Big Surprise

The trip home from Lake Powell was fairly uneventful and we made it home in good time.  When we got home we decided that the unpacking would wait a day; after all, that's why we came home on Saturday instead of Sunday.  We grabbed the necessaries for the evening and headed inside.  When I got to my bedroom door, it was closed, which was weird because we always leave it open for the cats.  Then I saw a sign taped to the door telling me that both Pat and I had to go in the room together because there was a surprise inside from my parents, with help from my sister.

My mom had been working on a new quilt for us because the one she made for our wedding was falling apart, and I new she was close to finishing with it, so I thought that would probably be inside, but I didn't know what my dad and sister would need to do to help with that, but all I had to do to find out was open the door.  Now, to show you what I left my room looking like, here are some pictures:

 

And this is what it looked like when I opened the door:

 

I was just blown away.  Everything was perfect, and put together better than I could ever do on my own.  Our quilt came out amazing, and all the pillows she made to go with it were just right.  The brightly colored vases and plates matched beautifully.  The blue wall was just the right touch to make things stand out.  The painted furniture was just the right style, and the chandelier was gorgeous.  I really love the jewelry holder, which I'm assuming my sister made since she has one just like it.  And I have curtains now!

It was such a great surprise and I wasn't expecting any of it.  Pat knew they were doing something because he had to make sure they had a way into the house, but he didn't give me any clue.  This is to be my birthday and Christmas present this year, but I can't think of anything better.  It really made my day better after it started out so disappointingly. 

Thank you Mom, Dad and Kait!  You guys are the best family anyone could ask for!

Lake Powell Continued

 

 

Pat doing his good deed and cleaning trash off the beach.

 

We stopped at ate lunch at this restaurant on the water at Antelope Point Marina.  Really good!

 This ragtag bunch of ducks came by to beg for scraps off our table.

We did the short hike out to horseshoe bend on the Colorado below the dam.

We stopped at the dam visitor center.  They are watering the grass down below.

Friday morning we went into town to play their disc golf course.  We just started playing and this was the first course we used our own discs on (we had been borrowing from friends).  The rocks were really hard on them, the course was confusing, and there was broken glass everywhere.  Not ideal.

Friday night a killer storm blew over!  It was really pretty just before the storm hit, and of course we didn't have the camera with us.  We got back to shore pronto and played games in the trailer while we waited for it to pass.

We had lots of sunshine and good food, played lots of games, and did a lot of relaxing.  It was a really great week.  I can't wait to go back again!

Lake Powell

Our week long vacation was a great getaway.  It started out a little rocky, with a flat tire on the way down, but turned out to be very beautiful and relaxing.  This is the first week long vacation we have taken in almost two years, and we needed it.  We stayed on the beach at Lone Rock, which is very close to Wahweap Marina in Page, AZ, with my in-laws.  They got there a few days early, which was fortunate because it filled up quickly as Labor Day weekend approached.

Their RV had a beachfront parking spot, and we pitched our tent right behind it.  There was a little channel on the side that was deep and perfect for boat parking, and the beach out front stayed shallow for a long way and was perfect for playing in the water.

 Home sweet home

View from the front yard

View down the beach

We did a lot of relaxing.  We only ended up wakeboarding once.  We spent several days out on the water exploring canyons and swimming in fun spots.

Checking the map for our destination

 

One of the beautiful sunsets we got

 Giant dog pile in the boat!

Really have to watch for those rocks in the middle of the lake

The dogs had a lot of fun.  We really tired them out swimming, chasing lizards and crows, and playing with the neighbors' dogs.  They'll probably sleep for a week!

To be continued...

August Book List

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong - 359 pages
Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn - 307 pages
Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole - 417 pages
Something Deadly this Way Comes by Kim Harrison - 245 pages
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong - 325 pages
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater - 308 pages
Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance - 419 pages

TOTAL - 7 Books - 2,460 pages

I finally started catching up on my giant pile of books waiting to be read.  Hopefully I can continue the trend and actually be caught up with library books soon.  At least until more new books come out anyway.  I'm in the middle of so many different series now that a new book comes out at least once or twice per month.