I Feel Refreshed

We are back from a wonderful, relaxing week in Lake Powell.  I have been struggling to find the words to describe just how perfect this trip was.  Perfect in the way of timing.  Perfect in the way of weather.  Perfect in the way of...  just what I needed.

   

I had a lot of time to just sit and think...

  

One of the things I kept thinking while I was there was just how peaceful it was in comparison to the life I left at home.  I went from not having enough minutes in the day, I was so stressed that I couldn't accomplish everything I wanted to do... to having all 24 hours of the day to do whatever I want, including absolutely nothing and I'm not going to lie, that was my choice quite often over the week.  I took a 2 hour nap when we got first got to our spot and I woke up feeling like I had slipped into another world.  It was hard to even fathom how things were back in reality.  Sometimes I would just take an hour or two to lay on the top deck of the houseboat in the heat, under the shade, not to sleep, but to just listen to the water softly ripple along the shore and feel the warm breeze flow over my skin.  I had no reason to get up, the only thing I was missing out on was maybe another game of rummy or dominoes.  So I would just lay there with my thoughts until it got too hot.  Then I was off for another cruise around the cove in the kayak, which never got old, it only got better every time I went.  There were plenty of rocks to pull up onto and take a dip to stay cool. 

 

I just couldn't take in the beauty of the place enough.  I struggled to find a way to document it.  We took over 500 pictures and I tried to write in a journal a few times, but I came to the realization that it is impossible to capture this kind of beauty in a photo and I just don't have the vocabulary to try and put it into words.  If I tried, it would not sound like my words.  It was the combination of the air, the water, the sounds, the scenery, the company, the smells, the colors...  I could go on and on trying, but it is truly indescribable.

I spent a lot of time thinking of my children and all of the fun I knew they were having at home.  I have been asked a million times by a million people why we don't take our kids on this trip.  To be honest, a lot of it maybe considered selfish, but I don't see it that way.  For one thing, I would be a nervous wreck!  It would not be relaxing at all.  I would definitely come home with a gut ache and more grey hairs!  But the main reason is this is time for Greg and I.  I think it is important to have peace and quite with your spouse and get back down to Earth with just the two of you...  I am claiming it... there is no more romantic place on Earth than Lake Powell without the kids!  It is a trip every couple should take.  A few years down the road, as the kids get a little more independent and A LOT better at swimming, we will start to bring them with us.  But, for now,  I really do think they have a lot more fun at their Grandparents then they would sitting around the houseboat playing cards.  Zach made me laugh when we went to pick him up.  I said "I missed you SO much, I thought of you every single day" he started to cry and said "I didn't think of you even once"  It made me laugh and cry at the same time.  He really did feel terrible that he didn't miss me. 

So I am obviously not going to share all 500 photos, but here are some of my favorites.  Sorry, there are kind of a lot, but it was hard to weed through them...

We arrived at Antelope Point Marina at about 2:30 AM. We were all loaded up on the houseboat by 4 AM. We decided to play dominoes until the sun came up and then we could head out on the lake to our destination. I took this picture of the moon from the marina as the moon was setting and the sun was rising.

We found the perfect spot in a beautiful cove in "Last Chance Bay" We anchored right next to a narrow canyon that was perfect for paddling the kayaks back into. Every evening Greg and I would go drift around. He would fish and I would just relax... some more.

A look at our houseboat from the kayak out in the bay.

Just more kayaking, swimming and chilling out on the rocks.

Every couple of days we would head down lake a ways to find service so we could all call and check in on our kiddies :)

We played A LOT of cards...

... and did A LOT of tubing.

I love the color of the water. It is the reflection from the red cliffs in the background.

Just floating around, what better to do?

Lake Powell glass is hard to pass up, even when your whole body is aching from only wakeboarding once a year.

JJ grilled us up some awesome dinners every single night. I ate way too much, but man was it good!

"Are you ready for your Sexy Drive by?" Sorry, inside joke, but all I can say is there are a very fortunate few who have happened to camped in the same cove as us over the past 4 years... a VERY fortunate few.

Bryan and Annalisa... they are too cute!

JJ and Courtney

The ladies and the guys

and last, but not least, some scenery shots...