Thanksgiving Point Membership Giveaway

Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Why not give something that can be enjoyed for an entire year?

A Thanksgiving Point Annual Membership offers access to all venues, from the always popular Dinosaur Museum to the award-winning gardens and even $5 movies on the XanGo movie screen. It’s the perfect gift for your best friend and her family, your favorite neighbor or even yourself.

This pass will come at the perfect time of year! They have a lot going on this holiday season at Thanksgiving Point, some for a minimal cost, lots with a discount if you are a member and some of them FREE:
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• Holiday Lights: It is the 9th year of the holiday lights, the outdoor lights have more than one million sparkling lights set to holiday music, artwork by Simon Dewey and a reading of “The Christmas Story.” One year we took a carriage ride through the lights and it is a night my girls will never forget. Entry is $8 per car or $4 per car for Thanksgiving Point members. Guests can also see the lights on the trolley ($3 per person, $75 for a reserved trolley of up to 30 people), by wagon ($3 per person, $90 for a reserved wagon of up to 30 people), by carriage ($40 by reservation only) or by private bus ($25).
• Breakfast with Santa: Santa’s annual breakfast is at Thanksgiving Point’s Show Barn on three December Saturdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, from 9 to 11 a.m. Joined by Mrs. Claus, his elves, Buddy the Elf and the Gingerbread Man, Santa will host a fun family breakfast. Tickets purchased in advance are $15 for children 12 and under and $20 for kids and adults age 13 and older.
• Voice Male Christmas Performance: Utah’s award-winning a cappella group Voice Male will perform its annual Christmas concert in the Show Barn on Dec. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are reserved seating and are $14 in advance or $17 on the day of the event. Thanksgiving Point members will receive a 10 percent discount.
• Live Reindeer and Christmas Trees: From Nov. 25 to Dec. 23, two of Santa’s reindeer, Comet and Cupid, will be at Thanksgiving Point’s Water Tower Plaza Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m.  Children can feed and pet the reindeer while the family chooses a freshly cut evergreen to bring home. My girl’s eyes just light up when they see these reindeer and I love that it is FREE!!
• Photos with Santa: Christmas photos with Santa Claus are a must have every single year. Santa will be at Thanksgiving Point on Dec. 6, 13 and 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Water Tower Plaza.
• Ice Sculpting Demonstration: See the fascinating art of ice sculpture on Monday nights in December. Each evening will feature an artist transforming a 300-pound block of ice into a holiday-themed design or character. Come watch this amazing piece evolve on Dec. 5, 12 and 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Water Tower Plaza. This event is free to the public.

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Thanksgiving Point is giving away a one-year membership to one lucky reader ($175 value).

To enter, leave a comment on this post.

For extra entries:

~ Link to this post on your blog and be entered twice (leave a second comment telling us you blogged about it).

~ Tweet about this giveaway and/or Facebook about this giveaway (leave additional comments if you did so)

~ Like Sassy Scoops on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sassyscoops

A winner will be chosen at random on Dec. 18th. Good luck!!!

Thanks to our fabulous friend Rachael over at TodaysMama.com and the good people at Kraft Lunchables, the Sassies were able to take their families on a family field trip to Boondocks Fun Center in Draper. Unfortunately, life happens (often) and by the time the scheduled date rolled around, only Kim, Lindsey, Kristina and I were able to do the field tripping. But we still had a blast and so did our kids from age 2 to 14.

So what did the Sassies think of Boondocks Fun Center in Draper, Utah? Read on to find out!
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QUESTION

What was your first impression?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: I actually had my first impression a couple years ago when Nathan and I went to Boondocks for a date. We had so much fun racing each other on the go karts and trying out out par each other in mini golf. This time I did learn it can be a little tricky with groups if you don’t call ahead and fill out the appropriate paperwork so things are ready when you arrive, but Boondocks did their best to accommodate us and were fabulous even with my lack of planning.
Kim: Bright lights, music, beeps, the kind of place one could get lost in a world of fun.
Kristina: The environment is really fun and energetic. There are many different activities, a place to eat, and it was all rather easy to navigate.
Lindsey: Honestly, my first impression was how very loud it was. Then I looked around at all these families laughing and carrying on and I knew why. My family fit right it.
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QUESTION

What did you like the most?

