Scrambled Thoughts V (part 1)

1.  Life goes on.  Even when you're sick.
 

I wasn't actually sick when I took all of the photos in this post.  But I got sick before they were edited, and something about Photoshop made me dry-heave every time I opened it... so picture editing was put on major hold.   The nausea is halfway gone now... Photoshop leaves me alone, but something about all of these Utah pictures still gets to me.  Unfortunate, I tell you.  Nothing like seeing my dad's smiling face in a photo and feeling like running to the bathroom.  But I care too much about these pictures and some of the stories behind them to let them go untold... so, bring on the nausea!

2. It was a good thing we asked the lady toting a $2500 camera with a $1000 lens popped onto it to take our picture.  

Who else would have known that we cared more about the carpet ten feet in front of us than Christ's head?

Here we are... sitting in the very spot where Brian nervously gained courage to grab my hand for the first time over 10 years ago.  I'm pleased with how our lives have gone since, but Brian's face here seems to suggest his feelings might be different.  His thought bubble would probably say something like, I've made a terrible mistake.

3. There is no way to ruin a Lake Powell trip. 

Especially if you're surrounded by some of your very favorite people on the planet.  The kids and I met up with a few old NC friends who have since moved to Utah and Arizona, and camped on the shores of Lake Powell.  Husbands couldn't make it (Brian was already back in NC, Jason couldn't get away from work, and Merrill was only able to spend one of the two nights with us), so we three women braved the camping with our 13 collective children alone.  The kids had a blast reconnecting...

...but I think we women had even more fun catching up on the troubles and triumphs of our hearts.  How terribly sad that I didn't ask one of the kiddos to snap a picture of us.  Oh, how I love them!  They made the whole trip possible... Brooke, packing food for my whole family; Cami coming up with the brilliant idea of meeting at Lake Powell in the first place and securing a campsite for us all.  Thanks, again, ladies!

Miles and Ty hit it off quickly when they discovered their mutual love of a football.  They played...

 ...and played...

...and played and played and played and played and played.

The last day we were there tried hard, but unsuccessfully, to ruin the vacation for us.  The wind picked up and blew our canopy, upside down, into the lake, and stung our faces with the sand it whipped up.  Also, McKenzie almost drowned and I sliced the bottom of my toe clear to the bone while rescuing her.  Kept me awake at night and then gave me nightmares for a month, I tell you (the near drowning part... not the toe part).  I can't decide whether I want to write about it so I don't forget, or if I want to keep it inside my head so I do.  *shiver*  Maybe I'll compromise and jot down the lessons learned instead.  1) Don't let your beginning/moderate swimmer go swimming off after an AWOL rubber duckie that is far away from the shore.  2) If she doesn't respond to you when you ask if she's okay, then she's not.  3) If you think of it, watch where you're stepping so you don't slice your toe open while you're running into the lake.  4) Don't exert all of your energy getting out to her... you'll need some left to get her back.  5) Don't try to calm her once you reach her - it won't work, and you might both just drown if you waste the time.  6) Swimming like a dolphin with her on your back is not the most effective way to carry a panicked swimmer.  After clearing my head I realized I should have wrapped one arm around her and backstroked back to the shore.  Probably slower, but I could have kept breathing that way.  7) Don't forget to thank the Lord in your prayers that night that your friend was watching and caught the problem in enough time.  8) Drowning is so silent.  So very silent.  No splashing, no yelling, no desperate cries for help.  Just silent, panicked thrashing underneath the water.  Watch those precious children...

Funny... all the sudden I don't feel much like continuing.  I think I'll go play a game with my kiddos instead and soak in their energy and happiness.  Especially Kenz.  This episode of Scrambled Thoughts, to be continued...