Planes, Trains & Automobiles...well, almost!

Chad and I traveled via plane, boat and car to get to one of our favorite vacation spots...LAKE POWELL! We spent 5 days of bliss hanging out on a house boat, skiing, wake boarding, laying out, and spending time with family. Although at times things can get a bit crowded (50+ people sharing two house boats for a week) it was so much fun. And, even after more than 12 straight hours of traveling each way...and being forced to sleep a night in the Boston airport...the life of flying standby...we both agreed that it was worth it.

Chad's family has been going to LP every year since the beginning of time...well, for more than 20 years, and that's a pretty long time! Living in Florida makes it tough to coordinate schedules, but we did it this year. (One has to be willing to make sacrifices for the things they love!)

We were able to stay in LP from Saturday through Wednesday...not too shabby. Plus, we left early enough that we missed all of the family tiffs and quarrels. :-) LOL! Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it the whole trip without causing a little T-R-O-U-B-L-E. (surprise, surprise!)

Let me give you the cliff notes version. First, a little background info. I love to run. And I particularly love to run at LP. You can go in your swimming suit, get all sweaty and dirty, then jump in the lake and cool off. It's fabulous! Well, one night after dinner I felt like taking a little jog. Mind you, I thought there was plenty of daylight left, so I had no reservations about the idea (the first in a series of bad decisions). Off I went with my headphones blasted to enjoy a moment of solitude and release. After reaching my half-way point (or so I thought), I decided it was time to head back to the house boat. After running for a while, I figured I should run to the edge of the cliff and check to see how far away I was to the house boat. Low and behold...I saw no houseboat when I got to the edge of the cliff. WEIRD?? Guess I hadn't run far enough! (FYI- It's hard to tell "exactly" where you are out in the middle of the desert...everything looks the same! Even though you may think you are running in the right direction, you may very well be heading somewhere completely different! Another bad decision on my part!) So, I decide to run for a bit farther...must not have gone far enough yet. After a few minutes, I decide to check on my location again. Second look...I finally see house boats. Unfortunately, not MY houseboat. DANGIT! By this time, I've already been gone longer than I told Chad I would be...he'd probably start to worry. (Not only am I notorious for getting lost AND being clumsy, but I am now trying to run all alone in the middle of nowhere in the DARK. Oops!) So, after about 5 minutes of debating with myself about how to get myself out of this predicament...I decided the smartest thing to do was to humble myself and ask for help. So, I walked through a bunch of bushes and down the sandy cliff to someone else's house boat. After introducing my "bonehead" self and explaining my situation to a boat full strangers, we got on their jet ski to cruise around the lake in search of my missing house boat. Of course, it took us nearly 30 minutes to find it, since I had no sense of direction and no idea where I was! (who'da thought I could run sooo far in the WRONG direction??) Luckily, I eventually made it safe and sound. But, not without ticking my husband and in-laws off a little bit. By the time I finally made it back, I'd been gone more than an hour. It was pitch dark. There was a crew of guys with flashlights walking up the hill in "Debbie Search Teams." Leading the pack...my husband! Not only was he upset with me for being stupid and running too late at night...but he was also worried about me. I felt SO DUMB!! And I felt really badly for making him worry. I learned a good lesson (or two) from this experience, and will hopefully be a little smarter in the future. (But I'm not making any promises.)

Lake Powell...always an adventure, and always a place to make memories. :-)