Kayaking adventures...

Jeff and I went kayaking yesterday with my aunt, her partner, my uncle, my two cousins and my mom. This was my mom's first time out. Since we planned the trip out my mom has been so concerned about tipping or getting really wet and I was very adamant that we weren't going white water kayaking and that unless she gets some spray from her kayak paddle or falls in, she won't get wet. I told her that all the times I've been out I've never gotten more than a sprinkle on me and other than my feet when getting in and out of my kayak, none of the rest of my body has gotten wet. (can you see where this is going?)

Well we went to a big lake and the lake had a creek running into it so we decided to paddle up the creek. To get to the creek we had to go into a shallow area and we all got stuck. Vicki had to get out of her kayak to pull us all to deeper water just over the shallow area.

(The picture above is her pulling my mom into deeper water. Too funny!)

There was a downed tree and some of us went under the tree to the other side to ride a few SMALL rapids (really, I don't know if my kayak moved any faster than the current was moving outside of the rapids when I went over them). My mom stayed behind with my aunt to wait and float and just relax and enjoy. We came back through and I got stuck in the tree.

I was able to break one of the branches to get out of being stuck. Then it was Jeff's turn and this is what happened to him:

In he went! (This was after, when he moved to shallower water and my cousin and aunt came to help him pump out a minute later).

So they finally get him pumped out and back in and not 30 seconds later does the current take me and I couldn't paddle out. I went into a HUGE sticker bush along the shore and... you guessed it! I rolled in too!

That picture is everyone trying to help get me pumped out. They eventually just lifted my kayak up and dumped it because there was so much water in it, haha. Then I had to try to get back in, but the water was higher here and I'm shorter than DH so it was hard. They were afraid I would fall back in! But I made it! Jeff didn't get hurt but I got a NASTY cut on my right hand and a very mean bruise on my right knee and cuts up and down my right leg (which was the way I rolled, so it makes sense). I'll spare you those pictures!

I think it is hilarious that I was adamant that my mom wouldn't get wet. She didn't, but WE did! HAHA!

Then we had to race a storm back to shore that started to come. I am SO thankful I left my BlackBerry in my car and that my camera was in a plastic bag that floated. Unfortunately, my waterbottle is resting with the fishies. :(

Seriously this was the most eventful kayaking trip I've EVER been on!

When it rains....

run in the rain! (And you thought I was going to say "it pours!"!) I just had the best run of my life and had I not run in the rain, I wouldn't have had this run. So on a nice rainy day (not a hurricane! just a nice rain), don't run on a boring treadmill... hit the roads and run in the rain! It is rejuvenating!

(PS I'm not responsible if you get sick or hurt running in the rain. Use your best judgment! Just don't let the wet discourage you from running outside.)

Condition

I think when you work out, it is important that you don't get bored or tired. If you get bored with your workout, you are less likely to look forward to working out and your motivation will drop. I love running, but even running can get boring if you run the same route every day, or if you do it all of the time and don't do anything else with it.

Near our house is a trail that goes along old railroad tracks. It is beautiful and a wonderful walk. Jeff and I walked with the dogs twice. Once south, through a train tunnel built in the 1800's and once north. Both times we did about 4-4 1/2 miles walking and it was very enjoyable!


Today though, we biked it! I had a run this morning that was about 2 1/2 miles and then this afternoon we stuffed our bikes into the car and headed over. We biked about 6 1/2 miles total and it was wonderful! It wasn't has hard of a workout as I get when I run because it is fairly level, but it was so neat to bike it. We really enjoy doing this together and it was a great way to condition. It was a great way to do an exercise without getting bored of my normal routine.

Now if I can only find someone to run it with me...

Fun! And some not so fun news...

Ok, I'll start out with the fun news first... there is a blog (click here to go to The Bragging Mommy giveaway)giving away a really cool teacher tool and I want it! So I will shamelessly post about it on here for 2 more entries because I think this is a really cool math teaching tool! I struggled in math growing up, so as I teacher I want to make sure I am reaching all of my students in math, not just the ones who understand the concepts right away, and this tool, called the Zillio math mountain, will help with this! Check it out! It will make you want one, even just for your kids at home!

On not so fun news... many of you know I am looking for a job. I had an interview with a school I used to work in waayy back when I started in education, when I was working in the special ed field as a paraeducator. Well, I was called this past Tuesday and told I was being recommended to teach 1st grade (perfect huh? Since I just finished teaching 1st grade and LOVED it!). The offer would come from the superintendent and we were just waiting on a meeting date with him. I was told he rarely turns down a recommendation, so the job was all but mine. I got a call Thursday, and I was expecting it to be the meeting time. Instead... it was the principal telling me she had bad news. He turned down the recommendation because he didn't want to pay me as much as I would have to be paid because of having a post-bacc certification (you go in at a higher rate than someone with a bachelor's). I offered to go in at a lower rate or not finish my master's and it didn't make a difference. He didn't want to pay me so much (and I'm sure there were union issues with going in at a lower rate). So I lost my dream job. Everyone says that just means there is an even better job out there for me. I just hope they are right because I don't want to sub the rest of my life. I want my own classroom and I want to teach. I told my principal, it isn't about the money to me... I want to teach.

So please keep me in your prayers that a job will open for me before the 2010-2011 school year!