That Dam Water

We drove up to Cache Valley last weekend to celebrate Aunt Dani’s birthday and to say goodbye to Lance who is leaving for medical school this week. We won’t get to see him again for at least a year. Boo! To make sure he was sent off in style, we hauled the wave runners up and invited everyone (including Eric and his family) to Hyrum Dam for some water fun. I’ve been to many lakes in Utah, but I’ve decided that Hyrum Dam is my favorite for a low-key jet skiing destination. The water was perfect, we claimed the only available stretch of sandy beach in the joint (the water is super high this year), and because we were early birds there weren’t too many people around to to get in our way. And, as an added bonus, at Hyrum Dam you get to say things like…”Isn’t this the best dam water you’ve ever jet skied on?” Or…”I’m pretty sure this is the best dam beach for miles around.” I love Hyrum Dam!

Our day was perfect. Not just because we got to swear a little, but because the company was awesome. Family is the best.

Lance even brought his superpower, telephoto lens and let me attach it to my camera. I loved taking pictures with it. Thought I’d share a few…

This has been a breakout year for the boys. We’ve had the jet skies for three years now and they have wanted nothing to do with them…until now. Especially Jeffrey. This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows him well, but he LOVES to drive and he’s insane when he does. Luckily one of our jet skies has a slow mode for crazy kids just like Jeffrey. When in slow mode the jet ski will only allow speeds up to 25 mph. Thankfully.

Baby Sam came along too, much to Mary Kate’s delight. She’s obsessed with this baby! She spent more time holding and cuddling him than out on the water. That’s saying something…




…however, she did put Sam down long enough to go out on the water with her dad a time or two. Mike is extremely brave and long suffering to let MK drive him around. He just holds on really tight. This girl has some serious thrill issues.


We were so glad that Cami and Pete were still in town for this extravaganza. Cami still has some time left in Utah (we will see her next week), but Pete went home to Boston on Monday. We’ll miss you Pete!

Pete the Speed Devil

Camille the Triumphant

Calvin the Protected (good thing too because he’s a fair skinned red head like some other kids I know and love)


It was fun having Eric’s family with us. Emily finally made peace with the jet skis and Lydia decided she was a fan too…

This picture of Jenny wins best photo of the day. For some reason, all my best pictures are of Jenny. She’s very photogenic.


I can’t say the same for myself though. I gave my camera to Lance and commissioned him to take some pictures that would make me look like a cool jet skier. This is no way a reflection on Lance’s skills as a photographer, but it was a hopeless assignment. I’m really not the cool type, not even on a fast jet ski. He did his level best, but what these pictures reveal is that I make weird faces when I ride….

Apparently that tendency runs in the family…

This guy, on the other hand, is cute and cool…

And so is this little guy (boogers, cookie crumbs and all)...

We are going to miss Mason terribly, along with his parents who we love very much. I’m beginning to hate that dam medical school! Oh wait…can I say that when I’m not officially at the dam?

Good luck Lance and Dani! We’ll miss you very much.

As a parting gift Lance made a special video about our day. I dare say it’s the best dam video ever made. The best thing about it (other than the fantastic people who star in it and Lance’s amazing plummet off Big Toe at the end) is the lovely soundtrack. If you want to see the original singer of this fabulous song you can click here, but I warn you that you might need a change of pants afterwards.