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Emily: The group-rate packages. They were seriously a great deal, and most require only a minimum of 10 people. Our family is more than half that number! Our faves were also the amount of fun activities outside the arcade: laser tag, mini golf, go karts, a slick track, bumper boats, and this cool mini theater that made it feel like you were riding a real roller coaster!
Kim: LOVED the 4D theater. I liked that they had a few different lines and each line was a different coaster experience. My kids wanted to keep going and going on it, and I obliged. However, I think in my old age I am getting motion sick. We also loved winning tickets; I thought it was especially nice when one of the workers stopped to give us tips and tricks on how to win MORE. My kids loved picking out a little prize at the end, and we even had enough for the baby to get a prize too. Dad and I? We got stuck with the 1 ticket erasers. :) Also, the pizza was pretty darn delicious, something that surprised me.
Kristina: I really loved all the different available activities. There was laser tag, miniature golf, batting cages, bumper boats, arcade games, etc. And the pricing was very reasonable. The food was also excellent. I was rather surprised by the quality of the food.
Lindsey: I love that they have the classic Mrs. PacMan arcade game. I love a throw back game. But for the whole family, I am going to have to say laser tag. My husband and I took our toddlers in to play and had a blast with them. Turns out using a 3-year-old as a human shield to block your front censor really boosts your score! My boys had a blast in what they thought was a real-life Star Wars extravaganza.
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QUESTION

What didn’t you like?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: The super long wait for the go karts and even longer wait for the slick track. But then again, once you’re in the car you like how long the ride goes! Oh, and the ever painful cashing in of tickets for treasures. Why does that always take my kids so long? I did think the mini golf at night was way too dark. It was really hard to see the balls and the course. They definitely need a lot more light.
Kim: Hmmm, I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like. I might have wished I left the baby with a sitter so that I could have had more fun with my older kids. She is 2, and while she enjoyed some of the things, many were just too old for her.
Kristina: My husband and I played a game of miniature golf, where, of course, I dominated and kicked his butt. However, about 5-6 holes were unlit and all the lights were out. Some were so dark; we literally could not see the ball on the course. This also prevented me from cheating.
Lindsey: The food was better than I thought it would be, but it still wasn’t really great. I also had a hard time breathing (it was stifling!) in the room where you prep for laser tag. (That presentation of the rules, etc. is kind of long for antsy kiddos.)
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QUESTION

Would you refer Boondocks Fun Center to a friend?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: Definitely! I think it would be a great place for a birthday party, family night or group date night!
Kim: I certainly would. We have been to similar places in California, so it was refreshing to have such a fun place close to home where we could literally spend hours and have unlimited amounts of fun.
Kristina: Definitely. We come here often and have brought family members with young children. There is something for every age to do.
Lindsey: Yes! We had a great time even though we had littler kids than most. Aside from Mrs. PacMan and laser tag, the mini golf course is fantastic (a fire-breathing dragon at the end!), the go karts are always a highlight and their indoor playground is the best I have seen. In fact, my kids wanted to spend most of their time on the playground pretending to be Indiana Jones.
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QUESTION

If you could only send out one tweet about the business, what would you say?

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THE SCOOP

Emily: @BoondockFunCntr is THE best place for family night or date night! Go karts, mini golf & laser tag, oh my!
Kim: @BoondockFunCnter for a whole family night worth of food, fun, and prizes. My kind of place.
Kristina: {not a tweeter}
Lindsey: For a fun, no-planning family night, head to @BoondockFunCnter where it’s ok to use your children as human shields in laser tag.
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CHECK OUT THEM SCOOPS!

