Every year my ward hosts a summer trip and I hadn't ever been able to go either because of work or I was already out of town. But this year I made sure I was available to go! The trip was to Lake Powell, and one of my friend's family owns a houseboat that they graciously shared with our entire ward.
Their houseboat is absolutely gorgeous, and was the perfect setting for a fun filled weekend at the lake.
Sleeping arrangements included anywhere you could find, floors, couches, deck chairs etc. Me and 4 of my friends picked this spot on the second floor in the front of the boat. It was the perfect spot, it was screened in and we got to see the sunrise every morning.
There were two slides off the back of the boat which were huge hits with the crowd!
There was one enclosed, air conditioned floor that had several bedrooms. These rooms were reserved for the family that owned the boat and the bishopric's families.
There was also a nice kitchen and living room area on that floor which was a nice place to relax and cool down after a long day in the hot sun.
There was a snack cupboard that was always stocked with all kinds of snacks that we all had access to the entire trip, which was one of those things that turns a good trip into an amazing trip. Our boat hosts had truly thought of everything!
I had the opportunity to go down a couple of days early to help get everything set up for the ward, we helped organize the groceries, get the boats and jet skis all gassed up, and such. We also had some extra time to enjoy the boat and get out on the lake a few times before the crowd showed up.
This place is truly one of a kind.
My friends are amazing at wake surfing! It was so fun to be out on the lake, enjoying good music, good company, and cheering on whoever was behind the boat, summer at it's very best.
I was the self designated flag girl. I'm not super into water sports myself, but I love being on a boat and I love cheering on those who love them. So flag girl is my ideal job.
Such a gorgeous view to wake up to every morning!
In order to not overload the houseboat's plumbing system, we weren't allowed to use the bathrooms onboard, so we would take a stroll down to the public restrooms at the end of our pier. They were pretty luxurious!
After a couple of days of having the entire boat just to our little set up crew, the rest of the ward began to show up. It was so fun to be able to greet everyone as they arrived! I can't remember the actual count of how many people were able to come, but here is an idea of the kind of party we were having. (we didn't wear our shoes on the boat to help keep it nice and clean)
Hanging out on the boat with everyone was a total blast, there was always something fun to join in on. Paddle boarding, swimming, floating, lily pad wars, water slides, and water games at the back of the boat. Cards games and treats inside with air conditioning, or just relaxing, enjoying the beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, fun company, and good conversation.
When we weren't on the houseboat, everyone had the opportunity to go out on a boat and wake surf, wake board or tube or take one of the 6 jet skis out for a ride. I was so impressed with how well organized all the activities were. Our activity co-chairs did an awesome job creating time slots and sign up sheets so that everything ran smoothly and everyone got a chance to do all the activities everyday.
Me and my friends especially loved going out on the jet skis, we were able to sign up and ride tandem so all 5 of us could go at the same time.
We decided to be brave and try tubbing, we told our boat driver to go easy on us since he had the reputation to really give an exciting ride .... He was nice and did go nice and slow for us so we were able to hang on for quite a while.
Every night we would have an hour long devotional from the leadership of our ward, it was great to bring a spiritual aspect to our weekend.
On the last day of our trip, we signed up to go on the very first boat, early in the morning. We had gained a reputation for sleeping in, so there were doubts whether we would actually make it on time or not. But we surprised everyone and made it on the boat by 7 am! I may or may not have woken up 5 minutes before ...
Waking up so early was worth it, being the first ones out on the lake with a front row view of the sunrise over the water was incredible.
After a week long, nonstop party, it was time to say goodbye to our wonderful houseboat and the gorgeous lake. I had driven down with Jess and Jin and we were some of the last ones to leave after helping clean up and making sure everyone got on the road with all their stuff.
My car made it as far as the entrance to the marina before completely dying in the middle of the road. I was shocked! I had offered to drive because my car was in such good condition is always the best road trip car and now me, Jess and Jin were stranded on the side of the road in 100 degree heat.
