Wheels of Pain

I went to Idaho this weekend for a wedding. It was for my sister's best friend from second grade, Katie. Katie was stunning (of course), the wind was CRAZY (it was an outdoor wedding on the top of a mountain), and Katie and her groom looked supremely happy. It was also a great time to see Serry, since she lives about as far east in WA as she can go, and to spend a little last time with Gentry before she heads off into the big wide world of California.

While we were there, we had some down time and decided to go kayaking. We were staying on a river/lake (FEET from our door) and the place where we were rented kayaks. These little red boats were rather frightening looking... I'm used to sea kayaks where you sit IN the boat... these were river kayaks (which are shorter) AND the kind you sit on TOP of.

Here's the difference.
This is me in a Tugboat Annie's kayak. Not too flattering, and a cheap kayak, but you get the picture:

This is Serry in one of these little, on the top, kayaks. YIKES.So when I first saw these on the top kayaks, I thought... "I'm gonna die." But you must understand... I love kayaking. It's my new favorite sport--the only one I've ever felt slightly good at! So... I tried it. The people there that helped us get in dropped it into the water on the side of the dock. Now... keep in mind... the dock is a foot above the water. My family said that I got to be first... Oh goodie. I had to figure out a way to heave myself into this tiny plastic leaf while not tipping over? Ummmm... yeah, that didn't work. The kayak went left, I went right and I went 3/4 of the way into the water. Great fun. I also scraped up my arm a little.

I was a little shaky, but was still willing to give it a go... even though it felt impossible. We moved over to the boat launch area (why didn't they do that in the first place?!?!?!??) and I made Serry go next. She got in ok, but I could even tell she wasn't totally comfortable. I tried it next (keep in mind, water is POURING off of my clothes still). I made it out all right, felt how tippy it was, and every single muscle in my body was tense. I was already shaky enough... I knew I couldn't last 20 minutes feeling like this, let alone an hour. Everyone else got in the water (we had 2 singles and a double--the double was a sit IN) and i tried to paddle around the marina. I gave it my best shot and then realized that I was miserable and it wasn't worth it. I made it back, dumped myself out, and sloshed my way back to our bungalow.

By the time I'd showered and changed, the scratch on my arm had become a big lump that was quickly turning all shades of blue and purple. I was more than happy to sit on the porch with my dad, take a few pictures, and play around on my laptop. No more sit on tops for me!!!

Today, I still have the bruise. It's quickly turning from the deep purple it became into a nauseating shade of green. My arm doesn't hurt as much, thank God, but I have a big lump under the bruise. When I told this story at the wedding on Saturday, a friend told me I needed a better reason. He said that it must have been a roller derby injury... and we decided that my name is now Wheels of Pain. Nice, eh?

Next time you see Wheels of Pain around, you watch out... I'm not afraid to give you an elbow to the face. :)