Summer Pal Trips-JACKITY LANTERN!!

Just so you know, that last blog, the one about Evi's blessing, it was blog #100 for me. I was thinking about making a bigger deal about it, but I decided not to. I just wanted you all to know that. Like you care, right? Right.

So I bet lots of you were wondering where I was last week. I know, it's SOOOOO hard for you all to go without my brilliant insights and embarrassing confessions. But I'm back, and ready for more confessions.

Anyway, I was gone last week becuase I went on a family vacation to Pal. My mom gave us all an amazing time!! She rented a house boat on Lake Powell for 4 days and all of our family was there. Well most all of the family. Marcelo wasn't there, as you already know. It was so much fun with everyone. Let me give you the rundown on who was there: My mom, my brother and his wife and their 5 kids, my sister, her husband and their 3 kids. Myself & Evi, My brother Nate (his wife is in Mexico for her brother's mission homecoming) Julie, Jacob and his girlfriend Clarin. Also there was Tina's (Jeff's wife) brother Dusty, his wife and their little girl. Count it up, that's 22 people.

The houseboat only was supposed to sleep 12! But we made it work. We pulled out mattresses and took them to the roof of the houseboat and we had air mattresses to put out on the floor. Also there was this awesome bench seat for eating and we pulled it out and made it a bed and jammed tons of kids on that. I was blessed enough to get my own room. I thought I would need it becuase I would have a nighttime screaming baby. Not so!! My baby was actually the most behaved of all the kids!! And that trip actually got her jump started into sleeping through the nights again. Granted it was in my bed with me, but she was sleeping.

Anyway, Sarah and I were in charge of the food. We did forget a few things like enough enchilada sauce and I think we should've had more water. And there was one other thing we forgot. I can't remember what it was. But we had the perfect amount of food. Not too much, and not too little. The funny thing is that Jules and my mom said that they felt like they did nothing but eat junk food the whole time there. However, Sarah and I BOTH said that we felt like we didn't buy any junk food!! I mean I bought a tub of licorice and a box of fruit snacks, and that's it!! Usually that will only last a day at our normal family reunions. But it was good that we didn't have it, otherwise I might've been tempted to eat it.

But we had just enough food. And I don't know if you've ever planned food for 22 people for 4 days, but it's not easy. Add that to the fact that we were NOT able to "run down" to anywhere and grab something if we forgot it. So if we forgot, we were S.O.L. and had to do without. My mom was running on HIGH stress at this time and that's why she asked Sarah and I to take care of the food. It wasn't fun! But I can understand why she asked us to do it. And now I feel prepared for next time.

The only people missing was Marcelo and Denisse, and my dad. But he was there in spirit. By spirit I mean his evil spirit lurking around. Pissing everyone off before they went on the trip. And there was plenty of dad talk while we were there. This is what the final result of that talk was: It is confirmed that my dad doesn't care about his kids or his grandkids. He didn't want to see Sarah's kids, and he didn't come to my baby's blessing. Also, my dad is crazy. I can't tell you all the ways he is crazy, but believe me his mind doesn't work like a normal person's. I mean what rationally thinking person would get a letter from his daughter inviting him to his grandchild's blessing and he calls back her HUSBAND to decline. Uh, I think the letter came from me, crazy. Oh, and he still hasn't seen Evi. Nor has he expressed any interest to see her. Again, if that's not craziness, I don't know what is.

Anyway, Pal was fantastic. Jeff brought his boat, we had our jet skis, and there was of course the houseboat. Things were a little hot and humid (we were surrounded by water, remember?) and some nights were HORRIBLE to sleep through the mugginess. And it seemed to never get any cooler. But like I said, I got my own room and the second night we found a fan in my room and we turned it on. AAAAHHHH cool air. And my baby had no problem sleeping through the night like I said before. And she also loved being in the water!! I'm not kidding!! She loved it!! I took her in 3 different times, and each time she loved it more.

Well, enough Pal talk. Let's see some pictures, shall we?

This is the little girl in the water.













Doesn't she just look so happy there? I'm actually giving her a bath in this picture cause she needed it. She got a little bit of heat rash from, well, the heat!! And the bath cooled her right off.

