Flaming Gorge 2022

I can't believe we've reached the end of summer! Each year, I experience the same mixed emotions. I'm sad to say goodbye to the carefree days of summer, but I'm ready to welcome back the routine (and sanity) of the school year. But, before welcoming back that peace and sanity, we spent one more crazy weekend enjoying the last of summer at Flaming Gorge. This year we had a smaller group with us. In fact, it was just our little family minus Laurin, Casey, Carter, and Everly...and plus one of Amber's friends, Sarah. All in all, there were only 8 of us. I was a little sad that we didn't have any of the Irons with us or Scott or Kaia, but even with a smaller group, we still had the maximum amount of fun. We got there on Thursday (August 11th) with enough time to set up camp, grab a quick bite to eat, then head out on the lake for a couple of hours. This time, it was just the boys and I; Jacob, Amber, and Sarah hadn't arrived yet. We went straight for the bridge to do some cliff jumping before Danny and Dallin took some time surfing. All the boys were in heaven! Jonas was just content to swim. The first time he jumped in, he exclaimed, "The water's thick!" We are not sure what that meant, but we know he loved being in it. He wasn't really interested in getting on a board that night, but Danny introduced him to what we affectionately called "bubble jumping" and he LOVED it! Basically, Jeff just takes off and the boys jump in the "bubbles" created from the boat's wake. I'm sure the boys would have stayed on the water all night if they could have, but once it started to get dark, we pulled the boat into the marina for the night.

The next day (Friday, August 12th), we started the day on the river. We grabbed our raft and a couple kayaks and floated the river twice. I always enjoy this day. The river is so pretty and it's just a slower day. When we're on the boat, the kids want to crank up the music and it's always go, go, go with the water sports. I love watching them on the boards and I'm ok with the music (sometimes it's louder than I would like), but there's just something about slowing things down and enjoying some physical activity as we paddle down river. Of course, we stopped at a few rocks so the kids could jump, and of course, there were a few water fights, but all in all, I just enjoyed slower pace.

That evening, after we returned the rafts and grabbed dinner, we sped things up a bit and went back out of the lake for a couple hours before the sun set. Jonas did more "bubble jumping" and the boys surfed. Jacob wasn't feeling well all weekend so he either opted to stay at the camp or just chilled on the boat. Amber and Sarah were just content to enjoy the boat that night as well.

However, the next day (Saturday, August 13th), the girls joined the boys on the boards. It was a first for both Amber and Sarah to get up on a wake or surfboard. They were pretty excited!...and so was Jonas! Yup! He actually decided to give it a try. Danny jumped in the water to give him some pointers and help him get up...and he did! I was screaming pretty loud when he finally popped up. He did it about 3 times. I was so proud of him for trying and even more excited to see him succeed. Dallin also jumped in the water with Amber to help her out. I'm grateful for kids who love and support each other. My mama heart smiled wide as I watched them help each other out. They may have their disagreements (and that can be putting it mildly at times), but they are always there for each other. The kids also found places to do a little cliff jumping and swimming as well. Jacob stayed home during the morning, but we picked him up at the marina mid-afternoon. We found a couple of places that he could go fishing. The kids jumped on the rocks with him the first time, but Jonas was the only one to join him during his second time/location fishing. We stayed out as long as we could on the lake. No one was in a hurry to end the fun. Finally, we pulled the boat off the lake and headed back to camp. We spent the evening playing games, grabbing ice cream, and just hanging out. Sunday morning (August 14th) we enjoyed a yummy breakfast, some more games, and a gospel discussion before finally packing up and heading home. It was a more somber ride home as everyone realized this was our final weekend of summer break. Summer 2022 has been a blast!