Here is the official SassyScoops.com rating for Boondocks Fun Center in Draper.
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Atmosphere	Family friendly	Location
Prices	Quality	Service

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Disclaimer: Today’s Mama provided the Sassies with VISA gift cards thanks to Kraft Lunchables to use toward a local family field trip. We chose Boondocks—and what a great choice it was! Even though all that fabulous family fun was comped, the opinions are all ours and 100% honest.

Thanksgiving Point is EXTENDING their annual Tulip Festival to May 7th and they want to give *YOU* the chance to go! Thanksgiving Point is giving away a family4-pack of passes to one lucky reader! By extending the Tulip Festival a full extra week now we ALL can enjoy the 250,000-plus tulips sprawled across its 55-acre gardens.

An added celebratory closing event will be held Saturday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a Tulip Princess Tea Party hosted by the winners of the April 15 Tulip Princess Pageant. The Tea Party will serve lemonade and cookies to visitors and is included with the gardens entry admission. The event will also feature a mini fashion show with tulip-inspired outfits and kids games. RSVPs are appreciated at publicevents2@thanksgivingpoint.org or (801) 766-5018.

In addition to the colorful blooms, Thanksgiving Point’s Tulip Festival will include music from local bands, bagpipers and string quartets, craft vendors and food every Friday and Saturday including the extended weekend of May 6-7. Other family-fun activities will take place throughout the festival:

• Old Dutch Store’s Dutch Day will be held on Saturday, April 23, with Idlewild and the Accords performing authentic Dutch tunes and celebrating the Holland experience.
• Guest photo contest will be judged by Thanksgiving Point Facebook fans. The winning photo will be published in the Thanksgiving Point Gazette and the winner will receive an annual membership to Thanksgiving Point.
• An exhibit featuring photo contest entries and winners from 2010 will be on display throughout the festival.
• Daily garden tours and demonstrations are included with admission.

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival is included with regular Gardens admission. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday, through May 7. Entrance is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $6 for children aged 3-12 and free for Thanksgiving Point members and children under 2 years. Tickets can be purchased at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, over the phone at(801) 768-4900, or online at thanksgivingpoint.org.

NOW for the part you have been waiting for . . . the GIVEAWAY!

ONE lucky SassyScoops.com reader is going to win a family 4-pack of passes to Thanksgiving Point’s Tulip Festival!

Entering is super easy. Just leave a comment on this post!

You can earn EXTRA entries too:

1 entry ~ “Like” Sassy Scoops on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.

1 entry ~ Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

1 entry ~ Update your Facebook status with a link to this giveaway and leave a comment telling us you did.

3 entries ~ Blog about this giveaway and include a link to your post.

Happy entering! This giveaway will end on Saturday, April 30th at midnight MST.

All SassyScoop giveaway winners are notified via email.

This summer my oldest two were able to enroll in a couple of the Utah Museum of Natural History’s summer camps for kids. With all the fun options (over 40 for kids ages kindergarten to middle school), it was hard narrowing it down. I could have easily signed them up for every one!

We finally chose Science & Art for Girls Only for Lauren (age 10) and then Ecological Investigations and Solve It Central for Madison (age 12). The Art & Science for Girls camp is an all-day camp while the Ecological Explorations and Solve It are half-day camps, so it worked out perfectly!

George was involved in one of UMNH’s spring camps and had a fabulous experience so I knew the girls were in for a real treat! The only thing I wasn’t looking forward to was the drive; fortunately my husband works in Research Park so he took them in the morning and I picked them up in the afternoon. Only one round-trip drive to the U made it even better!

Every day the girls came home with a list of cool thing they learned that day, though I will say after a week of all-day science camp, they were exhausted! But in the best kind of way. If Nathan is still working near the UMNH or I have someone to carpool with next year, I’m definitely going to check out the summer camps again.

