sharing creativity & caring for your business ... - Stampin' Up!

friends as they grow up, I am
so grateful for the opportunity
we have to solidify the most
important relationships we have!
written by: shelli gardner
Powell—
A Priceless Gardner
Family Tradition
I made my first trip to Lake
Powell more than 40 years ago;
we lived in California, and my
dad decided the lake would make
a great family vacation. He and
my mom packed us all up in the
car, and we made the long drive
to Powell, a sprawling, manmade
reservoir that straddles
the border between southern
Utah and Arizona.
We didn’t have a houseboat;
in fact, it would be years
before we’d enjoy the lake on a
houseboat. Instead, we camped
on the shore, played in the
water, and enjoyed many blissful
days. Our repeated experiences
at Lake Powell were so profound
that my dad eventually ended up
moving his business to southern
Utah, just so we could be closer
to this magical water!
Those trips to the lake as a
little girl continued through
my teenage years, and when I
fell in love with Sterling, one of
the conditions of our marriage
was that we would continue
spending time on the lake as a
family! In the past four decades,
I can count the years we’ve
missed our annual Powell Trip
on one hand—our time there
is sacred, and a new generation
of Gardner/Goodfellows is now
falling in love with one of the
most beautiful places on earth!
Family Togetherness
We love our Powell trips for
many reasons. The first one
is probably obvious: We love
spending time together, and
when we’re on the lake, it’s just
us—nothing else intrudes! Few
things are more rejuvenating for
me than spending time with my
family, and we get lots of family
time on the lake. In addition
to water sports and games, we
spend hours visiting, watching
videos, playing games, and just
creating memories that I know
we will treasure forever!
This idea, of course, isn’t new;
many families have reunions.
Some families camp in the
mountains, others go to the
beach. We head for Powell. For
us, the chance to bring our
different families together is
invaluable. And as I watch our
grown children interact with
each other, strengthening their
relationships as adults, and the
grandchildren become very good
Down to a Science
Because we’ve been making this
trip for so many years, we’ve
got it down to a science! We’ve
learned by trial and error what
works for us. We have Lake
Powell packing and grocery lists
on the computer, and every year
I call them up and print them
out. It’s stress free and practically
mindless (although this year I did
have to increase a few quantities
on the grocery list; we discovered
that growing grandchildren eat
more! Go figure!)
We know how to pack and where
to pack and who is responsible
for what. Our last stop before
heading out on the water is at the
local grocery store, where we load
up several shopping carts with
food and supplies (there are 26 of
us now, when everybody makes
it). Then we head to the marina,
load up the boat, and go find our
cozy home-away-from-home for
the next blissful week or so.
Choosing where to drop anchor
is an art, one that Sterling and
the boys (our sons-in-law) have
perfected. We look for a cove
that is secluded and protected,
one that won’t get too dangerous
if the wind picks up. Shallow
water is nice for the toddlers to
splash around in, deeper water
is essential for swimming, and
access to wide-open water is
a must for “bumbusting” and
water and jet skiing.
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