While we were out on the lake a storm blew in.  It was essentially all wind, but it was kicking up at least 6 foot waves.  We were in bigger waves on Bear Lake than I saw in Hawaii.  We were also about 7 miles from the marina.  Both the boat and 2 Sea-dos had to make it all the way back, and it sure felt like it took a long time.  Spencer was the hero for all of us in the boat as he drove us safely back to harbor, but things were pretty crazy.  I never felt worried about the boat capsizing or sinking or anything, but it still felt pretty intense out there.  I was in the front of the boat using my body to block Grayson from the storm.  When we would hit the big waves I could actually see my outline missing in the spray of water that continued towards the back of the boat.  It was tense, but we all made it back safely.

And who do you think greeted us when we returned to the house?  That's right, Templeton!  Turns out the place we were staying had a bit of a rodent problem.  In fact, my mom woke up in the middle of the night to it climbing on her face, and it got into all our food the first night.  We saw it run through the house later one morning as well, and we're pretty sure what was inside was the same as this guy I saw out back.  It's a bushy-tailed woodrat.

On Wednesday we headed to a park for some family kickball, and found some cool benches right by the parking lot.  I wish I had a picture of kickball, but I don't.  It was so much fun.  We only played 3 innings, and I sure wanted to keep going when we got to the end.  We had lunch at the park, and then played some pickleball after as well.  I managed to get enough backspin on one shot to have it land on the other side of the net, and then come back to my side without being touched.  I'm not sure whose point that was.

Wednesday night we had our pie eating contest, and I finally squeaked out a win this year.  Sorry Tina.  The kids had a fun, albeit slower time eating pies.

Thursday it was time to pack up and head back home.  While we were cleaning up I noticed what looked like some shreds of cardboard coming out from under this door.  Remember when I said we saw Templeton run through the house?  Well, scurrying under this door was about the only place he could have disappeared to, so I tried to block in the bottom with a doormat and boxes, and it seems like I succeeded.

While people were finishing cleaning and packing, Andrew helped Grayson play some Mario.  What a great cousin!  I would put a call out to the ladies, but he's currently taken!  Mackenzie put together a super awesome video from our Bear Lake vacation that you can check out here!

Originally, Monica was planning to stay a little longer in Utah, and so I planned a LAN party for Friday night after I got home.  Since Monica and the kids ended up coming home with me, I had to cancel the sleepover, and move our plans upstairs to our exercise room.  It actually worked out great, so I guess my family being out of town is no longer a prerequisite for a LAN party.  I also did a bit more planning and prep and made badges, gave everyone lanyards, and 3d printed award pins for whoever won the different games.

And lastly, Jelly was very happy to have us home after 3 weeks.  In fact, at dinner she sat on my lap, and laid her head on my arm.  This is very rare, and I can't remember the last time she's done it, but it did mean I had to eat one handed, which I was okay with.

We had a lot of fun in all our summer travels, but it's good to be back home and have a chance to recover.  I am tired, and could use a good night's sleep!