Of course, don’t take my word for it. I had Madison and Lauren write a little something about their experience at the Utah Museum of Natural History’s summer camps. They even snapped a few photos for you! (Unfortunately Lauren’s photos are MIA. If/when we find them we’ll add them!)

Madison, age 12 (almost 13)
Ecological Investigations & Solve It Central summer camps

“I had a great time at the summer camp. My first half of the day was Ecological Investigations. We went on hikes, identifying animal tracks, and went to the museum’s herbarium. It was so cool! I loved our hikes and our teacher was fun.

The second half was Solve It where we dusted for fingerprints, had our very own crime scene, went to the crime lab where we met one of the people who worked there and she showed us how they dust for fingerprints and other cool things, and we learned how to tell which direction a blood spatter came from. I had fun and I really wish I could go next year, but I will be too old. Darn it! Oh well, I can still go to the museum!”

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Lauren, age 10
Science & Art for Girls Only summer camp

“It was awesome at summer camp. My first half of the day was SCIENCE!!!!!! I love science.

SCIENCE

The first day we went to the Sound Stadium it was really cool and we got to play a gigantic organ!!!!!!!, the next day a nice lady told us about bugs and I knew a lot about them because I read a lot of books about bugs but she told me a lot of stuff I didn’t know, next we DISSECTED OWL PELLETS!!!!!!! It was soooo fun I found I think three legs, a couple back bones, lots and lots of ribs , a skull and some bones that were broken, the last day I was there we learned a lot about engineers and make up for the make up we learned how to make bath fizzies and lib stick that was flavored ( mine was lemon flavored). (P.S. this was just the science part.)

ART AT BAD DOG STUDIOS

I love doing art so the second half of the day was awesome!!!!!!!!!!

The first day we did abstract art but because of my love for animals I made a bird and a bird nest in the cavity of a tree and the teacher because she is soooo nice I just had to add a couple of things on and then we spray painted it gold!!!!! The next day we did self portraits and I did my head on a dragon body with my cannibal catfish at my tail and a piano and a viola were on my body and it was raining and I had a paint in the sky. The next day we did horse sculptures made out of wire. My house is standing on its hind legs. My last day we drew and painted flowers. That’s my review, bye!”

Though the summer’s over and you’ve missed out on seriously enriching your children’s lives, mark your calendar now for UMNH’s spring and summer camps in 2011. They fill up quickly and you won’t want to miss out!

Are you ready for some serious Salt Lake City fun? How about 13 attractions for one super, duper awesome price? This week Vanessa, Quinn and I are talking about the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass and all the great things you can do/see/experience with it.

They have a great promotion going on right now!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*

*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010.
Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

You can read Vanessa’s post for details on the pass and pics of her girls enjoying Red Butte Gardens, Hogle Zoo and the Utah Museum of Natural History.

As for me and my family, so far we’ve hit up 3 of the 13 attractions: Discovery Gateway, a hands-on science museum for kids; Thanksgiving Point’s Museum of Ancient Life; and the always beautiful Thanksgiving Point Children’s Discovery Garden.

My kids LOVE Discovery Gateway. In fact, my two little ones continually ask if we can go to “the Gates” so they can hang out in the helicopter…

Play with the crazy ball-and-pipe system…

Or build super cool things out of magnets…

Even my older two love going there. You can see them enjoying the newsroom studio, rock wall and even the gift shop in the slideshow below:

As for the Museum of Ancient Life, who doesn’t love a few ginormous (aquatic) dinosaurs…

And a shark that makes the star of Jaws look like a guppy…

Oh, and endless riverways filled with sand, flowing water, palm trees and dinosaurs…

The Museum of Ancient Life has a yummy little cafe (though the grilled cheese left something to be desired) and lots of hands-on fun. Anyone want to dig for fossils?

