Lake Powell part 3

We never did sleep in our tent but the girls enjoyed sleeping under the stars on the top of the boat and I have to admit when I slept up there the last night I was in awe at how amazing it is to see the sky at night. There is something special about seeing a shooting star while laying on boat with your family.

They told us that knee boarding was easier than wake boarding....I'm not so sure about that! David tried it first and bless his heart he tried so hard but could never get up on the board and then he started getting a super bad headache so then it was my turn. After watching him I though there is no way I am doing this but once again I succumbed to peer pressure...and after all this was Fear Factor for April so.....

I got a quick lesson (which to David's credit, never got) and then Jeff so kindly took me to the shore and had me get on the board before he took me into the water. Once I was ready I was supposed to tell him to "hit it". Now let me tell you that my greatest fear is drowning and I plug my nose when I go under water. I specifically had David buy me a nose plug JUST FOR THIS REASON....and on he dropped the ONLY thing I needed on this trip into the lake. Awesome. So now I am getting ready to strap myself to this board, hold on while a speed boat takes off with me attached and at some point in time I am GOING to fall off in to the lake and I am not going to be able to plug my nose before I hit the water. Needless to say I am completley freaking out inside but trying really hard to be brave. And so I strapped myself to the board...said a prayer (yes I am sure that is a bit silly but I am facing one of my worst fears here people!!) and said "HIT IT" and he took off. That board bounced so hard and I held on for what seemed like 30 minutes and then I let go and guess what? I didn't drown (thanks to my life jacket) although I think I held on for more like 30 seconds because we didn't even make it out of the cove we were in but still....I DID IT!!!! And I even went back for a second time...although when I fell off the second time I seriously thought for a second I was going to drown because I felt like the board was on my head and I couldn't get the strap undone and after that I was done.

Jeff was a good sport....David tried it again from off the shore. He strapped himself in and said "hit it" and the boat started moving but the board was stuck in the sand and David went face first into the water. I felt bad for him but it was the funniest thing I think I have ever seen. I wish I would have gotten it on video because I am cracking up just thinking about it. Even though I felt bad that he didn't get to experience knee boarding I was feeling a bit smug that I could do it and he coulnd't :)
After all the work Jeff took us for a ride around the lake. It was beautiful

The girls got to go tubing. Jeff was much slower with them and they really enjoyed it. I even got in and let me tell you even when he goes slow holding on to that thing bouncing on the water is really hard and I screamed like a little girl. Alyssa was so brave and she went on a tube all by herself and I have no idea how she did not flip out. David told her that if she flipped he would jump in with her and so he had his eye on her the whole time waiting for her to flip but she never did. We would yell "you okay? Are you sure?" and she would say "yes I am singing or yes I feel like a rock star!!!" Zhara hated it..it scared her. It was interesting to see how their fears were different. Zhara would jump off cliffs like they were nothing while Alyssa was afraid to go higher than a few feet but Alyssa would ride that tube like it was nothing while Zhara cried the whole time she was on it (although I can't say I blame her....)

We went cliff jumping one more time and the boys pressured me into jumping from the highest part, which was about 25 feet but it looked more like 100 as I looked down at the water I felt like I was going to hyperventilate but David was going with me so he said "I will count to three like this" only I didn't hear the "like this" part and I jumped by myself when he said 3 and so I had to do it again so we could go together!!!
Lastly we had to have some time on the slide off the boat and they talked me into doing it...and doing it without my life jacket. Ahhhhh!!! I have to say that as it threw me into the air and then as I fell into the water it was actually pretty darn fun and we all did it over and over.

This was an amazing trip and I am so glad we were invited to join them and grateful that my parents watch our little ones so that we could go. I will always cherish this trip because I put my fears aside...as scary as it was and I did things I never ever thought I would do. We made some amazing memories and I am so glad we took the girls out of school for 5 days to go!!!