07.14.2008: THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

Did I forget to mention that I have the most wonderful parents in the world???

THANK YOU MOM & DAD.....

for making this houseboat trip possible...AGAIN....as well as for most of the last 30 posts of activities that I have written about so far!!!!

You are loved & appreciated by many...especially us!!!

Thank you....
:)

07.14.2008: Houseboat Trip - Day 4

Day 4...time to go home. :(

When we woke up in the morning, there were 2 men climbing on the big rock in front of the boat. They were, what we thought, stealing bird eggs. But they ended up coming over to our camp and Dad went to talk to them...they were doing a documentary on bird poop...or something to that effect! Haha! I didn't catch all the details....

Scott & Dad took advantage of the glassy water and got a couple good rounds of skiing in. Kids, yup, swam. We cleaned up, sunned some more, procrastinated on the whole leaving thing.

On the ride back to the marina, we took advantage of emptying out the fridge....which also meant emptying out 2 bottles of wine that were not drank...yet! Some of us went up top, while poor Scott stayed downstairs and drove...and finished off some of the wine we had. YYYUUUUMMMMOOOO!!!! What a way to end a great weekend!!!!

We CANNOT wait for next year!! :)

07.13.2008: Houseboat Trip - Day 3

Day 3 brought more relaxing, sunning, swimming, etc.... The boys perfected their Baywatch routines....the slide got lots of use...those that didn't want to slide, just jumped off the top of the boat....more waterskiing, more SeaDoo-ing...more GORGEOUS sunsets!!!! The evening was a little more uneventful....even though when Mom & Dad took Brent, Gina & Bill back to the marina, they were told a HUGE storm was coming in. We buckled down, put everything away, got a drink and waited....and waited...and waited. We were almost looking forward to something exciting happening, but glad it really didn't. We got another great sunset, and a relaxing evening watching the kids...do what they do best....SWIM!

Never a dull moment!!!!

07.12.2008: Houseboat Trip - Day 2, Take 2

So, I felt the night of Day 2 deserved it's own post.....


About 11pm, it started storming....meaning thunder, lightening, and a lot of wind!! Oh, a downpour or two here & there. Vince, Drake, Chris and I were sleeping up top...Mom & Dad on the front, and Gina & Bill up on shore. All about the same time, we congregated in the living room to regroup and claim new sleeping spots. After all getting downstairs, Scott came running out yelling HELP! The boat had broke loose and was floating away..... Ok, not really, but we did break loose and we all jumped out to hold the ropes until they could re-secure the thing. That took about 30mins or so....


Then, as soon as we were all snug and secure, we went back to bed. About an hour later, someone again noticed that we weren't really where we were supposed to be. The other side broke loose and we had drifted up on a rockbed. GREAT! More wind, rain, and waves. The prop was bent and sitting on the rocks. After more this & that...pulling & pushing, we got it secure again. By this time we were all exhausted, but really not feeling too sure about going back to sleep again for fear of just being work up in a few hours.


That time, we lasted thru the night....thank goodness!! :)

07.12.2008: Houseboat Trip - Day 2

Sooooo, did I mention all the fishing that would be done over the course of the trip?? Everyone took part...including the same fish...over & over again! Just kidding...although I did recognize a few of those little guys getting reeled in more than once!

I also forgot to mention that the infamous "man-tube" was inflated & well used. Although it was more of a boob-tube this trip. Not too many of the guys actually made it on....hmmm...how come???

Oh...Yukon...this was his first lake trip as well. I think he will become a regular as well. He LOVED all the water, swimming, etc!!!

Day 2 also brought cliff jumping....tubing, of course...more fishing.....Drake & Andrew's baywatch tryouts....more fishing....waterskiing....SeaDoo-ing....Vince's special chicken & sausage...more fishing....rock skipping contests....yes, that is right...rock skipping contests!! What we do to keep ourselves entertained!! I have yet to mention the nightly happy hours sponsored by our bartender, Bill. We didn't have any "french fry" drinks this trip....however we had some damn good margaritas, pina coladas, sex on the beach....and a few others that I cannot rightfully recall! Oh, and of course cases & cases of beeeeeeer!

After dinner & the hair washing off the back of the boat, we had a little fireworks show put on by the boys. The finale was more show than firework, but that is just part of the fun of having too much to drink. And what would a real lake trip be without a full Durbin moon???

And another GORGEOUS sunset!!!!

07.11.2008: Lake Mead Houseboat Trip - Day 1

Here we go....Day 1 of the annual Lake Mead Houseboat Trip!

I am breaking up the days this time because there was just sooooo much that happened on the trip! Friday we disembarked out of Caulville Bay sometime in the morning-ish hours. Scott was our captain this year...and Kenny was the first mate (most of the time...I got to drive for a bit since Kenny took off on the SeaDoo without getting Scott's approval first!) This was Drake's first trip, and Scott's first in about 10 years! The rest of us were the usuals. :)

We found a GREAT beach....probably one of the best since we have been going to Mead. It was a nice cove, HUGE, perfect sand & beach, nice drop-off, beautiful mountain views, enough room for all the toys....no complaints!!! So, we tied up the boats, got in the water, and relaxed. The little ones began their quest to spend as much time in the water as possible. And they did well!!

Gina and Bill drove out to Temple Bar later in the day so Mom, Dad, and Andrew went to go pick them up. Brent came in later that evening as well. So, after all the shuttling to the dock and back, we were all there and ready to have fun for a few days.

Oh - and I need to mention that each day had GORGEOUS sunsets!! So, there are more than the usual number of pics of the sunsets and views. Just couldn't help it!