Lake Powell Fest 2007

Well, it was hot, tight quarters and fun as heck. This is THE group of 2007 survivors. Thanks for the food, laughs, games, stories and memories...

Is there a moral to this story?

The purple fountain appeared at the pinnacle of our stress, downright exhaustion and frustration over the never-ending pool saga. Our pool guy (hereinafter referred to as OPG), let's leave names out of it for the time being, is the creative-type. You know what I'm talking about. Our first sign that things would not go as anticipated should have been when OPG's referrals said, "OPG does great work but is a bit of a challenge to work with". Understatement. We signed our pool contract in January with the promise of swimming in 90 days. We filled the pool on June 27th. What happened? Well, there were County issues, new pool laws that cripple and have absolutely no common sense, and OPG had some personal issues. Well, he actually landed himself in the old gray bar hotel for a while. Needless to say, you only get one phone call a day from that resort and we weren't it. Ugh. OPG finally filled the pool on June 27th-yes, that is 3 full days before our party. The fountain was the only remaining fixture - it was specially designed, custom stained (yes, he thought we would like purple) and installed on June 28th. Have you ever had a moment that borders on shock, anger and hysteria? I speed dialed my husband (he HAD to do SOMETHING) to immediately alert him of the situation. At this point, Chloe voiced her disbelief - we both were teetering - to laugh or cry? Long story short, Mike put on his best diplomatic voice and suggested to OPG that "my wife hates it, it is out of scale, not what we asked for and PURPLE for God's sake?" Feelings schmeelings, I didn't give a rat's a** about OPG's aura that day (which he fiercely protects) and I'm sure I upset it a great deal - (he tattoos his young children - I don't think his kharma is very good anyways) . As you can see from the picture posts, the fountain was replaced by a nice little serene spray that will remain. I've been trying to find the moral to this story. If you see it, let me know.

We Did It

It came right down to the wire but WE Pulled it off. Literally, the last plant was planted as the first guest arrived - thanks to Mike, Dudley, Tim and Juan (who may get the trophy for best party guest ever). The house, backyard and pool are finished...And we got to howl with our friends and family. It has been intense, painful, rewarding and one of those things, that honestly, I can say I never want to do again. As I said to many well-wishers on Saturday, every single detail of our house was debated and agreed upon by Mike and I. Seriously, down to the toilet paper holders. The overwhelming consideration for Mike and I was always: "How will it be when we have our friends and family over". Thanks to everyone for your advice, support, and patience with Mike and I these past couple of years. You made this project meaningful and Our house and hearts welcome you at any time. We are now moving into the slow lane for a mile or so...and even went fishing on Wednesday...

Check it out...