First Day of Fall!

I have a really hard time believing it is already fall...I'm still sweating in low 90s/upper 80s temperatures on a daily basis. It's finally cool enough at night that I don't have to sleep with the swamp cooling running all night though.

I love fall. It is my favorite season, even though it seems so short (at least in Utah). I am sad that I missed spring, for the most part, this year. It snowed on May 1st and when I moved here 2 weeks later, it was already in the 90s. I will be so sad if I miss fall too. I love it when it is still warm enough to spend time outside, but cool enough to start wearing jackets and sweaters. Not to mention all the colors of fall! Who wants to go hiking when I get home?!

quick check-in

So I'm still alive, just not blogging about anything lately...although I doubt anyone has really noticed. More than anything, blogging this summer has been a great way for me to journal my adventures in Lake Powell.

Anyway, since I started working a second job at the Boat Rentals office, all I really do is work. I'm averaging about 62 hours per week over the last 3 weeks. I am sleeping great at night, I assume because I am exhausted by the time I go to bed, although often my bedtime is as early as 9:30. Its great though because I'm making overtime pay and I really like working at Boat Rentals because I now have "work friends," or people I see every day.

I've done some fun things for the Rec Program too (back to Arches, Capitol Reef, Rainbow Bridge, and Canyonlands) but I am tired and don't have the patience to upload photos right now. I just wanted to check in with the blogging world to let you all know I am still having a blast in Lake Powell, I'm still checking all your blogs, and I'm excited for my move back north. My last day of work is less than 2 weeks away now, and then I get to go boating with my family for my last 3 days in Powell. Woo hoo!

P.S. How cute are my other nieces*?

Izzy-age 3

Lucy-age 3.5 months

*(stolen from Bekah's blog)

another day, another dollar

Today was another one of my fun bi-weekly trips to Grand Junction, CO. Yes, I drive 3.25 hours to go shopping. At least I get paid for it. I get paid to drive and shop. It's actually more tiring than one might think...but I digress.

So I was killing some time waiting for the group to be ready to go to lunch and I decided to browse around Hallmark. Sometimes I like to find funny cards and send them to people. What I noticed for the first time today, is how many random occasions Hallmark (or whoever) has come up with for sending cards. There is a card for just about anything. Some of the ones I remember include (not direct quotes, but the general idea of the card):

"Congratulations on using the potty"

"Sorry about your divorce. It's not an ending, but a new beginning."

"Thinking of you during this sad time" <---the label said "Thinking of You/Miscarriage"

"Congratulations on advancing to the next rank in Girls Scouts"

"Way to go on enlisting in the military"

"I know it's hard sometimes, but stay in school"

Seriously? It was all I could do from laughing out loud at the randomness. Wait, I think I did laugh out loud. My favorite cards are still the ones that play songs though.

I didn't even end up buying a card, but I did enjoy a delicious lunch at Olive Garden with my work friends and got some cute tank tops at the Gap Outlet for $3.97. Overall, it was a good day. Only 28 more days of working at Lake Powell.

P.S. How cute are my nieces?

(stolen from Debi's blog, but I couldn't resist!)

Day off!

Today was the first day off I have had since my visit home for my high school reunion at the first of August...yes, a whole month ago. It was also my last day off until I finish my job contract here at Lake Powell. I wanted to do something fun and then I found out it was a 2-plane day. A 2-plane day means that someone from down lake (at Wahweap) was flying up to Bullfrog for the day and then would need to fly back later the same day. This usually happens when one of the managers has to come up for a meeting or something. Employees can always fly for free any time a plane is coming or going.

So I decided to fly down to Page today and it was so much fun! The flight down is only about 25-30 minutes, but the view of the lake is so awesome! It was so cool to see all the canyons and how far they stretch out beyond the lake. The plane ride didn't make my stomach too happy, but the experience was worth it.

I spent the day in Page and visited Wahweap, saw the Glen Canyon dam (from the shuttle), and did a little shopping before my afternoon flight home. The pilot even made a special loop around Rainbow Bridge so I got to see the aerial view, which was just as cool (and probably cooler) than up close. Flying into Bullfrog was the best part...the view of the marina and everything looking so small was so amazing.

Here are a bunch of pics from my fun day of flying (keep in mind these were taken through the window...so some are a little hazy looking)...enjoy!

Bullfrog Bay from the sky

The wing was in the way a lot, but I thought this one looked cool

Lake Powell

A cool canyon

"down lake" near Wahweap Marina

Me and the airplane I flew in at the airport in Page

Antelope Canyon

Rainbow Bridge...aerial view!

Hole in the Rock

The canyon stretching off into the distance is the Escalante River...somewhere way out there is Coyote Gulch, which I (and some of you) have backpacked through.

Glen Canyon Dam...through the window of the van. I didn't stop because apparently they don't let you takes bags or purses in and since I didn't have a car to leave it in, I decided not to go out to the dam.

Home sweet home! Flying over Bullfrog Marina