LP with the Fotheringhams

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No, this is not a repeat post:  we really did go to Lake Powell twice within a month – this time with my family!  I had a crazy week leading up to the Thursday when we left.  I had a “perfect storm” work situation on Wednesday and Zach, sensing my stress level was high, let me go get a manicure and pedicure the night before we left.  Because he’s amazing.  I rewarded him by stopping through the drive-thru at Swig for  Dirty Dr Pepper on my way home.  IMG_3115

We left Thursday around lunchtime and Sloan slept for over an hour in the car in lieu of nap time.  Considering it is a 7 hour drive to Page, AZ on average – we were thrilled she got a decent nap in.  We made a few stops along the way, but made it to LP in record time!  6 hours, almost on the nose.  When we arrived at our rental house [this is something new to us, we usually stay in a hotel] we were blown away by the location.  You could see the dam from the back screen door – along with wild bunnies roaming the grass of the back yard.  bunnies

My parents, brother, and sister-in-law showed up an hour or so after we arrived.  The ladies went to the grocery store to stock up for lunches and dinner, while the men ordered pizza back at the house for dinner.

The next morning Sloan was up bright and early – and we all got fed and out the door around 8:30.  We were on the water quickly and set out through the channel to find a good spot to spend the day. Sloan and I driving

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We had lunch on the water and Sloan got to go tubing with everyone – literally every single member of the family.  Fist pumping and all…IMG_3188

She even took a short nap while I held her as we traveled through the channel. sloan sleeping on boat

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By the end of the day – Sloan was wiped.  She had enough fun in the sun to last her the whole week.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am that she doesn’t hate her life jacket…sloan passed out on boat
That night we pulled off the lake and went to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant.  It was surprisingly good – definitely better than previous dining experiences there.  We put Sloan down for bed once we were home and then spent the rest of the night eating ice cream and watching the Olympics.

The next day we set off for Navajo Canyon.  We decided to give Sloan a try skiing again – even though I was more nervous than ever considering it was behind a boat this time and not a jet ski.  To up the ante even more…it was in the middle of a canyon and not in a quiet little cove.  She wasn’t thrilled at first [she thought that getting off the boat meant she could play on this giant rock island we had pulled up to] but as soon as we got her secured in the ski, my dad sped up and she was as happy as could be.IMG_3227

I wish her smile was more visible beneath he pacifier – I forgot to take it out beforehand – because it really does make her very happy.  At one point she even let go of one hand and was riding cowboy style with a hand in the air. IMG_3229

We took a dip to stay cool after lunch, and Sloan was in heaven.
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I even got to slalom ski – which I haven’t done in about 4 years.  I was just pleased to get up, it is harder than I remember it being a while back. IMG_3236

We didn’t make it too much farther up the canyon until we had a little mechanical issue with the boat.  We spent some time swimming while my dad and brother tried to fix the issue – but we didn’t have any luck.  Luckily, a friendly group of people towed us back to a giant sand bar where we tried to radio into the marina for some assistance.  We didn’t catch anyone – so Zach, Sloan, and I rode back to the marina with that friendly group to send help back to my family in Navajo Canyon.  I was so grateful to that group of people who were kind enough to take us back.  It would have been a long evening stranded on the lake with a hangry toddler if it weren’t for them.  Once we got back to the marina – Sloan and I went back to the house while Zach rode back to Navajo Canyon with a complete stranger he talked [and bribed] into towing my dad’s boat back to Antelope Point.  Sloan and I knew the crew would be exhausted by the time they got back, so before I put her down for bed we ran to Walmart to buy some supplies to make homemade bread.  By the time everyone was back at the house – Sloan was bathed and asleep and I had started dinner.  We were all starving, so steaks, wedge salads, baked potatoes, and homemade bread definitely hit the spot.

The next morning we loaded up and set off for home again.  Sloan was an absolute dream for the 7 hour drive home – as long as we were in the car.  Once we stopped for lunch or bathroom breaks, she let loose and ran absolutely wild in the gas stations.  Like a caged animal.  But as soon as we were back in the car, she was as cool as a cucumber.

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I’m really grateful for this tradition.  I basically grew up on this lake – and coming here every summer with my family left some me with some of my very favorite memories.  I’m so glad Sloan will be able to create memories of her own.  Maybe not THIS year…but in years to come.

