Happy Memorial Day!

Swimming fun was on the ticket for our holiday. It was a great afternoon in the sunshine.

Derek and Jake arrived a little later because they went on a hike before.

In the pool with lots of other people, playing games and cooling off.

We staked a great spot in the corner next to the firepit and kept adding more chairs as people arrived.

Jake and Jensen with their vintage colored suits!

Jensen and his cute fiance Quincey will be getting married in July.

Derek and Jake challenged some of the girls to a backward swim using only their arms. It was hilarious to watch them struggle not to sink.

Or run into the side wall. Jake was the winner for sure!

BBQ at our house after swimming and we broke out Grandpa's lemonade stand. 

Derek made his infamous rhubarb crumble.

Sara presented Grandma with a new apron that she made in sewing class at school. Grandma was thrilled because it's the same colors as her kitchen.

Everyone enjoyed lawn games until 8:00pm and a little soccer on the side. Tina and I played tetherball and we felt like elementary kids once again. Next time, we need to get a photo to prove that we still got it.

First Day on the Lake

It was so sunny, not the warmest day....but we'll take it because it was above 70 degrees and we haven't had too many. Launching at Utah Lake is a bit of a challenge because the water level is so low. Only 2-3 feet in the harbor, but we managed.

 In the middle of the lake, Derek was a happy man with his new Radar slalom ski. Of course, he had to see how much he liked this new investment and it paid off with flying colors. He skied three times and cut back and forth like a champ.

Since I was driving, Madi was on the camera and she got this fabulous shot of a Derek throwing a huge tail in smooth glassy water.

Madi was also onboard with teaching Autumn how to wakeboard for the very first time and magically after 4 tries, she got up. We all cheered!

These three loved the sunshine and the new package of Salt and Vinegar chips. The perfect food for boating. It has been a great day!

Cruise Activities Onboard

 And we danced - like a wave on the ocean... 

 ...doing the electric slide ______! Oh yea...We all scored participation points!

 Derek and his team of dodgeball players. They took 2nd place out of 6 teams!

 The dodgeball game is on...and they did awesome!

Lounging on the Promenade Deck - Bliss!

Watching the flowriders and enjoying the back view of the ship.

Evening game time with everybody.

Dice competition - at Cloud 9!

Such a great group of people to spend a week with!

FLOWRIDER - 4 days on the ship!

Derek was thrilled with this part of the cruise ship! Every hour it was opened, he was there participating. He made a bunch of flowrider friends while standing in line.

He's a natural

Ryan joins the fun too! 

I tried boogie boarding

 

Keith, Laura, Steve and Heather in line to go.

On the last day, I tried surfing...

...along with my sister-in-laws Judith did too! Impressive!

Cruisin' with the Butters Family was a Complete Blast!

In Orlando the first night, while waiting for everyone to arrive, Derek and I went to Downtown Disney and went to Cirque Du Soleil. It was incredible!

Breakfast the next morning at Springfield Suites and the fun has already begun!

What a magical week to be with everyone talking and laughing, eating and relaxing. We played games, went to shows and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest. It really was the best trip with the best people!

Riding over on the ferry to our first port of call. These two are  'Pure Gold'!

Coco Cay - Royal Caribbean's Private Island was awesome!

St Thomas

Kayaking = 10 Points....CHECK!

The water here felt like bathtub temperature -

 Iguanas were everywhere - Kinda Creepy!

 Great views from the upper pool at the Marriott where Heather and Steve stayed. They could watch the cruise ships come in and out.

 Beautiful beaches here with the softest sand.

Cruising away from St. Thomas. I love the Caribbean and I love this man of mine!

Yay, Heather and Steve got on board! Our tables were 100% filled. What a fantastic group of people!

A little drink of ginger ale to ward off any sea sickness while scuba diving...

Scuba Pics of Derek, Ryan and Taryn

St Maarten 

I loved how our table was right on the edge of the balcony. 

Formal Night - Derek looked Amazing!

Everyone in their best dressed - lookin' sharp!

We placed in the challenge - Silver medals! woohoo!!

Proud Medal Holders -- gold, silver and bronze. Ryan really outdid himself with orchestrating such an awesome activity for the week.

Since we had 6 hours until we needed to be at the airport, we took advantage of one more beach day. The weather was perfect!

Thanks again to Mom and Dad for organizing and bringing us all on such a memorable trip. We loved every part about it.