And here is a picture of all of us on the back of the house boat. This was a great time. We were all running around because we had to drive Sarah and her family into the dock, so we only got to take one picture on my camera. But I think it's a pretty good one, no?





























And here are some pictures of where we camped and the rock formations around where we were. It was very beautiful. (That's my niece Rayce in the photo. That bathing suit had to be peeled off her at the end of the week)

And finally, here is the little girl in her swimming suit.















Isn't she adorable? I Love LOVE the little rash guard and shorts combo. It's the only modest bathing suit I could find in the whole store, I swear. Every other suit was a bikini!! For BABIES!! They are marketing bikini's for 18 month year olds! Why stop there? Why not just give them a tramp stamp and bottle of vodka at birth and let the "Girls Gone Wild" producers at her? Teach her as young as possible that her body is a sexual tool and she must use it to get whatever she wants. As as swim teacher for years, I would see these little girls in bikinis and wonder where their parents were that would let them wear such things. It's unconscionable and uncalled for. And thus concludes my chastity rant for the day.

If you are wondering, I plan on only letting my girls wear swim team/Speedo type suits once they get big enough to fit in them. (I can't find any this small right now). Or I'll just be like my mom and make our bathing suits. Yes, my mother made all my bathing suits growing up. When we were on the swim team, we just had to do without the fancy expensive swim team suit. Ohhhh, how I coveted them!! But she did make my younger brother a mini-bun hugging Speedo. A "banana hammock" of sorts. She cut up a pair of his underwear as a pattern. Oh man, I miss the good old days when my mom was making our clothes and trying to pass them off as "cool." Good times being poor.

Anyway, that little suit of hers kept her warm in the water and kept the sun off of her. I didn't take one with the hat, but that's because she kept dipping her head down and you couldn't see her face. And on the right are my cousins and brother and Clarin dancing to some booty shaking song. I don't remember what it was . . .oh wait, I do. It was "My humps" by Fergie. Good booty shakin' times on the the house boat.















And this last one is of us on the houseboat playing cards. Notice my head sticking out the side door. That was my room. And this is Evi looking at Marcelo when she got home. She really missed him. And he was happy that he could still make her smile.

So that was it!! I was so glad I didn't get sunburned the whole time I was up there. I can't say the same about everyone else, but I know my way around a good bottle of sunscreen. I will NOT die of cancer. I would rather live a very long (howbeit lily-white and pasty) life where I can see my kids and grandkids grow old.

Here's to more Pal trips!! WHOO HOOO!!

Oh, I forgot to put the story behind the title!! See my sister's oldest boy, Jack is freaking hilarious. He kinda has a light lisp and the greatest imagination. So we were all in the water bobbing around the back of the houseboat and he was going down the slide off the back. And he would like hold the sides of the slide as he went down and it would make a horrible squeak and it sounded like it really hurt. So I told him to put his hands up when he went down. You know, to reach maximum velocity, critical mass, etc.

And then he says "When I go down, I'm going to say something from Halloween. (Starting to slide) . . .JACKITY LANTERN!!!" Oh my gosh, It was awesome!! He got such a great response on that one, that he decided to go down AGAIN and do another Halloween vignette. It went like this. (Looking over shoulder) "Oh no!! He's chasing me!" (climbing up on slide) "I've got to get away" (Irrationally bobbling head as if he were scared and then using his hands to imitate bulging eyeballs. Which apparently is a necessity when you are running for your life on Halloween. Then he climbs on slide and says. . .) "I have to get away!! Agghh" And water entry.

Jack was the entertainment for the whole weekend. He "broke" the news of my sister's pregnancy but stopped halfway through the middle of the announcement because he didn't know if he could tell the secret yet. So he ran back and got the clear to launch and came back and finished the announcement. And he would write us letters. Very good letters with clear plots and lots of suspense. Really, he is very smart for a 5 year old. And he's hilarious when he gets so exhausted. He tries to bargain and make up ridiculous claims and requests. Oh, it's good times.

Anyway, that's the explanation around the title. Here's wishing you all a good JACKITY LANTERN!!