Are you ready for the fun that is Thanksgiving Point’s Children’s Discovery Garden? Even in the almost 90-degree weather, we had a fabulous time splashing in the water…

Playing peek-a-boo in the lighthouse…

And making our way through the topiary maze…

And having a screaming-good time in the tunnels…

Who knew you could have this much fun in a garden? (I sure don’t have this much fun in ours!)

And how do I know it was a successful visit? Because this happened no later than five minutes into the drive home:

Why are you still sitting there reading this post? Get your Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass and get visiting! No better way to spend the summer than attraction-hopping through Salt Lake!

Don’t forget about their current special, which would be perfect for spending a weekend in Salt Lake City with out-of-town guests OR as a “staycation” for you!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*
*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010.
Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

This week three of the Sassies are going to feature the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass, which can be used by those of you already living in Utah OR by families who like to visit Utah for vacation!

What is the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass?

It is a “pass” that offers admission to 13 Salt Lake City attractions: Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway, The Lion House Pantry Restaurant, The Living Planet Aquarium, Red Butte Garden, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Thanksgiving Point, This Is The Place Heritage Park, Tracy Aviary, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Museum of Natural History, Utah Olympic Park and Utah’s Hogle Zoo. You can see exactly what you get with the pass on this page. For most of the places your VSL pass allows you free entrance into the attraction, and using the pass ends up saving you TONS of money while taking you on a great tour of the best places in Salt Lake City.

What different Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass options are there for visitors?

We recommend the 1-day ($24 for an adult), 2-day ($36 for an adult) or 3-day ($48 for an adult) for friends and family who visit Utah depending on the length of their stay.
Right now they have a great SPECIAL for this pass:

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day FREE!*

* Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010. Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

It gives visitors a great tour of Salt Lake City and takes them to the perfect places to visit while here in the area. Plus, it’s also a great way for locals to have a less expensive “staycation” this summer!

What option do they have for us local Utahns?

This is the pass that my family, extended family in Utah, friends and neighbors use: the 365 Day Pass. The cost is $69 (for an adult) and you can visit the 13 attractions listed above during the course of a year, which works perfectly for us because we usually plan fun outings once a month. We love going with  other people we know who have this pass and enjoy trying something new in Salt Lake City! If I were to visit all the attractions and pay the regular price, it would cost me over $120! With the 365 Day Pass, I save 50%, which is HUGE!

Here are some of my family’s favorite attractions included in the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass:

Red Butte Gardens: I can’t believe it took us so long to make it out to this Salt Lake City attraction but we just loved it! My kids learned so much about all the different plants, and the trails in the gardens are beautiful and shaded for hot summer weather. They have many places to sit; you can have a picnic or sit at a table for lunch. The children’s gardens are very fun and interactive, and that part of the gardens alone could have filled  our day. Check out our fun video of our favorite parts of Red Butte Gardens:

Utah’s Hogle Zoo: Here we love the giraffe house. You can go up to the second level so you are VERY close to the beautiful animals! We love going up there and watching them eat and come in and out of their houses.

Utah Museum of Natural History: Boy, do we adore this place! It is definitely a place where it is not only entertaining but educational as well. We really do have such a blast at the museum with my girls. They spend a crazy amount of time studying all of the minerals, fossils, artifacts and dinosaurs!

We’ve loved being Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass owners this year and have had a blast around Salt Lake City!

Don’t forget about their current special, which would be perfect for a weekend in Salt Lake City for family coming to visit OR a “staycation” for you!

Buy a 2-day pass, get a 3rd day for FREE!*
*Free day in the form of a 3-day Connect Pass for the same price of a 2-day connect pass. Offer valid through July 19, 2010. Promotional passes can be used throughout the 2010 calendar year.
Once activated they are valid for 3 consecutive days.

I don’t think there’s much more we can say to convince you Invert Sports is the go-to shop for local water sports rentals. From the time we arrived and saw the boat docked, stocked and ready to go, to the final “accidental” flip of the inner tube, we were smitten.