Luckily, there were still a few groups leaving the marina from our ward, so it was only a matter of minutes before we had three cars pulled over with lots of people trying to figure out a solution. A couple of people ran to the convince store for us and brought back a big bag of treats and drinks to make sure we didn't get hungry or dehydrated while we waited for a pick up truck. I sent Jin home with another car while Jess stayed with me so I wouldn't be alone. Blake drove by and offered to take some of our luggage so that we wouldn't have to worry about leaving anything valuable in my car at mechanics shop and to make sure we made it home with all our necessities.
Even though it totally sucked that my car broke down, I felt so grateful fo all the circumstances in which it happened. I'm grateful we didn't break down on the main highway, I'm grateful we broke down where it was easy for people from the ward to see/find us, I am grateful for everyone who stopped to help us, I am grateful for Jess and her support and friendship and offering to stay with me even though it meant she didn't know when she would be able to get home.
Stephanie from our ward was able to get us a free tow from the marina entrance to the tiny town of Page, Arizona which was about 20 minutes away. There was some confusion about when/ if a tow truck had been sent out, so it took a couple of hours for someone to show up.
We had it towed to B & L Automotive mechanic shop in Page. The shop was down a sketchy looking alleyway, and it was a pretty small, rugged looking shop and I was a little worried about what we had gotten in to, But they were so amazing to work with. The owner, Mike took such good care of us and let us hang out at the shop and play with his cute dogs even though they were closed for the day, while we waited for Natalie and Bethany to come pick us up. They were the last ones to leave the boat and had extra room in their car, and offered to give us a ride home. We were so relieved to be able to get home that same night, we had gone through so many different plans and scenarios and some included spending extra days at a hotel in either page or St. George, which was stressful. So to be able to get home safely that same night was such a blessing.
A little puppy therapy was very much needed at this point.
Mike called me the next day and said from what they could tell, my car would be needing a huge repair, they had discovered my timing belt was shredded so they replaced it, started the car and the new belt was shredded in 60 seconds, not good. There was major issues with the engine. So Mike said, while they could do the needed repairs, it would most likely be thousands of dollars cheaper if I could get it to a dealership and have them handle the repairs. I was so grateful to Mike for looking out for me and helping me get a better deal even if it meant losing business for him.
So we called Honda, to see what they could do to get my car to the closest dealership in St. George and how much everything would cost. Praise to my dad for getting an extended warranty on my car because that meant EVERYTHING was covered, everything! They were able to tow from Page to St. George and put in a new engine, an engine that was used, but had fewer miles on it than my old engine, so in a way it was an upgrade.
It took about two weeks for all the repairs to be done and for my car to be ready to be picked up, my dad let my borrow his car for those two weeks so I would still be able to work and get around town, while he and mom shared the van. Again, so grateful. When my car was finally ready to be picked up, I was able to fly to Cedar City, and have Alexis pick me up and drive me to St. George. We made a stop in downtown Cedar City to grab lunch at an adorable pizzeria.
The airport in Cedar is so small and adorable, it didn't even feel like an airport at all. I had brought my computer to do some editing while I waited for Alexis to get off work and make the drive to pick me up.
Our pizzas were so amazing! Those are big dollops of creamy, ricotta cheese and mine is drizzled with honey.
For dessert, we picked up a couple of goodies from the French Spot. Angie and Laura had told us to stop here because their food and treats are so amazing. Cedar is a surprising hot spot for foodies, there were almost too many good options of where to stop to get lunch.
After lunch, we drove to the dealership to pick up my car, then went back to Alexis' house to hang out for a little while. It was so much fun to get to spend time with Lex in person, we talk almost every single day, but only get to see each other like once a year. So again, another hidden blessing of this whole fiasco.
Needless to say, this trip to Lake Powell will be one that I never forget. Before all the car drama, it was such an unforgettable week on the lake with so many awesome people!