 

Back For a Bit

It was nice to sleep in our own beds after being gone for nearly a week in Lake Powell.  Sloan slept in until 9:30 am the morning we got back.  I had to finally go in and wake her up.  Once we were home we all got back into the swing of things.  Zach and I got to have a Date Night mid week after returning home.  We went back to TOPGOLF, where we had an absolute blast.  I was hesitant – because it was 100 degrees outside – but we couldn’t have had more fun. shot

Since being back from LP – I’ve been in a total funk in terms of diet and exercise.  It’s because I bought two containers of Benny and Jerry’s Salted Caramel CORE and polished them off BY MYSELF within this short week and a half period.  It won best ice cream of 2016 – so I gave it a try.  I was hooked after my first bite, I’ll be honest.  So after that whole fiasco I had to get back into a groove again.  I’ve been trying to eat more protein lately.  I find it is easiest to cram it in during breakfasts and found the BEST recipe.  Chicken, sweet potatoes, one egg topped with avocado, cheese, and pico.  It’s a game changer.  shot 1Now if I could just convince this cool chick to eat more protein.  Eggs and grilled chicken are her only compromises so far – but she does eat better if she’s wearing my sunglasses.  Serious.
IMG_2942Zach and I are grilling as much food as possible before the weather starts to get cooler.  We’ve tried a bunch of different things, but our favorite has been grilled shrimp with pineapple salsa.  Topped on sweet corn on the cob:  B O M B!IMG_2941Last Saturday we got to go out for dinner at Caffe Molisse and later saw Bad Moms.  It was actually pretty good.  Zach was the only guy in the theater – but could totally relate to all the mom jokes.  But really…he had popcorn so he could have watched the Little Mermaid and would have been completely content. FullSizeRender Speaking of moms…my friend Whitney became a mom of three recently.  THREE.  Her little Fin is the sweetest – and we got to spend lunch with them this last week.  It was great to spend some time with a few of my girlfriends – and Sloan didn’t hurt [or have much interest in, actually] the new baby.  So that’s a success! IMG_2967 Sloan has been a bit of a cuddle bug lately.  I have a feeling it is because she is going to be getting a few more teeth soon – but I’ll take it regardless.  She’s really into holding hands right now.  It is my favorite.  IMG_2971 Thursday evening I got a call asking if we’d feed the sister missionaries on Friday night.  I had already planned an Olympic themed dinner for the Opening Ceremonies that night – so I figured, why not?  Zach and I were already going to order Cafe RIO [because the Olympics are in Rio, of course] and I was going to get out some festive decor.  Also, there were Olympic cookies…IMG_3019The best part of the whole story was that I had to call the sisters we were feeding to get their food order.  I told the sister all about my plan:  we would eat take out and watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  First, she had no idea that the Opening Ceremonies were even this weekend – and then informed me that they can’t watch TV.  Obviously, I knew this – but it completely skipped my mind amongst all the excitement of the actual event.  It made a lot of sense why she didn’t seem excited for my whole plan of activities.  But that didn’t stop me from getting out the garb and hanging it from the ceiling…
IMG_3026 When the sisters showed up – they were totally flattered that I had thrown this all together for them.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I had already planned it for just the three of us.  But I was worried they would feel left out – so I gave them red white and blue scarves to wear.  Correction:  forced them to wear.  It wasn’t until half way through our meal that I found out that the third sister on the right had only been out in the field for THREE days.  The poor thing was green as could be – from Papa New Guinea – and probably thought we were just the most annoying Americans ever in our USA t-shirts.IMG_3035

That night we stayed up way too late watching the Rio opening ceremonies after Sloan went to bed.  The next morning I got an early morning run in before the three of us went out and about.  We started at City Creek.  We did some shopping and had lunch at the food court.  IMG_3069 We must have worn Sloan right out – because she could barely stay awake during a family cuddle sesh upon returning home. IMG_3072 That night Zach and I had our Date Night – this time we went to Park City for some outlet shopping [which was a total bust, but fun nonetheless] and then had dinner at the J&G Grill.  I had the halibut and it was the best fish I’ve had.  Ever.  Like, I could eat this fish for every meal for the rest of my life.  IMG_3086We haven’t slowed down much since being home – especially considering we are leaving for Lake Powell again with my family in a few days.  So until then we are hitting up the park as much as we can.
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