Tyler, an employee of Invert Sports and a well-trained driver, accompanied us during our time with the boat.  He was so patient when it came toteaching us how to wake surf, our phobias of the insects and the craziness that just comes with giddy girls spending a day out in the sun.  He was so fun whipping us around on the tubes, and even cooperated in secretly executing the perfect wipe-out—for video purposes of course—unbeknownst to Vanessa and Kitty, the riders on the tube, who were expecting a calm ride back to the dock. (Again, we’re sorry for the bruises and inability to walk the next day!)

Take advantage of these summer months by spending some time on the lake.  Plan a weekend with your family or good friends and call Invert Sports to reserve the perfect sized boat or water toys for your group.  Split the cost of the rental price and we can guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

We cornered Tyler, while in the process of inflating the tube, to have him discuss more about Invert Sports.

Be sure to “Like” Invert Sports on Facebook or follow them on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/invertsports to keep up on the latest steals and deals being offered throughout the summer.

And don’t be surprised if you see some Sassies out on the lake as well during your adventures!

So what did the Sassies and our guest Sassies, Jill and Kitty, think of Invert Sports? Did they have as much fun in real life as it looks like they did in the photos? Read on to find out!
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QUESTION

What was your first impression?
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THE SCOOP

Camille: The boat, toys and driver were all there, loaded, docked and ready for us to jump on at the time scheduled. The boat was clean, well-maintained and the driver knew his stuff—and was fun!
Emily: “Is there really a lake at the end of this extremely long country road?” But seriously, I loved that everything was ready and waiting for us, including Tyler (aka our cute driver).
Jill: The equipment all looked brand new and the guy helping us was friendly, but not creepy friendly.
Kitty: Adventure time!
Vanessa: Wow! They have really, really nice equipment. We had a boat while growing up and we love to hang out on friends’ boats and rent boats a lot. THIS water equipment was the nicest I have been on…and it runs really well too.
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QUESTION

What did you like the most?

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THE SCOOP

Camille: Tyler’s patience in teaching how to wake surf. For as many times as he had to slow the boat and bring it around to pick up the floating “surfer,” he still maintained a smile!
Emily: Definitely the waverunners. I LOVE heading out on one of these and jumping whatever wakes I can find. Unfortunately I had to settle for the boat’s wakes as there were no moving houseboats on Utah Lake for some reason… Oh, and did I already mention our driver was cute? I did? Well, how about the fact that he was super nice and super helpful too?
Jill: The part I was most impressed with was how well Tyler got along with us. I loved how willing he was to teach us how to wake surf, even though I ended up being terrible.
Kitty: I loved that my cheeks (both of them!) threatened to be sore from so much laughing and having fun.
Vanessa: I really liked having a chartered boat, which means someone does the pick-up, delivery, drives it, helps teach water sports and sets up and takes down the different toys. The boat we were on can hold up to 16 people! When you divide the cost among that many people, it’s awesome. I think more companies should do this for work parties, and my family needs to do it for our next reunion.
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QUESTION

What didn’t you like?

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THE SCOOP

Camille: That we hadn’t arranged to keep the boat longer!
Emily: That I was eaten ALIVE by mosquitoes in the first 30 minutes of boating, but that can’t be helped. I’m super sweet and irresistible to blood-sucking insects. Other than that, hitting a wall of water while on the waverunner wasn’t super awesome, or the nasty, purple/blue/blood-red bruise the size of Texas on my right butt cheek from a nasty wipeout (also on said waverunner). Oh, and I didn’t love wake surfing but anything that requires balancing like that is beyond my limited coordination.
Jill: Nothing. I like boating, but I don’t like all the docking and whatnot that comes along with it, so it was really nice to just have someone else do all that!
Kitty: I didn’t like having to wait for Camille to finish showing off on the wake board.
Vanessa: HA! The huge welts I had on one side of my body from flipping out, falling down, smashing mid-air into Kitty. But seriously, if you aren’t doing that, you aren’t having a good time. But honestly, Invert Sports was perfect—I am a huge fan now!
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QUESTION

Would you refer Invert Sports to a friend?

