Richard's Birthday at Echo

August 27, 2011: While Sandy and April were in town, we spent some time at Echo Reservoir playing in the sun like we did when we were kids. As children, we spent hours in the water and sun and it was really fun to do it again.

Three of my cousins joined us at the lake for Richard's birthday and it was really nice to see them. (I didn't get pictures of Debi and Rachelle, which is kind of sad, really).

In the afternoon, we pulled out the boat and the water-weenie and took the kids for a ride. It was a hot summer day so we all took time to swim in the lake. My brother's boat doesn't have a ladder off the back and I didn't realize this before I jumped in. After jumping in and swimming around for a while, getting back into the boat was rather entertaining for me and anybody who was there. April told me the way to get back up was to "Shamu it" onto the deck, which was level with the water. Shamu it? LOL! You know when you laugh so hard and you get weak? That was me. After that, I stayed in the boat.

Here are some pictures of the kids and Lori's son, Chris, on the water weenie:








After some time around the lake, we made our way to the cliffs. I would have jumped, but then I thought about the Shamu moment and decided to just take the pictures:




As we finished out the day, one side of the sky was filled with clouds and lightening (in the distance) while the setting sun lit it up in the most beautiful way.

All in all, it was one of the most amazing summer days: my sisters, my brother, my niece and nephews, cousins, and The Lake. Perfect!
Happy Birthday, Richard!