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THE SCOOP

Camille: Absolutely! For those who don’t have the luxury of owning a boat themselves, Invert Sports is definitely the way to to enjoy some time out on the water.
Emily: Totally! I’m already thinking we need to somehow organize a family SassyScoops getaway to Lake Powell and invite Invert Sports along. They seem to know how to do water sports right…
Jill: Most definitely. Hopefully said friend would invite me along too.
Kitty: Already have!
Vanessa: YES, triple yes! Let me tell you why: the side of the family that rents water craft gets the cheapest they can find—and it’s NOT fun. The customer service, quality of the water craft and the fun we have suffers because they cut just a little bit on cost. Invert Sports is by far the best rental company I have ever worked with and I will only use them from now on.
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QUESTION

If you could only send out one tweet about the business, what would you say?

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THE SCOOP

Camille: Call in sick tomorrow and spend the day on the water with @invertsports boats and waverunner rentals!
Emily: I know what I’m doing this summer: boating & water sports w/ @inevertsports. They rock! #utah #summerfun
Jill: Want to go boating/jetskiing but don’t own a boat? Rent the highest quality boating equipment from @invertsports
Kitty: {not a tweeter}
Vanessa: @InvertSports is the best company in #utah to rent watercraft. Their equipment, options, customer service & staff are beyond the best ever.

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CHECK OUT THEM SCOOPS!

Here is the official SassyScoops.com rating for Invert Sports.
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Atmosphere … n/a	Family friendly	Location
Prices	Quality	Service

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Return to SassyScoops.com on Friday for our follow-up post on Invert Sports! We might even have a tasty GIVEAWAY for our readers!

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Here’s the scoop on our guest Sassies. We’d consider it a real treat if you’d visit their super sweet blogs!
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Jill
Jill is a twenty-something mother of two who runs the blog Jill Can Blog—a site full of deliciously random thoughts and happenings. When she’s not engaging in bloggery, wifery, and mothering, she practices full-time studentry at Utah Valley University studying Public Relations. She loves Mexican food, Diet Coke, watching her neighbor treat his cat like a human child, and dance parties. You can learn more about Jill and her dance parties by visiting Jill Can Blog.
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Kitty
Kitty (Catherine) is the owner of the “Sweet Shoppe” Fahrenheit 350° and produces the most delectable pecan logs in the universe. She resides in Utah with her husband and cute dogs. She has an unending supply of energy and youthful enthusiasm along with her drool-inducing recipes! You can learn more about Kitty and her fabulous edible creations at the Fahrenheit 350° Blog.

The Sassies spent a day last week reviewing Invert Sports, which means we spent the whole day wave running, tubing, boating and wave surfing.

Main Website: http://www.invertsports.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/invertsports
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/invertsports
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/invertsports
Blog: http://skiboatrentals.blogspot.com/

This summer will be Invert Sports’ 8th year in business. Invert Sports was created for people who love boating by people who love boating.  They understand  everyone doesn’t always have the means or the time to deal with boat ownership. Invert Sports has different options to fit YOUR needs:

• Boat Rentals: They were the first company in Utah, Arizona and Nevada that started renting high-end ski boats for Tournament wakeboard/water ski boat rentals. Ski boat rental prices range from $395 to $895 depending on the boat model and duration of rental days. Most of their rentals are newer models, giving the best water sports experience available. Rentals include: MasterCraft boats, Centurion ski boats, tow vehicle, Hyperlite wakeboards, wake skate, wake surf, kneeboard, HO skis, air chair and tubes.

  The boat we used for the review accommodates up to 16 people comfortably. Think about that price divided by all the couples you could invite for a weekend away, a family reunion or an affordable staycation his year! Watercraft delivery and pickup are available at most lakes in the Utah and Arizona area.

• Boat charters, Tours and Water Sport Lessons: I did not know this sort of thing was even an option out here in Utah. When we reviewed Invert Sports, this is the option they had ready for us and it was fantastic. The boat was waiting for us in the water, stocked with all the toys and a driver. He patiently stopped and started the boat every single time (and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME) one of us fell off, cleaned up the boat, operated, docked/undocked and helped us with wave runners, wake boarding, wake surfing and tubing. I personally think this would be a great option for a low-key vacation, day out with extended family and even a business event.

  Water Sport lessons, charters and tours range from $695 to $1,395 depending on the lake and hours scheduled. Check out all the different places you can use this option: Lake Powell, Utah Lake, Jordanelle Reservoir, Deer Creek Reservoir, PineView Reservoir, Bear Lake, Lake Havasu, Lake Pleasant, Lake Roosevelt, Lake Tahoe, Lake Mohave, Lake Shasta, Lake Mead, Sand Hollow Reservoir, Lake Berryessa, Lake New Melones, Trinity Lake, Lake Mcclure, Lake Don Pedro, Quail Creek Reservoir, Strawberry Reservoir and Willard Bay.

  

• Jet ski, Wave runner, PWC and Sea Doo Rentals: We also reviewed their wave runners, which we had a blast with! They offer the nicest and most current model jet ski and wave runner rentals from Yamaha, including the 2009 VX Deluxe three-seater sit-down wave runners with reverse! They also have single and double trailers available if need be.

• Some Other Points to Keep in Mind: Watercraft delivery and pickup are available at most lakes and you can schedule vacation packages to major houseboating lakes in the western states. Invert Sports is a total water sport outfitter!

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Reviewing Invert Sports is one of the most fun reviews we have ever done together for SassyScoops.com. Be sure to check in on Wednesday for our official review, then on Friday we will have some videos YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS in our Follow-up Friday post. See you then!

It’s cold outside, but next Friday the Sassies will be warming up from the inside-out at the Timpanogos Storytelling concert “Stories to Warm The Soul” featuring Donald Davis and MaryGay Ducey.

Have you been to a storytelling event yet?  If not, you are missing something amazing.  Surely you’ve seen the billboards and heard the buzz… storytelling festivals are popping up all over the country.  Over the last year, several of us have been invited by Cherish Bound (a company that helps you tell your own family stories) to learn more about this fun form of entertainment.  Carol Rice, Cherish Bound’s Founder and President has said, “Storytelling is just something you have to experience!” and we found out that she’s right.

Story is something that speaks to us all – we all love a good narrative, don’t we?  Maybe your favorite form of story is TV, movies, a good book, your favorite blogs, or just hearing about your friend’s experience looking for a car… whatever it is, we’re all wired to enjoy a good story.  But can you imagine one person on a stage taking an entire audience on a journey with nothing more than their voice and a perfectly crafted story… imagine the time flying by as you laugh, reminisce and maybe even cry a little with the storyteller.  It’s kind of like magic and if you can imagine that… you can imagine how much you will enjoy the concert.  No doubt you’ll come away from the concert thinking a lot about your own stories – that’s where Cherish Bound comes in and next month we will be telling you a lot more them.

The Friday night concert that we will be attending is just part of a full week of events put on by Timpanogos.  The Midwinter Conference is the sister to the popular summertime festival and they will hold classes, workshops and concerts of all kinds (if you’re a teacher you can even get credit for attending!).    You can check out more information about the entire conference here.

Hopefully you’ll join us at the Friday night concert… bring a date or your whole family (recommended for 8 and up) or grab a friend and make it a girl’s night out.

And now for the Giveaway for the Friday Night Concert!

Leave a comment telling us you’ll be there and we’ll pick one of you for a free ticket!